All news with #endpoint security tag

🔒 A new proof-of-concept named EDR-Freeze shows that Windows Error Reporting can be abused from user mode to suspend antivirus and EDR processes. The method leverages WerFaultSecure and the MiniDumpWriteDump API so the dumper pauses a target process and then the dumper itself is frozen, leaving the security agent inoperative without a kernel driver. Researcher TwoSevenOneThree validated the technique on Windows 11 24H2, describing it as a design weakness rather than a classic vulnerability, and defenders can monitor WER invocations or harden reporting components to mitigate the risk.

🔍 CISA released a technical analysis of malware used in attacks exploiting two Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) vulnerabilities, CVE-2025-4427 and CVE-2025-4428. The agency details two distinct malware sets that used a common web-install.jar loader and malicious listener classes to inject and execute code, exfiltrate data, and maintain persistence. Attackers targeted the /mifs/rs/api/v2/ endpoint via HTTP GET requests with a ?format= parameter, delivering segmented, Base64-encoded payloads. CISA published IOCs, YARA and SIGMA rules and advises immediate patching and treating MDM systems as high-value assets.

🔒 Small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly targeted by ransomware gangs that exploit weak defenses, offer Ransomware-as-a-Service, and adapt tactics with AI-driven tools. RaaS industrialization and discoveries like ESET's PromptLock demonstrate how attackers can scale reconnaissance, exploitation and social engineering. SMBs face double-extortion, DDoS and coercive pressures while repeat payments remain an issue despite a decline in aggregate crypto payouts. Practical defenses—Zero Trust, timely patching, reliable backups, EDR/MDR and tested incident response—can materially reduce risk.

🔒 Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed a sophisticated malvertising campaign that leverages paid search ads and manipulated GitHub commit URLs to redirect victims to attacker-controlled infrastructure. The first-stage dropper is a bloated 128 MB MSI that evades many online sandboxes and employs a GPU-gated decryption routine dubbed GPUGate, which aborts on systems lacking a real GPU or proper drivers. The campaign uses a lookalike domain (gitpage[.]app) and a VBScript-to-PowerShell chain that gains admin privileges, adds Microsoft Defender exclusions, establishes persistence, and stages secondary payloads for data theft.

🔒 This article argues that adopting a security-by-default mindset—setting deny-by-default policies, enforcing MFA, and employing application Ringfencing™—can eliminate whole categories of risk early. Simple changes like disabling Office macros, removing local admin rights, and blocking outbound server traffic create a hardened environment attackers can’t easily penetrate. The author recommends pairing secure defaults with continuous patching and monitored EDR/MDR for comprehensive defense.

📍 Geolocation data from smartphones, apps and IPs can be weaponized by threat actors to launch precise, geographically targeted attacks such as localized phishing and malware activation. These attacks can act as "floating zero days," remaining dormant until they reach a specific location, as seen with Stuxnet and modern campaigns like Astaroth. Organizations should adopt multilayered defenses — robust endpoint detection, decoys, location baselines and stronger multi-factor verification — to mitigate this evolving threat.

📊 Google commissioned a Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study to quantify the value of ChromeOS for enterprise deployments. The analysis modeled a composite organization (multinational, $5B revenue, 40,000 employees) and found a 208% ROI over three years, an NPV of $6.8M, and a payback period under six months. Key benefits included 90,000 saved productivity hours, $1.3M in device and licensing savings, $1.2M from strengthened security, and $1.1M in reduced IT support costs.

🛡️ In episode 431 of the Smashing Security podcast, Graham Cluley and guest Allan Liska examine a high-profile cloud-billing fraud in which a crypto influencer calling himself CP3O racked up millions in unpaid cloud costs through cryptomining schemes. They also highlight the growing threat of EDR‑killer tools that can silently disable endpoint protection to aid attackers. The show includes lighter segments on the Internet Archive’s Wayforward Machine and a visit to Mary Shelley’s grave, and carries a content warning for mature language and themes.

🔒 Browser extensions can provide useful features but also expose users and organizations to significant risk. Malicious or compromised add-ons may steal credentials, session cookies, and browsing data, inject ads or malware, redirect users, or run background tasks like cryptomining. Scrutinize developer credentials and permissions, prefer official web stores, keep browsers updated, and enable security software and MFA.