All news with #windows tag

EDR-Freeze: WER-based Tool Suspends Windows Security

🔒 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.

Steam to end support for Windows 32-bit in Jan 2026

🖥️ Valve announced that Steam will stop supporting 32-bit versions of Windows effective January 1, 2026. The company said Windows 10 32-bit is currently the only 32-bit build still in use and that existing Steam Client installations on those systems will continue to function for the near term but will no longer receive any updates, including security updates. Valve explained the change is required because core Steam features rely on drivers and libraries not maintained on 32-bit Windows. Gamers are urged to upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows to maintain compatibility and keep receiving updates.

HybridPetya UEFI Bootkit Bypasses Secure Boot on PCs

🔒 HybridPetya is a newly identified UEFI bootkit that can bypass Secure Boot by exploiting CVE-2024-7344, enabling installation of malicious components into the EFI System Partition. ESET located a sample on VirusTotal and describes it as possibly a proof-of-concept, research project, or an early-stage criminal tool. The bootkit replaces the Windows bootloader, forces reboots to execute at startup, encrypts MFT clusters with Salsa20 while showing a fake CHKDSK, and then presents a ransom screen demanding a Bitcoin payment and a 32-character key to restore the bootloader and decrypt data.

Microsoft Waives Publishing Fees for Windows Store

🎉 Microsoft announced that, starting today, individual Windows developers can publish applications to the Microsoft Store without paying registration fees. The policy covers Win32 (including .NET WPF and WinForms), UWP, PWA, .NET MAUI, and Electron apps; Microsoft will host MSIX-packaged binaries, sign apps for free, and pay for distribution so developers don't need their own CDN. Developers of non-gaming apps may also implement their own in-app payment systems and retain all revenue. To publish, creators sign in with a personal Microsoft account and must verify identity with a government ID and a selfie; no credit card is required.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday: September 2025 Security Fixes

🔒 Microsoft today released Patch Tuesday updates addressing more than 80 vulnerabilities across Windows and related products, including 13 rated critical. There are no known zero‑day or actively exploited flaws in this bundle, but Microsoft patched several high‑risk issues such as CVE-2025-54918 (Windows NTLM), CVE-2025-55234 (SMB client), and CVE-2025-54916 (NTFS). Researchers warn many fixes are for privilege‑escalation bugs — some remotely exploitable — and note that Apple and Google recently patched zero‑days in their platforms as well.

August Windows updates trigger UAC prompts, block installs

⚠️ Microsoft says the August 2025 security updates are causing unexpected User Account Control (UAC) credential prompts and preventing application installations and MSI repair operations for non‑admin users across supported Windows client and server releases. The behavior stems from a patch addressing CVE-2025-50173, a Windows Installer privilege escalation vulnerability that now enforces elevated UAC prompts during MSI repair and related operations. Affected scenarios include MSI repair commands, ConfigMgr deployments relying on per‑user advertising, Secure Desktop enablement, and launching certain Autodesk applications. Microsoft plans a fix allowing admins to exempt specific apps and recommends running affected apps as administrator or applying a Known Issue Rollback via support as a temporary mitigation.

AWS Client VPN adds Windows Arm64 support in v5.3.0

🔐 AWS announced that AWS Client VPN version 5.3.0 adds official support for Windows Arm64, enabling the AWS-supplied desktop VPN client to run on the latest Arm64-based Windows devices. The client remains free of charge and is available in all regions where the service is generally available. Client VPN is a managed service that connects remote users securely to AWS and on-premises networks and continues to support macOS 13–15, Windows 10 (x64), Windows 11 (Arm64 and x64), and Ubuntu Linux 22.04 and 24.04 LTS. Administrators can download and deploy the updated client to bring Arm64 Windows endpoints into supported VPN configurations.