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Microsoft will Inform You If Government is Spying on You

Microsoft will Inform You If Government is Spying on You

Dec 31, 2016
Following in the footsteps of Twitter, Facebook and Google, Microsoft promises to notify users of its e-mail ( Outlook ) and cloud storage ( OneDrive ) services if government hackers may have targeted their accounts. The company already notifies users if an unauthorized person tries to access their Outlook or OneDrive accounts. But from now on, the company will also inform if it suspects government-sponsored hackers. Ex-Employee: Microsoft Didn't Notify When China Spied Tibetans Leaders The move could be taken in the wake of the claims made by Microsoft's former employees that several years ago Chinese government hacked into more than a thousand Hotmail email accounts of international leaders of Tibetan and Uighur minorities , but the company decided not to tell the victims, allowing the hackers to continue their campaign. Instead of alerting those leaders of the hacking attempts, Microsoft simply recommended them to change their passwords without disclosi
Microsoft Keeps Backup of Your Encryption Key on its Server — Here's How to Delete it

Microsoft Keeps Backup of Your Encryption Key on its Server — Here's How to Delete it

Dec 29, 2016
Have you recently purchased a Windows computer? Congratulations! As your new Windows computer has inbuilt disk encryption feature that is turned on by default in order to protect your data in case your device is lost or stolen. Moreover, In case you lost your encryption keys then don't worry, Microsoft has a copy of your Recovery Key. But Wait! If Microsoft already has your Disk Encryption Keys then what's the use of using disk encryption feature? Doesn't Encryption mean Only you can unlock your disk ? Microsoft Probably Holds your Encryption Keys Since the launch of Windows 8.1, Microsoft is offering disk encryption as a built-in feature for Windows laptops, Windows phones and other devices. However, there is a little-known fact, highlighted by The Intercept, that if you have logged into Windows 10 using your Microsoft account, your system had automatically uploaded a copy of your recovery key to Microsoft's servers secretly, and you can't pre
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
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
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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.
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
Chakra JavaScript Engine: Microsoft Open-Sources the Heart of Edge browser

Chakra JavaScript Engine: Microsoft Open-Sources the Heart of Edge browser

Dec 07, 2015
Microsoft has announced the plans to open source the core components of its " Chakra " – the JavaScript engine behind the new Edge browser – to GitHub code-sharing and collaboration repository next month. The company made this announcement at the JSConf US Last Call conference in Florida this weekend. What is Chakra? " Chakra ," developed in 2008, is a self-contained JavaScript virtual machine that Microsoft now lets developers implement in their own products and applications. Though Chakra is at the core of only Microsoft's Edge, it is used across the Microsoft's newest operating system Windows 10 to power Universal Apps on Xbox, Windows Phone and tablets. Chakra Going Open Source as ChakraCore ChakraCore – is what Microsoft is calling the open source version of its Chakra – will be made available on GitHub under an MIT open source license in January 2016, with support from Intel, AMD, and NodeSource. According to the Microsof
Patch Report: All Versions of Windows affected by Critical Vulnerability

Patch Report: All Versions of Windows affected by Critical Vulnerability

Oct 14, 2015
Microsoft has rolled out six security updates this Patch Tuesday , out of which three are considered to be " critical, " while the rest are marked as " important. " Bulletin MS15-106 is considered to be critical for Internet Explorer (IE) and affects absolutely all versions of Windows operating system. The update addresses a flaw in the way IE handles objects in memory. The flaw could be exploited to gain access to an affected system, allowing hackers to gain the same access rights as the logged-in user. A hacker could " take advantage of compromised websites, and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements ," the advisory states. " These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit the vulnerabilities. " Therefore, the dependency here is that an IE user must knowingly click on the malicious link, which then be leveraged by an attacker to get the full control over a computer t
New Attack Targeting Microsoft Outlook Web App (OWA) to Steal Email Passwords

New Attack Targeting Microsoft Outlook Web App (OWA) to Steal Email Passwords

Oct 06, 2015
Researchers have unearthed a dangerous backdoor in Microsoft's Outlook Web Application (OWA) that has allowed hackers to steal e-mail authentication credentials from major organizations. The Microsoft Outlook Web Application or OWA is an Internet-facing webmail server that is being deployed in private companies and organisations to provide internal emailing capabilities. Researchers from security vendor Cybereason discovered a suspicious DLL file loaded into the company's OWA server that siphoned decrypted HTTPS server requests. Although the file had the same name as another benign DLL file, the suspicious DLL file was unsigned and loaded from another directory. Hackers Placed Malicious DLL on OWA Server According to the security firm, the attacker replaced the OWAAUTH.dll file ( used by OWA as part of the authentication mechanism ) with one that contained a dangerous backdoor. Since it ran on the OWA server, the backdoored DLL file allowed hacker
Microsoft 'Accidentally' pushed 'Test patch' Update to All Windows 7 Users

