‘The Internet’s on Fire’ as Techs Race to Fix Software Flaw

‘The Internet’s on Fire’ as Techs Race to Fix Software Flaw
Lydia Winters shows off Microsoft's "Minecraft" built specifically for HoloLens at the Xbox E3 2015 briefing before Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles on June 15, 2015. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

BOSTON—A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool—one quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft—is rapidly emerging as a major threat to organizations around the world.

“The internet’s on fire right now,“ said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. “People are scrambling to patch,” he said, ”and all kinds of people scrambling to exploit it.“ He said Friday morning that in the 12 hours since the bug’s existence was disclosed that it had been ”fully weaponized,” meaning malefactors had developed and distributed tools to exploit it.