Ms17-010

MS17-010, also known as EternalBlue, EternalSynergy, or EternalRomance, is a significant remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft's Server Message Block 1.0 (SMBv1) protocol. This flaw in software design and implementation was exploited by various malware strains, most notably the WannaCry ransomware, which propagated itself by exploiting this specific vulnerability. The exploit allowed malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on the target system, thereby gaining control over it. The systems particularly susceptible to MS17-010 included Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and 3, Windows 7 64 bit with Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 with Service Pack 1. Microsoft released security bulletin MS17-010 on March 14, 2017, introducing a patch to address the EternalBlue exploit. However, despite the availability of the patch, numerous systems worldwide remained unpatched and vulnerable, leading to widespread infections. The WannaCry ransomware, for example, used this vulnerability as its primary method of propagation. Once inside a network, the worm-like ransomware would attempt to connect to other hosts via port 445, and if successful, exploit the MS17-010 vulnerability to infect those systems as well. In testing scenarios, if a host was found to be vulnerable to MS17-010, the worm would wait for three seconds and then check if it was already infected with DOUBLEPULSAR, another exploit developed by the Shadow Brokers group. For the worm to replicate itself, it required an active DOUBLEPULSAR backdoor to be installed on the host. The presence of such sophisticated exploits underscores the importance of timely system updates and patches to mitigate the risk of such vulnerabilities.