SP2 users trying to upload security updates now get an error message, but the team at F-Secure remembered an old hack that gamers used to run Grand Theft Auto on older Windows systems.
Altering the registry code by one digit fools Microsoft's servers into accepting the host system as running SP3, and allows the installation of current security patches.
"It turns out that an SP2 system will think it's SP3 if you edit this key: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\Windows, and edit the DWORD value CSDVersion from 200 to 300 (and reboot)," said F-Secure in a blog post.
"It worked for Grand Theft Auto IV, so we decided to test it with KB2286198 and our test worked. WindowsXP-KB2286198-x86-ENU.exe installed on our SP2 test system once we tweaked the registry. We also tested an LNK exploit, and it did not infect the system after the patch."
Microsoft is urging users of older versions of XP to upgrade, but many are proving slow to do so.
Security consultant Dale Pearson said that, while the hack seems to work, users should not expect such easy fixes in the future.
"I recommend people carry out their own testing and then, if appropriate, look to apply this patch as an interim measure," he said.
"However, it is still important to update your systems to XP Service Pack 3 or to Windows 7, as this issue will continue and you may not be so lucky next time."
Originally posted on yahoo news
Originally posted on yahoo news
