Microsoft

Microsoft Issues Out-of-Band .NET Security Updates Fixing Brotli Buffer Overflow and Other Flaws

Microsoft has released out-of-band security updates for .NET 10, .NET 9, and .NET 8 to address multiple vulnerabilities. The patches cover two newly identified issues and complete remediation for two additional flaws that received incomplete fixes during the October 13 monthly update cycle. One critical vulnerability, CVE-2026-111497, affects the Brotli compression library and can lead to information disclosure, denial of service, or privilege escalation when processing crafted compressed data. A second issue, CVE-2026-114148, enables local privilege escalation in Linux distribution packages for ASP.NET Core due to improper ownership handling. Microsoft also reissued fixes for remote code execution vulnerabilities CVE-2026-70197 and CVE-2026-102870. Organizations are advised to apply the updates immediately, including rebuilding and redistributing applications in container or embedded environments.

AI Investigators in SOCs: Limits of Autonomy, Prompt Injection Risks, and the Cost of Over-Reliance

A February 2026 Vectra AI survey of 1,450 security professionals revealed that organizations receive nearly 3,000 daily attack alerts on average, with 63% left unprocessed and 71% of respondents delaying critical tasks at least two days a week. The article examines the push to deploy autonomous AI agents for investigations in Security Operations Centers, highlighting how such systems often fail when confronted with real-world disorder such as inconsistent server timestamps, unapproved software installations, and incomplete logging. It stresses strict limits on AI decision-making authority, especially for blocking systems or revoking access, and warns against treating model confidence scores as reliable error probabilities. Prompt injection attacks via malicious emails, logs, or documents are identified as a novel threat that can manipulate language models into ignoring attacks or leaking data. Research from Microsoft involving 167 analysts showed that false “safe” verdicts from AI increased missed threats by 29 percentage points. The piece concludes that independent human verification of AI-closed cases remains essential to avoid hidden risks behind empty alert queues.

Microsoft Expands Android Integration in Windows 11 with Start Menu Notifications and File Explorer Access

Microsoft has outlined plans to integrate Android smartphones more deeply into Windows 11, reducing the need to reach for a physical phone. Messages and notifications from linked Android or iPhone devices will appear directly in the Start menu, while conversations can be opened in resizable separate windows. Quick Settings will include controls to mute the phone or trigger its ringer for locating a lost device. For compatible Android phones, users will be able to run mobile apps in independent windows and browse phone files through File Explorer. A notification will appear on the desktop after taking a photo on the phone, allowing one-click access to the image. The Resume feature will also enable seamless continuation of supported tasks when switching between devices. These enhancements build on the existing Phone Link app but embed the functionality more natively into the Windows interface.

Microsoft Patches Over 1,400 Vulnerabilities in October 2026 Security Update, Some Already Exploited

Microsoft released its October 2026 Patch Tuesday updates on October 13, 2026, addressing a total of 1,407 CVEs plus one additional advisory. The update covers a wide range of issues including 315 remote code execution flaws, 673 privilege escalation vulnerabilities, and 252 information disclosure problems. Severity ratings show 78 vulnerabilities classified as Critical and 1,329 as Important. Several of the addressed flaws have already been confirmed as exploited in the wild. The release aligns with the regular second Tuesday of the month schedule for coordinated vendor patching. Related security advisories from other vendors were also highlighted in the same reporting cycle.

Windows File System Tunneling Preserves Old File Metadata for Legacy Compatibility

Microsoft has clarified that Windows sometimes assigns creation dates from deleted files to new ones due to a long-standing mechanism called File System Tunneling. The feature keeps metadata in a short-term cache for about 15 seconds after a file is deleted or renamed. If a new file with the same name is created quickly in the same folder, it inherits the previous file's timestamps and short-to-long name mappings. This behavior exists to support safe saving patterns used by many applications and to maintain compatibility with old DOS-era 8.3 filename formats. The actual file content is never restored, only the metadata. The cache is temporary and clears over time, so the effect does not occur with files deleted long ago. The explanation came after users noticed unexpected dates in Windows Explorer and questioned whether it was a bug.

