Red Hat Inc. and other makers of the widely used Linux operating system for business computers updated their software on Tuesday to thwart a serious new cybe threat they warned could allow hackers to gain remote control of their systems.
The previously undisclosed vulnerability, dubbed "Ghost," is deemed critical because attackers could exploit it to covertly gain complete control of a targeted Linux system, according to cyber security firm Qualys, which uncovered the bug.
To highlight the severity of the risk, researchers identified a way to craft malicious emails that could automatically compromise a vulnerable server without the email even being opened, said Amol Sarwate, director of engineering with Qualys.
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