Government has a warning for Windows users: What is it & why it matters?

Using a Windows laptop? The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a warning for Windows users. The agency has flagged a security vulnerability in some versions of Microsoft Windows that can affect the Windows Defender, the tool which guards Windows from malware, viruses, etc. In its warning, CERT-In says that “privilege escalation and security bypass vulnerabilities have been reported in Windows Defender Credential Guard which could allow a local authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions and gain elevated privileges on the targeted system.” Which Windows versions are affected? As per CERT-In, list of affected versions include - Windows 11 for ARM64-based Systems - Windows 11 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems - Windows 10 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems - Windows 10 Version 20H2 for ARM64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 20H2 for 32-bit Systems - Windows 10 Version 20H2 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H1 for 32-bit Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H1 for ARM64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 21H1 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems - Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems - Windows Server 2022 - Windows Server 2022 - Windows Server 2019 - Windows Server 2019 - Windows Server 2016 - Windows Server 2016 - Windows Server, version 20H2