Security News
Microsoft has revoked several Microsoft hardware developer accounts after drivers signed through their profiles were used in cyberattacks, including ransomware incidents. "Microsoft was informed that drivers certified by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Developer Program were being used maliciously in post-exploitation activity. In these attacks, the attacker had already gained administrative privileges on compromised systems prior to use of the drivers," explains the advisory from Microsoft.
It's December 2022 Patch Tuesday, and Microsoft has delivered fixes for 50+ vulnerabilities, including a Windows SmartScreen bypass flaw exploited by attackers to deliver a variety of malware. "A threat actor can craft a malicious file that would evade Mark of the Web defenses, resulting in a limited loss of integrity and availability of security features, which rely on MOTW tagging - for example, 'Protected View' in Microsoft Office. This zero-day has a moderate CVSS risk score of 5.4, because it only helps to avoid the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen defense mechanism, which has no RCE or DoS functionality."
Today is Microsoft's December 2022 Patch Tuesday, and with it comes fixes for two zero-day vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited bug, and a total of 49 flaws. Six of the 49 vulnerabilities fixed in today's update are classified as 'Critical' as they allow remote code execution, one of the most severe types of vulnerabilities.
Microsoft is finally adding a built-in screen recorder to Windows 11 through the Snipping Tool, enabling users to capture videos of their desktop without the need for a third-party app. The update is being pushed as part of a phased roll-out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel and will be available once Snipping Tool version 11.2211.35.0 is installed.
Microsoft Edge will drop support for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 after the release of version 109 on January 12th, 2023. The decision to no longer provide Windows 7 / 8.1 support for Edge users almost perfectly aligns with the end of support for Windows 7 Extended Security Update and Windows 8/8.1 on January 10th, 2023.
Microsoft is working to address a new known issue affecting apps using ODBC database connections after installing the November 2022 Patch Tuesday Windows updates. According to Redmond, affected apps might fail to connect to databases via connections using the Microsoft ODBC SQL Server driver.
Cryptocurrency investment companies are the target of a developing threat cluster that uses Telegram groups to seek out potential victims. "DEV-0139 joined Telegram groups used to facilitate communication between VIP clients and cryptocurrency exchange platforms and identified their target from among the members," the tech giant said.
Where's the Night's Watch when you need them? Microsoft has warned Europe to be on alert for cyber attacks from Russia this winter, just as a series of attacks hit Russian organizations –...
Microsoft says that cryptocurrency investment companies have been targeted by a threat group it tracks as DEV-0139 via Telegram groups used to communicate with the firms' VIP customers. "Microsoft recently investigated an attack where the threat actor, tracked as DEV-0139, took advantage of Telegram chat groups to target cryptocurrency investment companies," the company's Security Threat Intelligence team revealed.
Microsoft has warned of Russian-sponsored cyberattacks continuing to target Ukrainian infrastructure and NATO allies in Europe throughout the winter. Redmond said in a report published over the weekend that it observed a pattern of targeted attacks on infrastructure in Ukraine by the Russian military intelligence threat group Sandworm in association with missile strikes.