Microsoft 'Accidentally' pushed 'Test patch' Update to All Windows 7 Users

Oct 01, 2015
A highly mysterious update that was pushed out to Windows machines globally was the result of a test that was not correctly implemented. Yes, Microsoft accidentally released a test patch (KB3877432) to consumer machines running Windows 7, making users believe that the Windows Update service got hacked, and they are infected with malware. However, several hours later, a Microsoft spokesperson clear the air by confirming that the company had " incorrectly published a test update " and that they are "in the process of removing it." Windows users started raising concerns on social media, Microsoft community forums, and news-sharing sites that the Update service has been compromised in some way. The rogue patch, 4.3MB in size , advertised itself as a Windows Language Pack and flagged as an " Important " update, but featured strange and inaccessible URLs and lacked any detailed information. Is My Windows PC Being Compromised? A Wi
Microsoft Chooses Ubuntu Linux for their Cloud-based Azure HDInsight Big Data Solution

Microsoft Chooses Ubuntu Linux for their Cloud-based Azure HDInsight Big Data Solution

Sep 30, 2015
Earlier this month, Microsoft surprised us all with the announcement that they built a Linux kernel-based operating system, Azure Cloud Switch (ACS) , for developing software products for Network Devices. Now, Microsoft just announced that they have selected Ubuntu as the operating system for their Cloud-based Big Data services. Yes, Microsoft needs Linux. To expand its Azure Data Lake project, that makes Big Data processing and Analytics simpler and more accessible, Microsoft has partnered with Hortonworks and Canonical to launch " Azure HDInsight " for Linux users. Azure HDInsight is a Hadoop-based Big Data solution powered by Cloud that is now also available for Ubuntu, along with Windows OS. By offering both Windows and Linux clusters, Microsoft's fulfills its aim to enhance its own cross-platform aspirations that will accelerate a move towards Hybrid Cloud Computing . " The collaboration between Microsoft and Canonical to create the option to run Azur
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
Microsoft has Built its own Linux Operating System

Microsoft has Built its own Linux Operating System

Sep 18, 2015
Sit Tight on your seats, because you're gonna get a Shock. Microsoft has developed an Operating System powered by LINUX. Close your mouth first. It's True! Microsoft has built its own Linux-based operating system called Azure Cloud Switch (ACS ) and believe me, under Satya Nadella, Microsoft has become more open than ever. According to the announcement made through an official blog post on Microsoft website, Azure Cloud Switch (ACS) describes as "cross-platform modular operating system for data center networking built on Linux." or Simply, " Commodity switch software stack for data center networks". The Purpose of developing Linux-based Azure Cloud Switch (ACS) operating system at Microsoft is to make it simpler to control the hardware from multiple vendors ( such as Switches ) that powers their cloud-based services. And here's the Kicker: "Running on Linux, ACS [Azure Cloud Switch] is able to make use of its vibrant eco
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
Microsoft Office 2016 for Windows coming on September 22

Microsoft Office 2016 for Windows coming on September 22

Aug 26, 2015
Earlier this year, Microsoft had announced to bring its Office 2016 soon to the world. Also, Office 2016 software version for Mac was released in July 2015. Now speculations gearing up are hinting towards a final release date of Office 2016 for Windows as 22nd September 2015. Though, for Window users it may not be quite a change, because in the new Office suite as compared to its predecessor Office 2013 no such major improvements are visible. Office 2016 for Windows is supposedly debuting in less than a month away and will be available for home and professional users initially. Improvements in Office 2016 Office 2016 is going to be more colorful, with bright and dark colored theme options. Also, this time Microsoft has made it pretty clear that people are required to have Office 365 subscriptions because this time Microsoft is going to send new updates of Office along with the updates of Office 365. Mostly, modifications are done in the Outlook applicat
Microsoft Open-Sources Tool for Porting iOS Apps to Windows

Microsoft Open-Sources Tool for Porting iOS Apps to Windows

Aug 07, 2015
At its Build developers conference in April this year, Microsoft announced " Project Islandwood " - the " Windows Bridge for iOS " that lets iOS and Android developers port their apps to Windows. Microsoft finally made another surprise move on Thursday by open sourcing an early version of its toolkit for iOS to help iOS developers move their apps more easily to Windows 10. The source code for an early preview of " Windows Bridge for iOS " is now available on GitHub under the MIT open-source license. By releasing the preview of iOS Bridge, Microsoft wants the open-source community to contribute code, comments, testing, vulnerability reports, before the company launch the final version later this fall. iOS Toolkit for Building Windows 10 Apps The iOS Bridge enables developers to create apps that work with both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 operating systems. Currently, Microsoft only targets the standard X86 and X64 processor archi
Web Encryption Protocol That Even Quantum Computers Can't Crack