Dependency Confusion Attacks Let Attackers Hijack Internal Library Names in Corporate Builds

A widespread supply chain risk allows attackers to publish packages with internal company names on public registries such as npm and PyPI, causing build systems to pull malicious versions instead of internal ones. The attack works because package managers treat multiple registries as a single list and select the highest version number, with no inherent priority for internal sources. Researcher Alex Birsan demonstrated the technique in February 2021 by registering names harvested from open repositories and error messages, successfully injecting packages into builds at Microsoft, Apple, PayPal, Shopify, Netflix, Tesla and Uber. The malicious code executes during installation because setup scripts and lifecycle hooks run with the privileges of the build agent, exposing environment variables, tokens and internal network access. Mitigation requires a single internal proxy repository that never mixes public responses for internal package names, scoped namespaces bound to private registries, lock files with content hashes, and disabling install scripts where possible. The technique remains effective against any organization that lists both internal and public registries in its build configuration.

New Windows 11 Bypass Lets Users Skip Internet and Microsoft Account During Setup

A new method has been discovered that allows Windows 11 Home users to complete initial setup without an internet connection or Microsoft account. The technique requires no command-line tools or scripts and was found by enthusiast Bob Pony. During the OOBE process, users simply open the sign-in options and click the Learn more link, which redirects the wizard to local account creation. Previous bypasses such as OOBE\bypassnro and start ms-cxh:localonly have already been blocked by Microsoft. The new approach appears to be an overlooked interface element and works only on the Home edition. Microsoft is expected to close this loophole in a future update as it continues tightening account requirements.

Deepfakes Turn Job Interviews into Cyberattack Vectors Targeting IT Candidates and Recruiters

Deepfake technology and malicious test assignments are increasingly used during IT hiring processes to conduct industrial espionage or deploy malware. Attackers impersonate recruiters or candidates, sending infected GitHub repositories or npm packages that install backdoors stealing credentials and enabling remote access. Groups such as Lazarus and the dedicated Contagious Interview collective have run campaigns against chemical and IT firms, while individual cases like the Smello Python developer incident show how prepare scripts in package.json can trigger hidden payloads. Gartner predicts that by 2028 one in four job applicants could be fake, creating risks beyond bad hires including data theft and financial loss. Defenses include isolated virtual machines for test tasks, profile verification by companies like Socure, and interview techniques such as the GOTCHA movement challenges or corneal reflection probes developed by universities. Major firms including Cisco, McKinsey, and Google are returning to in-person interviews as a reliable countermeasure. The rapid evolution of deepfake quality tracked by Unit 42 means layered verification combining technical, procedural, and human checks is now essential.

Microsoft Fixes Remote Code Execution Flaw in Windows Remote Desktop Client

Microsoft has addressed a remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Remote Desktop Client tracked as CVE-2026-69485 with a CVSS score of 8.8. The flaw stems from the use of an uninitialized resource and can be triggered by a specially crafted network request from an authenticated attacker with low privileges. Exploitation requires no user interaction such as clicking links or opening files and can lead to information disclosure, file modification, or service disruption. Multiple versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016 through 2025 are affected, including Server Core installations. The issue was not publicly disclosed prior to patching and no active exploitation has been observed. Fixes were released in the September security updates including KB5124008 and KB5122871.

Microsoft Addresses 973 Vulnerabilities in September Security Update

Microsoft released its monthly security updates on September 8, 2026, fixing 973 vulnerabilities tracked by CVE identifiers. The release coincided with Patch Tuesday and also resolved four third-party software flaws. Affected products span Windows, Office, SQL Server, Azure, Microsoft Dynamics, SharePoint Server, and various development tools. Among the issues, 258 allow remote code execution and 438 enable privilege escalation. A total of 113 vulnerabilities received the highest severity rating of Critical, while the remaining 860 were rated Important. Several of the flaws have already been observed in active exploitation.

