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18-year-old Unpatched Vulnerability Affects All Versions of Microsoft Windows

18-year-old Unpatched Vulnerability Affects All Versions of Microsoft Windows

Apr 14, 2015
Security researchers have unearthed a serious security flaw in all supported versions of Windows that could let hackers steal users' credentials from computers, tablets or servers running any version of Windows operating system, including the as-yet-released Windows 10. This vulnerability in Windows was first discovered 20 Years ago : The critical bug, dubbed " Redirect to SMB ," is a variant of a vulnerability found in Windows by researcher Aaron Spangler nearly 18 years ago that caused Windows to expose a user's Windows username and password automatically. However, according to researchers at security firm Cylance who discovered the flaw, this weakness in Windows was never patched by Microsoft, as Microsoft says that this flaw is not worth focusing on, and, therefore... ...This results in a new hack that targets the SMB file sharing protocol . But, What is SMB? SMB, or Server Message Block, is a protocol that allows users to share files o
Bypassing Windows Security by modifying 1 Bit Only

Bypassing Windows Security by modifying 1 Bit Only

Feb 13, 2015
Among several vulnerabilities, Microsoft on Tuesday patched a critical vulnerability that could be exploited by hackers to bypass security measures on all versions of Windows operating systems from XP to Windows 10, just by modifying a single bit. The local privilege escalation vulnerability ( CVE-2015-0057 ) could give attackers total control of the victims' machines, explains Udi Yavo, the chief technology officer at the security firm enSilo. " A threat actor that gains access to a Windows machine can exploit this vulnerability to bypass all Windows security measures, defeating mitigation measures such as sandboxing, kernel segregation and memory randomization ," said Yavo. INTERESTING PART OF THE FLAW Yavo continued, " Interestingly, the exploit requires modifying only a single bit of the Windows operating system. " The flaw existed in the graphical user interface (GUI) component of the Win32k.sys module within the Windows Kernel which, amon
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
Beware of Zeus Banking Trojan Signed With Valid Digital Signature

Beware of Zeus Banking Trojan Signed With Valid Digital Signature

Apr 06, 2014
A new dangerous variant of ZeuS Banking Trojan has been identified by Comodo AV labs which is signed by stolen Digital Certificate which belongs to Microsoft Developer to avoid detection from Web browsers and anti-virus systems. Every Windows PC in the world is set to accept software " signed " with Microsoft's digital certificates of authenticity, an extremely sensitive cryptography seal. Cyber Criminals somehow managed to hack valid Microsoft digital certificate, used it to trick users and admins into trusting the file. Since the executable is digitally signed by the Microsoft developer no antivirus tool could find it as malicious. Digitally signed malware received a lot of media attention last year. Reportedly, more than 200,000 unique malware binaries were discovered in past two years signed with valid digital signatures. A Comodo User submitted a sample of the malicious software that attempts to trick user by masquerading itself as file of Intern
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.
Sophisticated Russian Malware 'SNAKE' and 'Turla' targets Governments and Military Networks

Sophisticated Russian Malware 'SNAKE' and 'Turla' targets Governments and Military Networks

Mar 08, 2014
Last week, the Researchers at the German security company G Data Software have reported about the most complex and sophisticated rootkit  malware, Uroburos which is designed to steal data from secure facilities and has ability to take control of an infected machine, execute arbitrary commands and hide system activities. Recently, British cyber specialist BAE  has disclosed the parent Russian malware campaign dubbed as ' SNAKE ' that remained almost undetected for least eight years while penetrating highly secured systems. Uroburos rootkit was one of the components of this campaign. In a separate Investigation, Western intelligence officers have found another piece of spyware , infecting hundreds of government computers across Europe and the United States, known as ' Turla '. Researchers believed that  Turla  campaign is linked to a previously known campaign ' Red October ', a massive global cyber spying operation targeting diplomatic, military and nuclear
WhatsApp for Windows? Naaa.. Hackers are spamming Malware as WhatsApp Software

WhatsApp for Windows? Naaa.. Hackers are spamming Malware as WhatsApp Software

Jan 24, 2014
Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the widespread popularity of the mobile messaging app ' WhatsApp '. A malware expert at the Kaspersky Lab revealed a large-scale spamming campaign, advertising a fake PC version of the WhatsApp , to spread a banking trojan. According to the report, unaware users have received an email written in Portuguese language , it also tries to deceive the recipient with a social engineering tactic in which cyber criminals composed the malicious email informing that victims already have 11 pending friend invitations.  If users click on the " Baixar Agora " (Download Now) link in the spam email, they will be redirected to a Hightail.com URL to download the Trojan. Hightail is a cloud storage service, the malicious component deployed on it then downloads the malware via a server in Brazil. The file stored on Hightail server looks like a 64-bit installation file bundled with 2.5 megabyte MP3 file. According to Virus Total engine, onl
Master Password Protection added to Google Chrome's Password Manager

Master Password Protection added to Google Chrome's Password Manager

Dec 05, 2013
Just like other Web Browsers, The Google Chrome also offers a password manager feature that can save your logins and basic information for automatic form-filling. The Google Chrome browser stores all your passwords in the plain text format and is available for access by opening the following URL in your Chrome browser – " chrome : //settings/passwords ". Unlike Firefox , till now Google Chrome was not offering any Master Protection. Finally Google has implemented a Master Password protection on Chrome password manager in Windows and Mac. Now you have to enter your Windows account password to reveal the saved passwords. The protection will be lifted for a minute, after entering the password, and after that user need to re-login. Previously, Google was criticized many times for such bad password storage Practice because there is no master password, no security, not even a prompt that " these passwords are visible " and this allows anyone with access to a user's c
New windows malware can target smart cards for full remote access

New windows malware can target smart cards for full remote access

Oct 25, 2012
If you think that having a USB Token Smartcard is extremely secure for Digital signatures or other activities, you may be wrong! The research done by Paul Rascagneres can remotely give access to victims smartcard! What makes the attack unique is it uses a keylogger to get the PIN or password and exports the complete USB device in raw to a command and control server (C&C) and uses a device driver to let the attacker use the victims smartcard remotely! The attack also impacts the eID (Belgium identity card) and millions of USB Tokens for Digital Signatures in India by Directors, Secretaries and CA firms for filing returns and signing corporate documents! To be showcased at MalCon next month - we asked Paul a few questions: Does the malware infect the PC or the smartcard? - The malware infects the PC not the hardware. So the attacker can use the smartcard of the victim remotely? - Exactly, the attacker can remotely use a smartcard connected to an infected computer. What makes
Getting Started: Your Guide to Windows 8

Getting Started: Your Guide to Windows 8

Oct 21, 2012
Back in 1991, Microsoft released their first version of Windows, a mouse-driven graphical user interface that revolutionized the way we use computers, both at home and in the workplace. Microsoft's newest operating system has a whole new interface and loads of new features. Windows 8 introduces a new type of application: the Windows Store app. Windows Store apps have a brand new look and feel, run on a variety of devices, and you sell them on the Windows Store. Here is a quick Guide for getting up to speed quickly and getting the most out of Windows 8. Whichever device you end up running Windows 8 on, you'll need to know a few things. How are you going to get the data from your current operating system to the new one? You'll probably be wondering where the famous Microsoft desktop has gone. You might be wondering just what is going on: why did Microsoft discard the Start menu, and why does its replacement look like it was designed for children? Downlo
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