Microsoft – Page 106 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Windows Defender ATP| Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2017 23:06:44 +0000

Today, with help from Microsoft security researchers, law enforcement agencies around the globe, in cooperation with Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), announced the disruption of Gamarue, a widely distributed malware that has been used in networks of infected computers collectively called the Andromeda botnet. The disruption is the culmination of a journey that started in

Microsoft Security

January 16, 2018 admin

Windows Defender ATP machine learning and AMSI: Unearthing script-based attacks that ‘live off the land’

Credit to Author: Windows Defender ATP| Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2017 14:00:07 +0000

Scripts are becoming the weapon of choice of sophisticated activity groups responsible for targeted attacks as well as malware authors who indiscriminately deploy commodity threats. Scripting engines such as JavaScript, VBScript, and PowerShell offer tremendous benefits to attackers. They run through legitimate processes and are perfect tools for living off the landstaying away from the

Microsoft Security

May 4, 2017 admin

Windows Defender ATP thwarts Operation WilySupply software supply chain cyberattack

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Thu, 04 May 2017 16:29:18 +0000

Several weeks ago, the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (Windows Defender ATP) research team noticed security alerts that demonstrated an intriguing attack pattern. These early alerts uncovered a well-planned, finely orchestrated cyberattack that targeted several high-profile technology and financial organizations. An unknown attacker was taking advantage of a silent yet effective attack vector: the compromised…

Microsoft Security

April 20, 2017 admin

Combating a spate of Java malware with machine learning in real-time

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 13:02:00 +0000

In recent weeks, we have seen a surge in emails carrying fresh malicious Java (.jar) malware that use new techniques to evade antivirus protection. But with our research team’s automated expert systems and machine learning models, Windows 10 PCs get real-time protection against these latest threats. Attackers are constantly changing their methods and tools. We…

Microsoft Security

April 3, 2017 admin

Tech support scams persist with increasingly crafty techniques

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2017 12:58:02 +0000

Millions of users continue to encounter technical support scams. Data from Windows Defender SmartScreen (which is used by both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer to block malicious sites) and Windows Defender Antivirus show that some three million users are subjected to these threats every month. In addition to being rampant, technical support scams continue to…

Microsoft Security

March 28, 2017 admin

World Backup Day is as good as any to back up your data

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:04:31 +0000

In today’s security landscape, there are more threats to data than ever before. Beyond corruption caused by hardware or human failure, malware and cyberattacks can put data in serious danger. That’s why it’s imperative for enterprises, small-and-medium businesses, and individuals to back up data. It must be implemented systematically, not just on World Backup Day,…

Microsoft Security

March 27, 2017 admin

Detecting and mitigating elevation-of-privilege exploit for CVE-2017-0005

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2017 15:00:01 +0000

On March 14, 2017, Microsoft released security bulletin MS17-013 to address CVE-2017-0005, a vulnerability in the Windows Win32k component that could potentially allow elevation of privileges. A report from a trusted partner identified a zero-day exploit for this vulnerability. The exploit targeted older versions of Windows and allowed attackers to elevate process privileges on these platforms. In this article, we…

Microsoft Security

March 20, 2017 admin

Tax-themed phishing and malware attacks proliferate during the tax filing season

Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2017 12:50:12 +0000

Tax-themed scams and social engineering attacks are as certain as (death or) tax itself. Every year we see these attacks, and 2017 is no different. These attacks circulate year-round as cybercriminals take advantage of the different country and region tax schedules, but they peak in the months leading to U.S. Tax Day in mid-April. Cybercriminals are using a variety of…