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Trojanized Windows 10 Installer Used in Cyberattacks Against Ukrainian Government Entities

Trojanized Windows 10 Installer Used in Cyberattacks Against Ukrainian Government Entities

Dec 16, 2022 Cyber Espionage / Supply Chain Attack
Government entities in Ukraine have been breached as part of a new campaign that leveraged trojanized versions of Windows 10 installer files to conduct post-exploitation activities. Mandiant, which discovered the "socially engineered supply chain" attack around mid-July 2022, said the malicious ISO files were distributed via Ukrainian- and Russian-language Torrent websites. It's tracking the threat cluster as  UNC4166 . "Upon installation of the compromised software, the malware gathers information on the compromised system and exfiltrates it," the cybersecurity company  said  in a technical deep dive published Thursday. Although the adversarial collective's provenance is unknown, the intrusions are said to have targeted organizations that were previously victims of disruptive wiper attacks attributed to  APT28 , a  Russian state-sponsored actor . The ISO file, per the Google-owned threat intelligence firm, was designed to disable the transmission of te
Microsoft Finally Reveals What Data Windows 10 Collects From Your PC

Microsoft Finally Reveals What Data Windows 10 Collects From Your PC

Apr 06, 2017
Since the launch of Windows 10, there has been widespread concern about its data collection practices , mostly because Microsoft has been very secretive about the telemetry data it collects. Now, this is going to be changed, as Microsoft wants to be more transparent on its diagnostics data collection practices. Till now there are three options ( Basic, Enhanced, Full ) for Windows 10 users to select from under its diagnostics data collection section, with no option for users to opt out of sending their data to Microsoft. Also, the company has never said precisely what data it collects behind these options, which raised huge privacy concerns among privacy-conscious users. But now for the first time, Microsoft has revealed what data Windows 10 is collecting from your computer with the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update , bringing an end to nearly two years of its mysterious data collection practices . The Windows 10 Creators Update, which will be available from Apri
Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu
Microsoft Shares Telemetry Data Collected from Windows 10 Users with 3rd-Party

Microsoft Shares Telemetry Data Collected from Windows 10 Users with 3rd-Party

Nov 24, 2016
Cyber security is a major challenge in today's world, as cyber attacks have become more automated and difficult to detect, where traditional cyber security practices and systems are no longer sufficient to protect businesses, governments, and other organizations. In past few years, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning had made a name for itself in the field of cyber security, helping IT and security professionals more efficiently and quickly identify risks and anticipate problems before they occur. The good news is that if you are a Windows 10 user, Microsoft will now offer you a machine learning based threat intelligence feature via its inbuilt Windows security service, which will improve the security capabilities available on Windows 10 devices. But, the bad news is that it is not free. The company is offering this "differentiated intelligence" feature on its newly added service to Windows 10, dubbed Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (WDAT
cyber security

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
Does your WebCam Crash after Windows 10 Anniversary Update? Here’s How to Fix It

Does your WebCam Crash after Windows 10 Anniversary Update? Here's How to Fix It

Aug 20, 2016
If your webcam has stopped working after installing recently-released Microsoft's big Anniversary Update for Windows 10 , you are not alone. With some significant changes to improve Windows experience, Windows 10 Anniversary Update includes the support for webcams that has rendered a number of different webcams inoperable, causing serious issues for not only consumers but also the enterprise. The problem is that Microsoft added some new ways for applications to access webcams with Microsoft's new Windows Camera Frame Server, preventing webcams from using two particular compression formats—H.264 and MJPEG. Microsoft decided that the Camera Frame Server should only receive an uncompressed YUY2 encoding stream from the webcam, which is affecting far more devices than Microsoft expected, causing Millions of cameras to crash. This is the reason why your camera hangs, freezes, or simply not works when you try to do a video calling with your friend over Skype. Brad Sams of
Woman wins $10,000 after suing Microsoft over 'Forced' Windows 10 Upgrade

