Security News
Microsoft is working on a new 'Restore Apps' feature for Windows 11 that will allow users to quickly reinstall all of their previously installed apps from the Microsoft Store on a new or freshly installed PC. One of the most time-consuming tasks for setting up a new Windows installation is restoring all your previously installed applications. While desktop applications will still need to be installed manually, the new Windows 11 feature will allow you to install all the Microsoft Store apps tied to your account by clicking a single button.
Microsoft has released optional cumulative update previews for Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2, fixing slow file copying and applications crashing due to Direct3D issues. Today's KB5014023 update is part of Microsoft's scheduled May 2022 monthly "C" updates which allow Windows customers to test bug fixes and performance improvements before the general release on June 15 during Patch Tuesday.
The Follina bug, now more properly known as CVE-2022-30190, hinges on a weird, non-standard URL supported by the Windows operating system. Windows includes a lengthy list of proprietary URL schemes, also known as protocol handlers, that can be used to trigger a range of non-standard activities simply by referencing the special URL. The Follina bug, for example, took devious advantage of the URL scheme ms-msdt:, which relates to system diagnostics.
A new Windows Search zero-day vulnerability can be used to automatically open a search window containing remotely-hosted malware executables simply by launching a Word document. While most Windows searches will look on the local device's index, it is also possible to force Windows Search to query file shares on remote hosts and use a custom title for the search window.
Researchers have reported a still-unpatched Windows zero-day that is currently being exploited in the wild. Here’s the advisory, which includes a work-around until a patch is available.
A free unofficial patch is now available to block ongoing attacks against Windows systems that target a critical zero-day vulnerability known as 'Follina. The bug, now tracked as CVE-2022-30190 and described by Redmond as a Microsoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool remote code execution flaw, impacts all Windows versions still receiving security updates.
Chinese-linked threat actors are now actively exploiting a Microsoft Office zero-day vulnerability to execute malicious code remotely on Windows systems. This Microsoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool remote code execution flaw impacts all Windows client and server platforms still receiving security updates.
During the Build 2022 developer conference, Microsoft announced a number of new features for Windows 11, including an improved Windows Subsystem for Android and more. Microsoft is upgrading the Android OS within the subsystem to Android 12L and adding support for advanced networking, so your mobile apps can easily communicate with devices outside the virtualization environment.
Hackers are showing an increased interest in the Windows Subsystem for Linux as an attack surface as they build new malware, the more advanced samples being suitable for espionage and downloading additional malicious modules. WSL-based malware samples discovered recently rely on open-source code that routes communication through the Telegram messaging service and gives the threat actor remote access to the compromised system.
A strain of Windows uses PowerShell to add a malicious extension to a victim's Chrome browser for nefarious purposes. The makers of the ChromeLoader software nasty ensure their malware is persistent once on a system and is difficult to find and remove, according to threat hunters at cybersecurity shop Red Canary, who have been tracking the strain since early February and have seen a flurry of recent activity.