Microsoft Releases Record 966 Patches in Largest Patch Tuesday Ever, Including Two Actively Exploited Zero-Days

Microsoft has issued its largest monthly security update to date, addressing 966 vulnerabilities across Windows and related products during the September Patch Tuesday. The release includes two zero-day flaws already exploited in real-world attacks: CVE-2026-81963 in the Windows Update stack and CVE-2026-85880 in the Windows ALPC mechanism, both enabling local privilege escalation to SYSTEM level. A total of 105 vulnerabilities received critical severity ratings, with the majority involving privilege escalation (438) and remote code execution (258). An additional 204 issues were fixed earlier in September across Azure, Entra ID, Edge, and other services. The surge in patched flaws coincides with Microsoft's deployment of an AI-assisted vulnerability discovery system. Previous months saw significantly lower volumes, with 570 fixes in July and 400 in August.

Microsoft Pledges Performance Improvements for Windows 11 on 8GB RAM Devices

Microsoft has announced plans to optimize Windows 11 specifically for computers equipped with 8GB of RAM, addressing long-standing complaints about system resource consumption on budget hardware. Corporate Vice President Mark Linton revealed the initiative during an Acer presentation at IFA 2026, highlighting ongoing work to improve core system components without providing specific metrics or timelines. The effort falls under the internal Windows 11 K2 project, which targets faster File Explorer and search functionality, fewer update-related crashes, better overall responsiveness, and expanded interface customization options including the return of movable taskbar positioning. These changes come at a time when AI-powered features are increasingly integrated into Windows, raising concerns about performance on entry-level laptops that often ship with soldered 8GB memory configurations. Microsoft intends to roll out the improvements gradually through standard Windows updates, focusing on both home users and broader device compatibility.

Building a Cybersecurity News Aggregator: Story Clustering, Seven Importance Signals and Strict Filtering Thresholds

The idea for an information security news aggregator emerged years ago with the goal of delivering only the most relevant stories while eliminating noise. Early versions relied on the rut5_base_sum_gazeta summarization model and TextRank for importance scoring, but performance remained unsatisfactory. The current system processes roughly one thousand items daily from more than 200 sources and publishes only about 0.5 percent of them. A hybrid approach now combines a transparent seven-feature formula that scores story importance with an LLM that removes irrelevant content and generates concise summaries. The formula incorporates signals such as confirmation count, CVSS severity, exploitation status from KEV, source tier, proximity to Russian readers, depth of analysis, and publication speed. Penalties are applied for vendor self-promotion, webinars, and job postings. Stories are clustered using CVE identifiers, shared trigrams, and named entities to avoid duplicate posts while preserving original reporting.

Nvidia to Cease Regular GeForce Driver Updates for Windows 10 After October 2026

Nvidia has announced the end of regular driver support for Windows 10 in its GeForce Game Ready and Nvidia Studio driver lines starting October 2026. The first driver package without Windows 10 support will arrive in November of that year. Microsoft ended the base lifecycle of Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, and Nvidia is extending support by one additional year. Existing games and applications will continue to function after the change, while quarterly security patches for critical vulnerabilities will remain available until October 2029. Users will no longer receive optimizations for new games, fixes for graphics issues, or new GPU features. Newer technologies such as DLSS may also skip Windows 10 compatibility. The transition is described as gradual rather than abrupt, allowing older titles to keep running while newer releases increasingly encourage migration to a supported Windows version.

Password Reset Fails to Evict Attackers: What Persists in Compromised Email Accounts

Even after users change passwords and enable two-factor authentication, attackers often retain access through active sessions, application tokens, and forwarding rules. The original password serves only as an entry point, while already-issued session cookies, refresh tokens, and app passwords continue functioning independently. Services like Google, Microsoft, and Yandex provide specific pages to review devices, permissions, and app passwords, yet many users overlook the critical "sign out all devices" option. In corporate environments, Microsoft Entra ID commands can revoke sessions, but access tokens may still remain valid for up to an hour afterward. Attackers frequently replace recovery details and set up mail delegation or hidden forwarding rules to maintain long-term control. The recommended sequence prioritizes session revocation first, followed by password change, MFA review, and recovery data verification to prevent re-entry via forgotten-password flows.