Woman wins $10,000 after suing Microsoft over 'Forced' Windows 10 Upgrade

Jun 28, 2016
Since the launch of Windows 10 in July last year, Microsoft is constantly pestering users to upgrade their PCs running older versions of the operating system. However, many users who are happy with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and don't want upgrade to Windows 10 now or anytime soon are sick of this forceful unwanted upgrade. One of the victims to this unwanted Windows 10 installation has made Microsoft pay $10,000. A California woman has won $10,000 from Microsoft over an unwanted Windows 10 upgrade. Must Read: How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically . Teri Goldstein sued Microsoft for upgrading her computer to Windows 10 without her authorization, which made it slow and unusable for days at a time, reports the Seattle Times. The PC used by Goldstein, who operates a Californian travel agency, was apparently upgraded to Windows 10 shortly after Microsoft offered free upgrade to Windows 7 and 8.1 users last year. Goldstein said the updat
Microsoft removes its controversial Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense Password Sharing Feature

Microsoft removes its controversial Windows 10 Wi-Fi Sense Password Sharing Feature

May 14, 2016
Microsoft has finally decided to remove one of its controversial features  Wi-Fi Sense network sharing feature from Windows 10 that shares your WiFi password with your Facebook, Skype and Outlook friends and enabled by default. With the launch of Windows 10 last year, Microsoft introduced Wi-Fi Sense network sharing feature aimed at making it easy to share your password-protected WiFi network with your contacts within range, eliminating the hassle of manually logging in when they visit. This WiFi password-sharing option immediately stirred up concerns from Windows 10 users especially those who thought the feature automatically shared your WiFi network with all your contacts who wanted access. Must Read: Here's How to run Ubuntu Linux on Windows 10 . But Wi-Fi Sense actually hands over its users controls so they can select which networks to share and which contact list can access their Wi-Fi. Also, the feature doesn't share the actual password used to protect yo
Windows 10 Started Showing Ads on LockScreen — Here's How to Turn It OFF

Windows 10 Started Showing Ads on LockScreen — Here's How to Turn It OFF

Feb 26, 2016
If you've upgraded your older version of Windows OS to an all new Windows 10 operating system then you may have noticed an advertisement appearing on your desktop or laptop's lock screen over the past couple of days. Yes, this is what Microsoft has chosen to generate revenue after offering Free Windows 10 Download to its users: Monetize the Lock Screen . Thanks to Windows 10's new Spotlight feature that usually shows you clean and beautiful photographs and fun facts on your lock screen, but now started displaying advertisements to over 200 Million devices running Windows 10. Some Windows 10 users have reported seeing ads for Rise of the Tomb Raider with links to Windows Store from where users can purchase the video game. Microsoft started selling the game last month. Although the ads are not as annoying as the Windows 10 privacy concerns related to the way Microsoft collects your personal data , the good news is that you can turn the ads OFF. Must
Windows 10 Sends Your Data 5500 Times Every Day Even After Tweaking Privacy Settings

Windows 10 Sends Your Data 5500 Times Every Day Even After Tweaking Privacy Settings

Feb 10, 2016
Myth: By disabling all privacy compromising and telemetry features on Windows 10 will stop Microsoft to track your activities. Fact: Even after all telemetry features disabled, Windows 10 is phoning home more than you could ever think of. Ever since the launch of Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 10 is believed to be spying on its users. I wrote a number of articles to raise concern about Windows 10 privacy issues , including its controversial data mining features  and privacy invasion features . The only solution believed to cope up with these issues is to disable all the telemetry features or use an automated tool to disable all privacy-infringing features in just one click. But unfortunately, all these efforts got wasted because Microsoft still tracks you, even after you tighten your Windows 10 privacy to an extreme level, claims the recent analysis conducted by a Voat user CheesusCrust. Traffic Analysis Reveals Extent of Windows 10 Spying
Microsoft Starts automatically Pushing Windows 10 to all Windows 7 and 8.1 Users

Microsoft Starts automatically Pushing Windows 10 to all Windows 7 and 8.1 Users

Feb 02, 2016
As warned last year, Microsoft is pushing Windows 10 upgrades onto its user's PCs much harder by re-categorizing Windows 10 as a " Recommended Update " in Windows Update, instead of an " optional update. " Microsoft launched Windows 10 earlier last year and offered the free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 and 8.1 users. While the company has been successful in getting Windows 10 onto more than 200 Million devices , Microsoft wants to go a lot more aggressive this year. So, If you have enabled Automatic Windows Update on your Window 7, 8 or 8.1 to install critical updates, like Security Patches, you should watch your steps because… ...From Monday, Windows Update will start upgrading your PC to the newest Windows 10 as a recommended update, Microsoft confirmed. Must Read: How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically . This means Windows 10 upgrade process will download and start on hundreds of millions of d
Microsoft Collecting More Data of Windows 10 Users than Initially Thought