Web Encryption Protocol That Even Quantum Computers Can't Crack

Aug 07, 2015
Sometimes, instead of black and white we tend to look out, how a grey would look? Yes, today we are going to discuss the 'entangling' or 'superpositioning' which is a power packed functionality of quantum computers. And simultaneously, how can they pose a threat when fully launched in the world. Superposition is a state in which a system can be in multiple stages i.e. it can be 'up' and 'down' at the same time. The Quantum systems can hit different modules of a problem simultaneously, split across possible versions of the universe. What are Quantum Computers? Quantum computers are going to be the next huge development in computing for processing data, with an ability to perform calculations thousands of times faster than today's modern supercomputers. Quantum computing is not well suited for tasks such as word processing and email, but it is ideal for tasks such as cryptography, modeling and indexing enormous databases. A quantum computer can compute in min
Oh Gosh! Four Zero Day Vulnerabilities Disclosed in Internet Explorer

Oh Gosh! Four Zero Day Vulnerabilities Disclosed in Internet Explorer

Jul 24, 2015
How many Zero-Days do you think could hit Microsoft today? Neither one nor two; this times its Four. The Hewlett-Packard's Zero-Day Initiative (ZDI) has disclosed four new zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser that could be exploited to remotely execute malicious code on victim's machine. All the four zero-days originally were reported to Microsoft, affecting Internet Explorer on the desktop. However, later it was discovered that the zero-day vulnerabilities affected Internet Explorer Mobile on Windows Phones as well. Each of the four zero-day flaws affects different components of the browser, and all are remotely exploitable through typical drive-by attacks. Four Zero-day vulnerabilities Disclosed by ZDI Here are the zero-day vulnerabilities, as reported by ZDI: ZDI-15-359: AddRow Out-Of-Bounds Memory Access Vulnerability ZDI-15-360: Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability ZDI-15-361: Use-After-Free Rem
Like It Or Not... You Can't Disable Windows 10 Automatic Updates

Like It Or Not... You Can't Disable Windows 10 Automatic Updates

Jul 18, 2015
Windows 10 is all set to launch on July 29 and will also be available on USB drives for purchase in retail channels. So, if you are planning to install Windows 10 Home , one thing you must keep in your mind – You wish or not, the software updates for Microsoft's new operating system will be mandatory. Microsoft is planning to make a significant change to its software update policy by " removing the option to DISABLE software updates in Windows 10 Home ". This clearly indicates that all users of Windows operating system must agree to allow Microsoft to install software updates automatically. In Windows 8.1 , users get four options for Windows Update's behavior, which include: Download and Install Windows Updates Automatically Download Windows Updates automatically but Choose when to Install them Check for Updates but Choose when to Download and Install them Never check for, Download, or Install Updates From a Security point of view, the last
Microsoft Plans to Add Secure Shell (SSH) to Windows

Microsoft Plans to Add Secure Shell (SSH) to Windows

Jun 03, 2015
Until now Unix and Linux system administrators have to download a third-party SSH client software like Putty on their Windows machines to securely manage their machines and servers remotely through Secure Shell protocol or Shell Session (better known as SSH ). This might have always been an awkward feature of Windows platform, as it lacks both – a native SSH client software for connecting to Linux machines, and an SSH server to support inbound connections from Linux machines. But… Believe it or not: You don't need to deal with any third-party SSH client now, as Microsoft is working on supporting OpenSSH. Yes, Microsoft has finally decided to bring OpenSSH client and server to Windows. The PowerShell team at Microsoft has announced that the company is going to support and contribute to OpenSSH community in an effort to deliver better SSH support in the PowerShell and Windows SSH software solutions. So, the upcoming version of Windows PowerShell – the co
Windows 10 is the Last Version of Windows, Microsoft Confirmed

Windows 10 is the Last Version of Windows, Microsoft Confirmed

May 09, 2015
Microsoft just announced in its Ignite 2015 conference in Chicago that Windows 10 is set to be " the last version of Windows. " "Right now [we are] releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, [we are] all still working on Windows 10," said Microsoft's developer evangelist Jerry Nixon while speaking at the conference this week. What exactly does it mean? Will Microsoft not launch Windows 11 next? Is Windows 10 actually the end of Microsoft's Windows operating system? These are some questions that were ongoing in the mind of the audience when Nixon gave this statement during his speech. The reaction from Microsoft was really alarming though you do not have to panic, as Windows OS is not dying. Windows 10 — Brand Name of Microsoft's OS For the moment, Microsoft will stick with Windows 10 and focus on smaller and faster updates to its Windows 10 platform, instead of launching new stand-alone ve
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