Items tagged with microsoft defender
Not everything has to be high-tech to perform dastardly deeds these days, and the same is true of malware. However, malware can slip by conventional security solutions using some email tricks and social engineering and still infect end-users, as Microsoft reports. This Tuesday, the Microsoft Security Intelligence reported on Twitter that several “active email campaigns that use BazarLoader to deliver a wide range of payloads” are being tracked. These campaigns have been found to use some interesting techniques to get around what Microsoft describes as “conventional email security solutions and best practices.” The first reported campaign is called “BazaCall,”...
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Yesterday, Microsoft reported that it had detected a 0-day remote code execution exploit being used in the wild against SolarWinds’ Serv-U FTP product. The vulnerability that allowed this exploit has since been patched, but it is still disconcerting, nonetheless. Tracked as CVE-2021-35211, the vulnerability reported to SolarWinds by Microsoft resided in Serv-U’s version of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, explains Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC). If Serv-U’s SSH happened to be exposed to the internet, black hat hackers could exploit the vulnerability; thus allowing for remote code execution with privileges, leading to malware installations or unwanted data...
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As cybersecurity solutions tighten up and prevent many attacks, threat actors are looking for new and innovative ways to attack systems. This has led to a rise in attacks that start “outside and below the operating system layer,” such as firmware attacks and ransomware attacks through VPN devices or other internet-facing devices, as Microsoft explains. Thus, it is critical to secure software that runs things like routers, as the Redmond-based company has now discovered. Published on the Microsoft Security blog yesterday, the MS365 Defender Research Team was researching device fingerprinting within Microsoft Defender for Endpoint when the team found some interesting activity. Microsoft...
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As long as computers have been around, there have been hackers who have progressively improved and become sneakier at exploiting them. Last year, Microsoft used Microsoft 365 Defender data to find that web shell attacks, which are simple yet effective pieces of malicious code embedded into a web server, are rising. This year, they found that trend “not only continued, it accelerated: every month from August 2020 to January 2021.” Web shells, as Microsoft describes, are just “a small piece of malicious code,” that “allows attackers to run commands on servers to steal data or use the server as launch pad for other activities like credential theft, lateral movement,...
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Microsoft has announced that it will be expanding Microsoft Defender ATP to the Linux operating system very soon. Microsoft has been working to expand its security solutions outside of its own Windows universe. The announcement of the public preview for Linux is the latest move for Microsoft in its expansion. Microsoft offers no specific timeframe for the software debut other than saying the public preview will open "in the next few days." The software giant will offer preventative capabilities for Linux servers that will include a full command line experience to configure and manage the agent, initiate scans, and manage threats. The company plans to offer a Microsoft Defender Security Center...
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Microsoft is giving its popular Windows Defender antivirus utility a name change, and it is reflective of the company's increasingly important (and lucrative) decision to branch into cross-platform endeavors. Windows Defender will now be called Microsoft Defender, while Windows Defender Exploit Guard is now called Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard. This move to rename Windows Defender as Microsoft Defender will more closely align the company's suite of security offerings which has grown to include products like Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), which is available for devices running macOS, iOS, Android and Linux. According to Ghacks, which first made note of the...
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Although malware for macOS isn’t nearly as prevalent as it is on Windows devices, the platform is not immune to attacks. Apple has some limited built-in malware detection in macOS, but there are plenty of more robust options available for users who wanted added protection. Microsoft is the latest to announce an antivirus package for macOS, and it’s called Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP). Think of Microsoft Defender ATP as the macOS counterpart to Windows Defender for Windows 10 systems, and it will run on macOS Sierra, macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave. Microsoft is currently offering Microsoft Defender ATP as a limited preview for select business customers who...
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