Microsoft Collecting More Data of Windows 10 Users than Initially Thought

Jan 07, 2016
After several controversial data mining and privacy invasion features within Microsoft's newest operating system, Microsoft continued convincing its users that Windows 10 is not spying on anyone and that the company is not collecting more data than it needs. In addition, Microsoft also updated its privacy policy in order to clear how and when Windows 10 utilizes users' data. But wait, before you convinced yourself by this statement, just have a look on the milestones (listed below) that Microsoft recently announced, revealing that Windows 10 is now actively running on 200 Million devices . Also Read:   Microsoft WARNING — 'Use Windows 7 at Your Own Risk' Microsoft Tracks Your Every Move Here's the list of milestones that Microsoft just achieved: People spent over 11 Billion hours on Windows 10 in December 2015. More than 44.5 Billion minutes were spent in Microsoft Edge across Windows 10 devices in December alone. Windows 10 users aske
Bad Santa! Microsoft Offers — 'Upgrade now' or 'Upgrade tonight' to Push Windows 10

Bad Santa! Microsoft Offers — 'Upgrade now' or 'Upgrade tonight' to Push Windows 10

Dec 17, 2015
Many Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users don't want to upgrade their machines to Microsoft's newest Windows 10 operating system now or anytime soon. Isn't it? But what if you wake up in the morning and found yourself a Windows 10 user? That's exactly what Microsoft is doing to Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Windows 10 Upgrade Becomes More Aggressive Ever since Microsoft launched its new operating system over the summer, Windows 7 and 8.1 users have been forced several number of times to upgrade their machines to Windows 10. It was relatively inoffensive at first, but as days have passed, Microsoft has become increasingly aggressive to push Windows users to upgrade to Windows 10 . Microsoft has left very little choice over whether to upgrade their systems to Windows 10 or not. At last, the users end up upgrading their machines to the latest Windows operating system. Users now see a pop up on their computers, as InfoWorld reports , that displays only t
Like it or not, Microsoft Plans to Push Windows 10 Upgrade more Aggressively

Like it or not, Microsoft Plans to Push Windows 10 Upgrade more Aggressively

Dec 08, 2015
This is no surprise that Microsoft wants you to install Windows 10. But, Hey Microsoft, Not everyone wants to upgrade to Windows 10. Many people are happy with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 OS and don't want to switch to the newest Windows 10 operating system. Days after the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft started offering Free Windows 10 installation to every Windows user. The marketing strategy successfully worked for Microsoft and just within a week after the launch, Windows 10 started running on millions of PCs. Then the company went into planning other tricks in order to get on to the maximum number of PCs as possible. It silently started pushing Windows 10 installation files on PCs running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, even if users have not opted into the upgrade. Also Read: Reminder! If You Haven't yet, Turn Off Windows 10 Keylogger Now . Less than two months ago, some Windows 7 and 8.1 users also claimed that Windows 10 had begun to install itself automatic
Mission '1 Billion' — Microsoft will Automatically Offer Windows 10 Upgrade

Mission '1 Billion' — Microsoft will Automatically Offer Windows 10 Upgrade

Oct 30, 2015
Microsoft wholeheartedly wants you to upgrade your PCs to Windows 10, so much so that the company plans to automatically download its new operating system to Windows 7/8 computers next year. Just two weeks ago, Microsoft accidentally pushed Windows 10 installation to Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 users through the Windows Update process, but next year the company will do it on purpose. MISSION '1 BILLION': It doesn't come as a surprise, as Microsoft mentioned many times that it wants to get Windows 10 into as many hands as possible to reach its goal of 1 Billion installations. Starting next year, Microsoft is planning to re-categorize Windows 10 as a " Recommended Update " in its Windows Update service. Also Read:  Here's How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically . This means that the Windows 10 upgrade process will start downloading and initiating automatically on thousands of devices. Before:
How to Activate GodMode in Windows 10