IT Elements 2026 to Stage IT Apocalypse Simulations and Critique Russian Vendors

The IT Elements 2026 conference has unveiled its full program, centering on business continuity after successful cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, or technological disasters. Scheduled for September 9-10 at the Serp i Molot cultural center in Moscow, the event will host over one hundred reports, discussions, demonstrations, and master classes. The opening plenary will examine whether the primary-backup data center model remains viable, if the 3-2-1 backup rule still protects against modern ransomware, and whether CIOs or CISOs should own cyber resilience. Practical sessions will demonstrate a full Microsoft migration in 60 minutes, moving Exchange and MinIO to Russian alternatives, and a detailed review of domestic hyperconvergence strengths and weaknesses. Comparative test results for routers, NGFW, and VM systems will be presented without marketing gloss. Additional tracks will cover monitoring of corporate AI models from GPU to prompt under FSTEC Order No. 117, OWASP Top 10 for LLM, and MITRE ATLAS, alongside real-world cases from Rosatom, Beeline, Sber, and T-Bank. Trubnaya Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya will simulate a 48-hour IT outage and show how to restart operations in half a day.

Microsoft Removes Reinstallation Requirement for Enabling Smart App Control in Windows 11

Microsoft has eliminated the primary restriction on Smart App Control, allowing home users to activate or reactivate the Windows 11 security feature without performing a clean installation of the operating system. Previously, toggling the setting effectively required users to reinstall the entire system. Smart App Control leverages Microsoft's cloud-based reputation system and analyzes digital signatures to block suspicious, potentially dangerous, or unsigned files before execution. The toggle is now accessible through Windows Security under App & browser control. The update is being rolled out gradually via Windows 11 updates, though users who have disabled optional diagnostic data may still need a reset or reinstallation. The feature can interfere with developers and enterprise users working with rare or unsigned tools, as there is no option to whitelist individual blocked applications.

Microsoft Releases Fix for Windows Defender Crashes During Quick and Full Scans

Microsoft has issued a security intelligence update to resolve a crash in Windows Defender that occurred during quick or full system scans on affected Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. The bug, introduced after a recent set of patches, caused the antivirus service to terminate unexpectedly with the message "Threat service has stopped. Restart it" and access violation error 0xc0000005. Some users misinterpreted the repeated failures as malware infection or severe system damage, leading them to reinstall Windows entirely. Administrators were able to reproduce the issue consistently across multiple machines simply by initiating a quick scan, confirming the root cause lay in Defender itself rather than individual endpoints. The fix is included in security intelligence version 1.457.236.0 and all subsequent releases, with Microsoft advising users to ensure automatic updates are applied via Windows Update or manually through the Windows Security interface.

Microsoft Removes WMIC from Windows 11 After Years of Abuse as LOLBIN by Ransomware and Attackers

Microsoft has begun permanently removing the legacy WMIC command-line utility from Windows 11, starting with versions 24H2 and 25H2. The tool is no longer available in fresh installations, has been dropped as an optional component, and is absent from the latest beta builds. WMIC provided text-based access to Windows Management Instrumentation for querying hardware, processes, services, and security software, as well as performing administrative tasks. Although the underlying WMI technology remains untouched, Microsoft has deprecated the command shell due to its long-standing use as a LOLBIN in cyberattacks. Ransomware operators have leveraged WMIC to delete shadow copies and hinder recovery, while other attackers used it to enumerate and disable security tools or add exclusions in Microsoft Defender. Administrators are directed to migrate to PowerShell, COM API, .NET libraries, and modern scripting languages, which will require rewriting legacy automation scripts.

Cybercriminals Deploy Advanced AI for Continuous Automated Reconnaissance and Exploitation at Scale

Advanced AI models now enable cybercriminal groups to maintain uninterrupted reconnaissance across enterprises in every sector, mapping domains, exposed services, and infrastructure changes at a pace no human team could sustain for weeks. The automated process targets two opposite profiles of vulnerable systems: legacy environments left unpatched for years with outdated versions and forgotten permissions, and rapidly deployed applications built through Vibe Coding that reach production without security review. The entire attack chain—reconnaissance, vulnerability identification, validation, and exploitation—is now executed by AI agents operating with minimal human oversight. What previously required a dedicated specialized team focused on one target at a time now runs in parallel against thousands of targets simultaneously, with marginal cost approaching zero for each additional attack. This collapse in operational costs and rise in success rates has restructured the cybercrime economy, funding increasingly sophisticated tools and lowering the barrier for new operators who need only platform access rather than deep technical expertise. The time window between an application reaching production and discovery by attackers has shrunk to hours, while most organizations still treat security as a finite project rather than an ongoing process.

