Questions tagged [windows]
Related to security concerns specific to the Microsoft Windows operating system itself. For security of applications that happen to be running on Windows, please use [appsec]. For the X Window System, please use [x11].
229
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What can an attacker do with Bluetooth and how should it be mitigated?
What are the security risks of Bluetooth and what technologies and best practices should be used to protect my device? What can an attacker do once a malicious device is paired with mine?
...
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298
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7
answers
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What's the rationale behind Ctrl-Alt-Del for login
Why is Ctrl+Alt+Del required at login on certain Windows systems (I have not seen it elsewhere, but contradict me if I'm wrong) before the password can be typed in? From a usability point of view, it'...
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4
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Checklist on building an Offline Root & Intermediate Certificate Authority (CA)
Microsoft allows a CA to use Cryptography Next Generation (CNG) and advises of incompatibility issues for clients that do not support this suite.
Here is an image of the default cryptography settings ...
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2
answers
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What harm is there in obtaining password hashes in a Windows environment?
ArsTechnica posted this article recently talking about how the power grid has been penetrated:
Hackers lie in wait after penetrating US and Europe power grid networks
Excerpt:
One tactic involved ...
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56
votes
5
answers
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Can I determine if my computer has a key logger installed?
A friend of mine just started a job at a security sensitive company. They've provided him with a laptop with Windows XP Professional installed. He's heard a rumor from other employees that the laptops ...
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17
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3
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Windows 7 Password Hash Security
I recently came across a number of sources that suggest that cracking Windows user account passwords is easy by examining their password hashes.
I understand that these hashes are stored in the SAM ...
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3
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How can I prevent someone from accessing a Windows XP system via boot disk?
Apparently a computer system protected by a a login password, e.g. Windows XP, can be easily hacked by someone with physical access to it using methods like this one:
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/...
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2
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Are there other roots of trust on my computer aside from these 46 root certificates?
I've heard many people imply that modern browsers and OSes trust a myriad of root certificates. The implication is that it is impossible to ensure the private keys of all of the root certificates ...
- 569
198
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10
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Search for military installed backdoors on laptop
My laptop was confiscated by the military institute of my country and they made me to give them all my passwords (I cannot tell you the name of my country). They did not give it back to me for one ...
- 1,801
20
votes
2
answers
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How does process migration work in Meterpreter [closed]
Did anyone try to figure out how process migration works in Meterpreter in Windows? I want to make my own script to learn that, but am failing to find a starting point for that. Well, I have an idea ...
- 331
196
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4
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How does Windows 10 allow Microsoft to spy on you?
Windows 10 is perhaps the most Internet-connected and cloud-centric operating system released by Microsoft to date. This, of course, has caused many users to be concerned about how the OS respects ...
user83026
65
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3
answers
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How does the Windows "Secure Desktop" mode work?
Can anyone explain (or provide a link to a simple explanation) of what the Windows "Secure Desktop" mode is and how it works?
I just heard about it in the KeePass documentation (KeePass - Enter ...
- 985
19
votes
4
answers
2k
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Unknown malware, how to report it and whom to report it to?
I'm a professional Windows system administrator, but I've been caught off-guard (or maybe some malware writer has been very clever) and I caught some unknown malware on my home computer (Windows 7 x64 ...
- 721
12
votes
7
answers
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Linux or Windows- the security issue [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Open Source vs Closed Source Systems
Almost anyone who has grown up on Windows must have had the notion (that I had) of Linux being more secure than Windows- one of reasons ...
- 1,808
66
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1
answer
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What's the risk if I accidently type my password into a username field (Windows logon)?
I'm used to logging into my personal Mac which is a password-only field (like waking from sleep mode). Sometimes I have to use a Windows network on which I have an account, but of course I have to ...
- 3,232
23
votes
2
answers
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How much of a problem is it that Windows "hides" some of the trusted root CA certs?
Based on information on this page, Windows actually trusts many more root CA certificates than what are displayed when a user launches certmgr.msc and navigates to Trusted Root Certification ...
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22
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4
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How secure is Windows 8's Picture Password login?
The final Windows 8 build has been released to manufacturing. One of the new features of Windows 8 is "Picture Password", where the end user logs on to Windows by clicking a specific pattern on the ...
user2122
22
votes
6
answers
25k
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How can I enumerate all the saved RSA keys in the Microsoft CSP?
I have an application that is creating several keys and storing them in various stores (in this case the Machine store).
How can I enumerate all the keys on a given Windows system?
...
- 50.7k
18
votes
4
answers
106k
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Does Windows have a built-in password store?
