Windows Downdate: Downgrade Attacks Using Windows Updates


A version-rollback vulnerability has been discovered by a cybersecurity researcher that allows a fully patched Windows machine to be downgraded to older version, allowing the exploitation of previously patched zero-days and vulnerabilities.

Alon Leviev unveiled his findings at Black Hat USA 2024 and DEF CON 32 (2024) as a tool named Windows Downdate. Leviev started their journey with the aim of discovering a version-rollback exploit using Windows Update as a starting point. It turned out Windows Update had a significant flaw that allowed for a full takeover of the update process, including downgrading Windows versions.

Read more…
Source: MSN News


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • How the ransomware attack at Change Healthcare went down: A timeline

    August 17, 2024

    A ransomware attack earlier this year on UnitedHealth-owned health tech company Change Healthcare likely stands as one of the largest data breaches of U.S. health and medical data in history. Months after the February data breach, a “substantial proportion of people living in America” are receiving notice by mail that their personal and health information was ...

  • Unmasking Styx Stealer: How a Hacker’s Slip Led to an Intelligence Treasure Trove

    August 16, 2024

    In the shadowy world of cybercrime, even the most cunning hackers can make blunders that expose their operations. In this article CPR describes the discovery of Styx Stealer, a new malware variant derived from the notorious Phemedrone Stealer. Check Point investigation revealed critical missteps by the developer of Styx Stealer, including a significant operational security (OpSec) ...

  • ‘Keyboard warrior’ jailed for part in UK disorder

    August 16, 2024

    A man who posted material on social media to stir up racial hatred during recent unrest across the UK has been jailed for three years. Wayne O’Rourke, who had more than 90,000 followers to his X account, posted misinformation about the killing of three young girls in Southport on 29 July and praised the burning of ...

  • Rogue AI is the Future of Cyber Threats

    August 15, 2024

    Yoshua Bengio, regarded as one of the “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, has likened the now-ubiquitous technology to a bear. When we teach the bear to become smart enough to escape its cage, we no longer control it. All we can do after that is try to build a better cage. This should be our goal with ...

  • A Deep Dive into a New ValleyRAT Campaign Targeting Chinese Speakers

    August 15, 2024

    FortiGuard Labs recently encountered an ongoing ValleyRAT campaign specifically targeting Chinese speakers. This malware has historically targeted e-commerce, finance, sales, and management enterprises. ValleyRAT is a multi-stage malware that utilizes diverse techniques to monitor and control its victims and deploy arbitrary plugins to cause further damage. Another noteworthy characteristic of this malware is its heavy usage ...

  • UK, US supervise Ukrainian scam call centers – Russian Interior Ministry

    August 15, 2024

    The special services of the United Kingdom and the United States control and supervise Ukrainian scam call centers, a spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry said. “The most important thing is that they are fully controlled by the special services of Ukraine, the special services of the UK and the US. Remote thefts ...