Microsoft urges Azure users to update PowerShell to fix RCE flaw

Microsoft is urging Azure users to update PowerShell to address a remote code execution vulnerability that was fixed earlier this year.

Microsoft is recommending its Azure users to update PowerShell versions 7.0 and 7.1 to protect against a high severity remote code execution vulnerability tracked as CVE-2021-26701.

The IT giant is inviting the PowerShell task automation tool to versions 7.0.6 or 7.1.3 as soon as possible.

“If you manage yoiur Azure resources from PowerShell version 7.0 or 7.1, we’ve released new versions of PowerShell to address a .NET Core remote code execution vulnerability in versions 7.0 and 7.1. We recommend that you install the updated versions as soon as possible.” reads the advisory published by Microsoft. “Windows PowerShell 5.1 isn’t affected by this issue.”

The CVE-2021-26701 flaw was addressed by Microsoft with the release of Patch Tuesday February security updates.

The .NET Core and Visual Studio Remote Code Execution vulnerability “exists in .NET 5 and .NET Core due to how text encoding is performed.“

Experts believe that the exploitation of the flaw is very difficult and for this reason, Microsoft labeled it “Exploitation Less Likely,” which means while exploit code could be created, an attacker would likely have difficulty creating the code, requiring expertise and/or sophisticated timing, and/or varied results when targeting the affected product.

“To best protect against this vulnerability, please install the new PowerShell version as soon as possible to update from:
• Version 7.0 to 7.0.6
• Version 7.1 to 7.1.3” concludes Microsoft.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Azure)

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Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.