Hackers May Force Microsoft's Hand on SMB2 Bug

Microsoft is working feverishly to patch a zero-day bug in a key Windows networking protocol disclosed in early September, but isn't finished testing it yet. Now, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) security wranglers have received notice that they'd better get a move on.

This week, a hacker uploaded an exploit that takes advantage of the bug in what's called Server Message Block version 2 (SMB2) and incorporated it into the Metasploit Framework, a popular hackers' tool. With it, an attacker would be able to take complete control of users' PCs.

The zero-day bug first surfaced on September 8, when Microsoft issued a Security Advisory warning that versions of Windows that use SMB2 are at risk.