Microsoft Releases Emergency Updates to Fix Security Flaw in Windows 10 and 11 Screenshot Editing Apps

Microsoft has released emergency updates for its Windows 10 and 11 screenshot editing apps to fix a security flaw dubbed “aCropalypse.” The vulnerability was discovered by retired software engineer Chris Blume and was later confirmed by Microsoft. Bleeping Computer reported that Microsoft began testing the fix for the vulnerability earlier this week and has now released public updates for the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 and the Snip & Sketch app in Windows 10.

The aCropalypse flaw was first discovered on Pixel devices and was addressed by Google in the March security update for Android. The issue with Windows 11’s Snipping Tool was due to the utility not properly overwriting cropped PNG data. Although not all PNG files were affected, the concern was that bad actors could exploit the vulnerability to recover edited images, particularly those that had been cropped to omit sensitive information.

Users can manually prompt Windows to install the updates by opening the Microsoft Store and clicking on “Library,” followed by “Get Updates.” Microsoft recommends that all users install the updates as soon as possible. It is important to note that the updates will not protect images that were previously created with Microsoft’s screenshot tools.

Overall, the emergency updates for Windows 10 and 11 aim to address the security flaw and ensure the safety of users’ data.