By FABIAN CHITAY
Staff Writer
A massive security risk in the Windows operating system was revealed on Tuesday by the National Security Agency after a patch was released by Microsoft to protect users. The flaw was a vulnerability in the operating system that could allow hackers to insert malicious code into a targeted computer and being detected as coming from a safe source. The NSA warned Microsoft of the security risk, allowing them to develop a patch, and according to Microsoft, there is no evidence of any exploitation of the vulnerability.
The NSA stated that their priority was to ensure that any vulnerabilities could be mitigated. The agency has a reputation for spying on citizens and hiding previous flaws for the purposes of surveillance, and this new move was a change of their approach on how they dealt with cyber-security risks. The director of cyber-security, Anne Neuberger, explained that they want to build trust with the community.