By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer
Dec 10, 2021

A software vulnerability exploited in the online game Minecraft is rapidly emerging as a major threat to internet-connected devices around the world.

"The internet's on fire right now," said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. "People are scrambling to patch and there are script kiddies and all kinds of people scrambling to exploit it." He said Friday morning that in the 12 hours since the bug's existence was disclosed that it had been "fully weaponized," meaning that malefactors have developed and distributed tools to exploit.

The flaw may be the worst computer vulnerability discovered in years. It opens a loophole in software code that is ubiquitous in cloud servers and enterprise software used across industry and government. It could allow criminals or spies to loot valuable data, plant malware or erase crucial information, and much more.

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