windows
New Windows SmartScreen bypass exploited as zero-day since March
Today, Microsoft revealed that a Mark of the Web security bypass vulnerability exploited by attackers as a zero-day to bypass SmartScreen protection was patched during the June 2024 Patch Tuesday. SmartScreen is a security feature introduced with Windows 8 that protects users against potentially malicious software when opening downloaded files tagged with a Mark of […]
Microsoft is killing the Windows Paint 3D app after 8 years
Microsoft announced that the Paint 3D graphics app will be discontinued later this year and removed from the Microsoft Store in November. The 3D graphics program was first unveiled as a replacement for the Paint application eight years ago, in November 2016, with the release of Windows 10 Insider Build 14971. The company advises users to switch to […]
Windows Update downgrade attack “unpatches” fully-updated systems
SafeBreach security researcher Alon Leviev revealed at Black Hat 2024 that two zero-days could be exploited in downgrade attacks to “unpatch” fully updated Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems and reintroduce old vulnerabilities. Microsoft issued advisories on the two unpatched zero-days (tracked as CVE-2024-38202 and CVE-2024-21302) in coordination with the Black Hat talk, […]
Windows Smart App Control, SmartScreen bypass exploited since 2018
A design flaw in Windows Smart App Control and SmartScreen that enables attackers to launch programs without triggering security warnings has been under exploitation since at least 2018. Smart App Control is a reputation-based security feature that uses Microsoft’s app intelligence services for safety predictions and Windows’ code integrity features to identify and block untrusted (unsigned) […]
Google Chrome bug breaks drag and drop from Downloads bubble
A recent Google Chrome update has broken the drag-and-drop feature in the Downloads bubble that previously allowed you to drag and drop downloaded files onto any website or tab in the browser. Google Chrome’s downloads menu originally appeared in a bar at the bottom of the browser, but this changed last year when it was replaced […]
New Specula tool uses Outlook for remote code execution in Windows
Microsoft Outlook can be turned into a C2 beacon to remotely execute code, as demonstrated by a new red team post-exploitation framework named “Specula,” released today by cybersecurity firm TrustedSec. This C2 framework works by creating a custom Outlook Home Page using WebView by exploiting CVE-2017-11774, an Outlook security feature bypass vulnerability patched in October 2017. “In […]
Windows 11 taskbar has a hidden “End Task” feature, how to turn it on
Microsoft has added a feature to Windows 11 that allows you to end tasks directly from the taskbar, but it’s turned off by default. How It Works When the “End Task” feature is enabled, you can right-click on an app icon in the taskbar and see an “End Task” option. When you select this option, […]
Google fixes Chrome Password Manager bug that hides credentials
Google has fixed a bug in Chrome’s Password Manager that caused user credentials to disappear temporarily for more than 18 hours. The outage began on Wednesday, affecting users worldwide who rely on Chrome’s built-in tool to store and autofill their passwords. In a Google Workspace incident report, the company says the issue affected approximately 2% of […]
CrowdStrike: ‘Content Validator’ bug let faulty update pass checks
CrowdStrike released a Preliminary Post Incident Review (PIR) on the faulty Falcon update explaining that a bug allowed bad data to pass its Content Validator and cause millions of Windows systems to crash on July 19, 2024. The cybersecurity company explained that the issue was caused by a problematic content configuration update meant to gather telemetry on […]
Microsoft releases Windows repair tool to remove CrowdStrike driver
Microsoft has released a custom WinPE recovery tool to find and remove the faulty CrowdStrike update that crashed an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices on Friday. On Friday, CrowdStrike pushed out a faulty update that caused millions of Windows devices worldwide to suddenly crash with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and enter reboot loops. This glitch […]