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Update your Windows PC to avoid a serious Wi-Fi vulnerability

Update your Windows PC to avoid a serious Wi-Fi vulnerability

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The vulnerability could let hackers gain access to your PC on public Wi-Fi networks.

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Illustration of a computer screen with a blue exclamation point on it and an error box.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

If you’ve been putting off your next Windows update, now’s the time to install it. Last week, Microsoft patched a pretty nasty vulnerability in Windows 11 and 10 that could put your PC at risk when connected to a public Wi-Fi network, as spotted earlier by The Register.

The vulnerability (CVE-2024-30078) could let hackers deploy a malicious packet to devices connected to the same Wi-Fi networks in places like airports, coffee shops, hotels, or even workplaces. From there, hackers can remotely run commands and gain access to a system — all without any user interaction or authentication. Microsoft rolled out the patch as part of its monthly security update on June 11th.

Microsoft has labeled the vulnerability as “important,” which is the company’s second-highest severity rating for security vulnerabilities. Even if you don’t plan on taking your laptop to the coffee shop with you anytime soon, you shouldn’t delay this patch.