GitHub Experiences Major Global Outage Affecting API, Actions, Copilot and Multiple Core Services

On August 17, GitHub suffered a widespread outage that impacted nearly all major platform functions including the web interface, API, Issues, Pull Requests, Actions, Webhooks, Pages, Git Operations, and Copilot. Approximately 20% of requests to the site and API failed during peak impact, with archive and raw repository content loads reaching around 50% error rates. Corporate authentication mechanisms such as SAML and OIDC, along with SCIM and Team Sync services, were also disrupted while Codespaces remained operational. The incident began around 13:40 UTC with progressive degradation across components, prompting GitHub to identify and mitigate the root cause. Services are gradually recovering but error rates remain slightly elevated, and the incident has not yet been fully closed. Parallel issues were reported in other Microsoft services including Teams and Copilot, with unconfirmed speculation linking the event to Amazon Web Services network problems.

Top Cybersecurity Stories of the Week: WordPress XSS Flaw, Microsoft Patch Tuesday, Cisco Zero-Day and More

Security NEXT has published its weekly ranking of the most viewed articles between August 9 and August 15 2026. The list is dominated by critical vulnerabilities affecting widely deployed platforms including WordPress, Microsoft products, Cisco networking gear and Fortinet FortiOS. A cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress login screen and a remote code execution flaw in WordPress 7.0.4 both received immediate patches. Microsoft released updates addressing more than 400 vulnerabilities, while Cisco disclosed a zero-day denial-of-service flaw in its SSL VPN implementation. Additional high-impact issues were reported in FortiOS, Google Chrome, Zoom and Jenkins, prompting urgent remediation guidance from vendors.

Microsoft Patches Seven Exchange Server Vulnerabilities Including Critical Remote Code Execution Flaw

Microsoft has addressed seven vulnerabilities in Exchange Server that enable remote code execution, privilege escalation, denial of service, content spoofing, and security feature bypass. The most severe issue, CVE-2026-62913, carries a CVSS score of 8.8 and involves a heap buffer overflow that can be exploited remotely by a low-privileged attacker without any user interaction. Successful exploitation grants code execution on the server, facilitating email theft, persistence mechanisms, lateral movement, and ransomware deployment. CVE-2026-62911, demonstrated at Pwn2Own Berlin with a CVSS score of 8.0, allows authentication bypass through capture and replay of credentials. Additional fixes cover SSRF-based privilege escalation, remote deserialization crashes, content spoofing, and authorization bypasses. Patches are available for Exchange Server Subscription Edition, while 2016 and 2019 versions receive updates only through the Extended Security Update program.

Windscribe Releases Open-Source PowerShell Script to Remove Microsoft's Persistent Global Device Identifier from Windows

Windscribe has published an open-source PowerShell script called deGDID that removes Microsoft's Global Device Identifier (GDID) from Windows systems and prevents the creation of new identifiers. The persistent tracker survives IP address changes and operates below the VPN layer, allowing Microsoft to maintain device tracking even when users employ privacy tools. The script was developed after the FBI used GDID to identify a suspected hacker, raising concerns about undisclosed device fingerprinting. deGDID modifies registry access control lists and blocks the DeviceAdd interface to stop Windows from regenerating the identifiers after reboots or server contacts. While effective at disabling the tracking mechanism, the tool can break authentication to login.live.com and disrupt certain Microsoft cloud services. It is intended only for unmanaged consumer devices and will not run on domain-joined or corporate-managed systems. The project is described as experimental and cannot delete identifiers already transmitted to Microsoft servers.

