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We hear terms like "state-sponsored attacks" and "critical vulnerabilities" all the time, but what's really going on behind those words? This week's cybersecurity news isn't just about hackers and headlines—it's about how digital risks shape our lives in ways we might not even realize. For instance, telecom networks being breached isn't just about stolen data—it's about power. Hackers are positioning themselves to control the networks we rely on for everything, from making calls to running businesses. And those techy-sounding CVEs? They're not just random numbers; they're like ticking time bombs in the software you use every day, from your phone to your work tools. These stories aren't just for the experts—they're for all of us. They show how easily the digital world we trust can be turned against us. But they also show us the power of staying informed and prepared. Dive into this week's recap, and let's uncover the risks, the solutions, and the small steps we can all take to stay a...

Even as Microsoft  expanded patches  for the so-called PrintNightmare vulnerability for Windows 10 version 1607, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2016, it has come to light that the fix for the remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service can be bypassed in certain scenarios, effectively defeating the security protections and permitting attackers to run arbitrary code on infected systems. On Tuesday, the Windows maker issued an  emergency out-of-band update  to address  CVE-2021-34527  (CVSS score: 8.8) after the flaw was accidentally disclosed by researchers from Hong Kong-based cybersecurity firm Sangfor late last month, at which point it emerged that the issue was different from another bug — tracked as  CVE-2021-1675  — that was patched by Microsoft on June 8. "Several days ago, two security vulnerabilities were found in Microsoft Windows' existing printing mechanism," Yaniv Balmas, head of cyber research at C...

Microsoft today, on its year-end December Patch Tuesday, released security updates to patch a total 39 vulnerabilities its Windows operating systems and applications—10 of which are rated as critical and other important in severity. One of the security vulnerabilities patched by the tech giant this month is listed as publicly known at the time of release, and one is a zero-day reported as being actively exploited in the wild by multiple hacking groups, including FruityArmor and SandCat APTs. Discovered and reported by security researchers at Kaspersky, the zero-day attack exploits an elevation-of-privilege (EoP) bug in the Windows Kernel (ntoskrnl.exe) that could allow malicious programs to execute arbitrary code with higher privileges on the targeted systems. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2018-8611  and classified important in severity, resides in the Kernel Transaction Manager, which occurs due to improper processing of transacted file operations in kernel mode. The f...

Do you own a Hewlett-Packard (HP) Windows PC or laptop? Multiple HP customers from around the world are reporting that HP has started deploying a "spyware" onto their laptops—without informing them or asking their permission. The application being branded as spyware is actually a Windows Telemetry service deployed by HP, called "HP Touchpoint Analytics Client," which was first identified on November 15. According to reports on several online forums, the telemetry software—which the HP customers said they never opted to have installed and had no idea was continually running in the background—was pushed out in a recent update. However, it's not yet clear whether the software has come with the latest Microsoft's Windows updates, or via HP's support assistant processes. An official description of the software says that the program "harvests telemetry information that is used by HP Touchpoint's analytical services." HP Touchpoint...

Cybercrime , identity theft, and frauds are on the rise; and in most cases, the data breaches are associated with credit cards and cardholder data. The impact of data breach not only affects your organization, but also your customers. A common observation cites that organizations that are PCI compliant are 50% less likely to suffer a data breach . It is alarming to notice that most organizations have difficulty complying with the requirements necessary for processing cardholder data . PCI makes the process smooth Based on the feedback from the industry, PCI Security Council has introduced some changes in the compliance regulations and has come up with version 3.0 for PCI compliance whose final version is scheduled for release on November 7, 2013. And, it is expected to be effective from January 2014. So, how will the upgraded version of PCI Compliance impact your organization? Awareness :  Most security breaches happen due to lack of awareness in the following are...

Get ready to install a fairly large batch of security patches onto your Windows computers. As part of its September Patch Tuesday , Microsoft has released a large batch of security updates to patch a total of 81 CVE-listed vulnerabilities, on all supported versions of Windows and other MS products. The latest security update addresses 27 critical and 54 important vulnerabilities in severity, of which 38 vulnerabilities are impacting Windows, 39 could lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE). Affected Microsoft products include: Internet Explorer Microsoft Edge Microsoft Windows .NET Framework Skype for Business and Lync Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft Office, Services and Web Apps Adobe Flash Player .NET 0-Day Flaw Under Active Attack According to the company, four of the patched vulnerabilities are publicly known, one of which has already been actively exploited by the attackers in the wild. Here's the list of publically known flaws and their impact: W...

Last week, the notorious hacker gang, ShinyHunters, sent shockwaves across the globe by allegedly plundering 1.3 terabytes of data from 560 million users. This colossal breach, with a price tag of $500,000, could expose the personal information of a massive swath of a live event company's clientele, igniting a firestorm of concern and outrage.  Let's review the facts: two large organizations announced that they suffered a data breach, identifying unauthorized activity within a third-party cloud database environment. The accessed business records contained critical information on some employees, a large number of customers and other key business data.  The cloud connection  What might link these two breaches is the cloud data company Snowflake, which counts among its users both organizations. Snowflake did publish a warning with CISA , indicating a "recent increase in cyber threat activity targeting customer accounts on its cloud data platform." Snowflake issued a reco...

Similar to the Superfish malware that surrounded Lenovo laptops in February, another big computer manufacturer Dell spotted selling PCs and laptops pre-installed with a rogue SSL certificate that could allow attackers: To impersonate as any HTTPS-protected website and spy on when banking or shopping online. The rogue certificate, dubbed eDellRoot , was first discovered over the weekend by a software programmer named Joe Nord . The certificate is so creepy that it automatically re-installs itself even when removed from the Windows operating system. Also Read:  Lenovo Caught Using Rootkit to Secretly Install Unremovable Software Superfish 2.0: Unkillable Zombie The self-signed transport layer security (TLS) credential came pre-installed as a root certificate on Dell PCs and laptops that are signed with the same private cryptographic key, which is stored locally. That means an attacker with moderate technical skills can extract the key and abuse it to sig...