



A hacking group, the Shadow Brokers has just released a collection of spy tools that is allegedly used by the National Security Agency online.On Friday, the group published the exploits that were designed to target vulnerabilities in Windows computers and servers, along with the files and other important documents that contain the details the way agency used to carry out clandestine surveillance.According to the reports, the Windows hacking tools were used by the NSA to target several banks, including the SWIFT banking system.On Friday only, Microsoft said that they have patched the exploits in previous updates. Windows users are advised to update their software and upgrade to Windows 7 or a newer version."This is quite possibly the most damaging thing I've seen in the last several years," said Matthew Hickey, founder of security firm Hacker House. "This puts a powerful nation-state-level attack tool in the hands of anyone who wants to download it to start targeting servers."It appears that the exploits targeted a variety of Windows servers and Windows operating systems, including Windows 7 and Windows 8."The individual consumer is a little less at risk, as these kinds of tools are targeted at enterprise and business environments," Hickey said.A Microsoft's spokesperson confirmed to CNNTech that, "We've investigated and confirmed that the exploits disclosed by the Shadow Brokers have already been addressed by previous updates to our supported products. Customers with up-to-date software are already protected."