Dangerous C++ Traps: Memory Safety Issues, Undefined Behavior, and Code That Betrays Developers

Around 70% of vulnerabilities assigned CVE numbers by Microsoft each year stem from memory safety errors, with Chromium reporting a similar pattern for serious Chrome bugs. The article examines how C++ deliberately permits low-level memory access for performance but demands strict discipline to avoid undefined behavior (UB). It details real-world cases including Heartbleed (CVE-2014-0160) in OpenSSL, use-after-free errors, buffer overflows, and data races. Modern tools such as AddressSanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, and ThreadSanitizer are presented as essential for detection, alongside recommendations for RAII, std::span, and smart pointers. The piece also discusses C++26 changes introducing erroneous behavior for uninitialized variables and advises when to consider memory-safe languages like Rust for new components. Practical migration steps and compiler warning strategies are outlined to reduce risk in existing codebases.

Microsoft Tightens Corporate Windows Activation with TPM-Bound KMS Servers

Microsoft is strengthening its corporate Windows licensing controls by introducing new requirements for KMS servers used in volume activation. The changes will bind KMS hosts to TPM hardware attestation, preventing cloned or fake servers from issuing licenses to unlicensed devices. Warnings will begin appearing in Windows Server 2025 in August 2026, with mandatory enforcement planned for the next LTSC release. Existing KMS systems will continue operating normally until the new rules take effect. The update targets enterprise environments with on-premises KMS infrastructure and does not affect individual consumer devices or common non-KMS activation bypass methods. Administrators can already verify TPM support on physical servers using the Get-TpmSupportedFeature command.

GitHub Removes 10,000 Malware Repositories After Public Exposure but Takes No Further Action

An investigation reveals that GitHub hosts thousands of repositories distributing trojanized ZIP archives, many of which have persisted for two years despite the platform's resources. The malicious repositories follow consistent patterns in README files, including specific headings and links to versioned archives hosted on githubusercontent.com. A detailed article and accompanying script published on Hacker News identified over 10,000 such repositories, prompting GitHub to delete only those specific entries. New repositories matching the same patterns continue to appear and remain active, with no additional proactive measures taken by the security team. The situation highlights questions about Microsoft's approach to automated detection and response on its subsidiary platform.

Microsoft Adds Option to Completely Disable Copilot Key in Windows 11

Microsoft is testing a new setting in experimental builds of Windows 11 that lets home users fully disable the dedicated Copilot key on compatible keyboards. The option, labeled Do nothing, appears in the Bluetooth and devices section under Keyboard settings and allows users to reassign the key away from launching the AI assistant. Enthusiast phantomofearth discovered the feature, which currently sits alongside choices for launching Microsoft 365 Copilot, performing a search, or executing a custom action. The rollout is gradual, with some Windows Insiders receiving the setting earlier than others. The Copilot key was introduced on new Windows laptops in 2024 as a replacement for the right Ctrl key to highlight AI PCs. Earlier this year Microsoft had already promised limited support for restoring the original Ctrl function, while users previously relied on third-party tools such as NoCopilotKey to prevent accidental activation.

LG Monitors Automatically Install McAfee App via Windows Update Without User Consent

Home users of Microsoft Windows have discovered that certain LG monitors automatically install companion software upon connection to a PC, followed by prompts to try a trial version of McAfee antivirus. The installation occurs through the standard Windows driver and software delivery mechanism without providing a clear, separate confirmation dialog. The LG Monitor App Installer requests broad access to system resources, raising concerns even though the application itself is not classified as malicious. YouTube channel Gamers Nexus identified the behavior across both new monitors and models released approximately three years ago, including units previously used in office environments. Manufacturers commonly supply utilities for display calibration, firmware updates, and monitor management, yet the process becomes problematic when it serves as an entry point for optional software and advertising. Users are advised to review installed applications and remove unnecessary LG utilities, while organizations should monitor automatic software deployment after connecting peripherals. Neither LG nor Microsoft has commented on the issue at the time of publication.

CISA Adds Three Exploited Vulnerabilities in FortiSandbox and SharePoint to KEV Catalog

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added three actively exploited vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on July 16, 2026. Two of the flaws affect Fortinet’s FortiSandbox malware analysis product and involve OS command injection issues that can be triggered via specially crafted HTTP requests without requiring authentication. The third vulnerability impacts Microsoft SharePoint and stems from unsafe deserialization of untrusted data, potentially allowing remote code execution over the network. CISA’s action follows public advisories released by the vendors in April and June 2026. The agency is urging organizations to apply available patches and mitigations immediately to reduce the risk of compromise.