Microsoft Offers 'Fix It' Option Disabling SMB Protocol
Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) has issued a temporary "Fix It" option that serves as a workaround for a critical vulnerability in the Server Message Block version 2 protocol that could pave the way for remote hackers to infiltrate Windows Vista and Server 2008 systems to steal data.
While not quite a patch, Microsoft updated its security advisory by telling users to cut support for the SMBv2 protocol, accompanied by a link to the Microsoft "Fix It" package disabling the SMBv2 protocol and then stopping and starting the Server service.
Specifically, the SMBv2 vulnerability, which affects Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, stems from an error in the way that the Microsoft SMBv2, a network file sharing protocol, parses SMB requests. By disabling the SMB function, however, Microsoft warned that connections between Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 machines might be slowed.