How to Activate GodMode in Windows 10

Oct 07, 2015
Microsoft's Windows 10 , the latest version of Windows Operating System, has been creating waves since it rolled out, and reached to 110 million devices within just 2 months. If you are a long-time Windows user, you may remember a trick called, ' God Mode '. God Mode is an inbuilt, but hidden feature of Windows that provides additional customization options for the operating system. With Windows 10, all the Settings of the operating system are kept under Settings App, and categorized between System, Devices, Network & Internet, Personalization, Update & Security, Privacy and more. Enabling God Mode, also known as 'Windows Master Control Panel Shortcut ', in Windows 10 essentially unlocks a backdoor of the OS to access 260+ additional settings from a single folder. How to Enable God Mode in Windows 10? Follow the steps given below to enable the God Mode in your Windows 10: Create a new folder on your Windows desktop (New > Folder) and save it with th
Microsoft Responds To Windows 10 Spying Concerns, But It will Still Collect Your Data

Microsoft Responds To Windows 10 Spying Concerns, But It will Still Collect Your Data

Sep 29, 2015
After a number of controversial data mining features and privacy invasions within Microsoft's newest operating system, Microsoft finally broke the ice, almost two months since the launch of Windows 10. Microsoft has finally responded to the growing privacy concerns around its new operating system to regain the trust of the users who are concerned about their online privacy related to Windows 10. In a blog post published Monday, Windows chief Terry Myerson describes three ways in which Windows 10 collects and uses its users data – although he did admit that the OS does regularly phone home by default. 1. Data used for Safety and Reliability Data This data includes anonymous device ID, device type and crash logs. It does not contain any content or files from your computer that directly identifies you. What else? Myerson claims that everything Microsoft collects is " encrypted in transit to [its] servers and then stored in secure facilities. " The
Here's How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically

Here's How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically

Sep 12, 2015
Yesterday we reported you that Microsoft is auto-downloading Windows 10 installation files — between 3.5GB and 6GB — onto users' PCs even if they have not opted into the upgrade. Microsoft plans to deploy Windows 10 on over 1 Billion devices worldwide, and this auto-downloading Windows 10 could be one of its many strategies to achieve its goal. The company has dropped and saved a hidden $Windows.~BT folder on your PC's main drive (C drive), if you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 . The bottom line is: Many Windows users are on limited or metered Internet connections. As Microsoft is not only consuming storage space but also using user's Internet bandwidth for large unrequested files, as the Windows 10 installer downloads up to 6 gigabytes. So, here are some methods that you can use to stop Microsoft from automatically downloading Windows 10 installation files. Method 1 This method is applicable for both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 us
Microsoft is Auto-Downloading Windows 10 to PCs, Even If You Don't Want it

Microsoft is Auto-Downloading Windows 10 to PCs, Even If You Don't Want it

Sep 11, 2015
Microsoft wholeheartedly wants you to upgrade to Windows 10. So much that even if you have not opted-in for Windows 10 upgrade, you will get it the other way. Surprised? If you have Windows Update enabled on your PCs running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you'll notice a large file — between 3.5GB and 6GB — mysteriously been downloaded to your computer in the background. The huge file is actually linked to Windows 10 installation that Microsoft is reportedly downloading on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 computers even if users have not opted into the upgrade. The news comes days after it was disclosed that Microsoft is installing Windows 10's data collecting and user behavior tracking features onto Windows 7 and 8.1 machines. With this latest automatic Windows 10 installation, Microsoft is not only consuming your storage space but also using your Internet bandwidth for unrequested files, as the Windows 10 installer downloads up to 6 gigabytes, depending on which Wind
Reminder! If You Haven't yet, Turn Off Windows 10 Keylogger Now

Reminder! If You Haven't yet, Turn Off Windows 10 Keylogger Now

Sep 08, 2015
Do you know? Microsoft has the power to track every single word you type or say to its digital assistant Cortana while using its newest operating system, Windows 10 . Last fall, we reported about a ' keylogger ' that Microsoft openly put into its Windows 10 Technical Preview saying the company 'may collect voice information' as well as 'typed characters.' It was thought that the company would include the keylogger only within the Technical Preview of Windows 10, just for testing purpose. But, the thought was Wrong! The keylogger made its ways to Windows 10 public release offered by Microsoft for free due to which Windows 10 gained millions of adoption in just a few days after its first roll out back in July – but the free upgrade is not always free. Also Read:   Tip — Installing Windows 10‬? Fix 35+ Privacy Issues With Just One Click Yes, besides various privacy issues , there is a software component that tracks your inputs using your k
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