Update your Microsoft Office and Skype ASAP, as the platforms are impacted by critical vulnerabilities

Microsoft Office and Skype are both affected by critical vulnerabilities that, if exploited, could compromise devices and users entirely, by infesting them with malware and granting threat actors access to sensitize data.

The CVE-2024-26199 for Microsoft Office, and the CVE-2024-21411 vulnerability for Skype, both have to do with elevation of privilege, and remote code execution. In other words, threat actors would be able to gain access to Office accounts, effectively putting users, including various companies and organizations, at risk.

On the other hand, not updating Skype would allow threat actors to run malicious code remotely, effectively gaining ground on users’ computers and devices.

Microsoft says that in both cases exploitation is less likely to happen, but advises users to update the platforms nonetheless.

Microsoft Office needs to be updated to Version 2402 (Build 17328.20184), while Skype will need to be updated to the latest version, by simply accessing the updating options inside the platform, or clicking this link.

Windows 10, and Windows 11 users should also update their devices with the latest Patch Tuesday updates, which also tackle dozens of other vulnerabilities, besides these two. Make sure to access Settings’ Windows Update page, and check out for the latest updates there.

The CVE-2024-26199, and the CVE-2024-21411, vulnerabilities are included in the list, so if you don’t want to update them separately, the latest Patch updates will do that instead.