What passwords are stored in Microsoft Windows? How can I know what password are saved in computer?
- 181
16
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1
answer
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How does the EternalBlue Exploit Work?
I've casually googled for explanations on how exactly the EternalBlue exploit works but, I suppose given the media storm about WannaCry, I've only been able to find resources that at best say it's an ...
- 281
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votes
4
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Man-in-the-middle Blue Coat proxy SSL or what?
I have just discovered that my workplace has enabled some new features in the Blue Coat network proxy. It seems like all HTTPS certificates in Chrome on Windows are being issued by this internal ...
- 123
10
votes
1
answer
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Should the thumbprint be SHA2 in addition to the Signature Hash Algorithm?
I'm looking at a Windows PKI and see that the Thumbprint is SHA1, while the Signature is SHA2 (SHA256).
Is this an acceptable configuration?
Should I recommend that the client update to SHA2 for a ...
- 50.7k
6
votes
1
answer
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How to store client secret securely on application base in Windows?
I would like to store valuable client data (ex. passwords, OAuth tokens) in a way that they will be accessible only from one application (separation on application base). The mechanism must be ...
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3
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what is the difference between dll hijacking and dll injection
I would like to know if DLL Hijacking and DLL Injection are the same or if they are different. I know that some malware use it to do malicious things.
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3
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Regedit shows strange chinese characters in my system - should I be worried?
I suspect that my system has been hacked into. I see huge drops in free hard disk space for a while and then the space returns to near old values. A few days ago, when I clicked "my computer", I saw ...
- 1,490
136
votes
19
answers
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Is it common to allow local desktop and/or active directory admin access and rights for developers in organizations?
I work at a company with a staff of about 1000+. We currently have programming development staff that work on web based projects (approx 50 people).
Recently due to security concerns our IT and ...
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53
votes
6
answers
41k
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Create a unterminable process in Windows
I am a student, and am genuinely curious about unterminable processes in Windows.
For educational purposes, I would like to create an application (possibly in VB6?) which cannot be terminable by a ...
user20825
33
votes
5
answers
36k
views
How secure is NTFS encryption?
How secure is the data in a encrypted NTFS folder on Windows (XP, 7)?
(The encryption option under file|folder -> properties -> advanced -> encrypt.)
If the user uses a decent password, can this ...
- 1,247
30
votes
6
answers
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How can normal files hide a virus?
How can normal files supported in the Windows operating system hide a virus?
Sometimes opening a .txt , .jpg or .docx files leads to running a virus. How is this possible?
user52577
28
votes
4
answers
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How Do Rootkits & Other Low-Level Malware Still Manage to Load on Systems Protected by Secure Boot (and TB/MB)?
Let me try asking my question this way...
Let's say that I'm a offensive cyber Bad Guy working for a foreign state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat unit. My unit is charged with, say, stealing ...
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20
votes
3
answers
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How to figure out if someone has been using TeamViewer 8 to access my computer when I was not here?
I came to my computer today and have not been here since monday afternoon. I am using windows 7. There were some error messages showing even on the log in screen about memory violations done by ...
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4
answers
7k
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Windows hardening [closed]
Can anyone point me at some good resources on Windows hardening? From 2003 upwards.
user1300
16
votes
4
answers
1k
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Starting with sandbox development
I am looking for some security related project in which I can contribute and also learn something. Since I am new with this stuff It will be better if that project is less complex and digestible for a ...
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13
votes
2
answers
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How can I restrict what an application can do with my computer?
Often when I install applications on my computer, I realize that I need to trust the application because it can do what ever it want with my computer, e.g. accessing files, listen to my keyboard, ...
- 5,183
13
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1
answer
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How does one properly check foreign USB Drives before getting them in your Network? Is the presented approach considered "safe"?
Current Situation:
I´m currently employed at an Hospital and with rising danger of ransomware etc. spread by usb drives we decided to block all USB-Ports (roundabout 600 Clients/Windows only) via ...
- 996
11
votes
2
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Basic self-signed certificate questions
A few basic questions around self-signed certificates
Question 1
Does a self-signed certificate has to have a CA? I realize that a "real" certificate must as it otherwise can be chain validated but ...
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9
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1
answer
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Do applications installing into AppData folder make UAC useless?
When UAC was first introduced, most well-behaving applications were installed into Program Files folder, so any tampering with executable files without explicit user consent became impossible. So when ...
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votes
6
answers
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How to stop USB Rubber Ducky?
I want to protect my computer from fake USB keyboards like the
USB rubber ducky .
I tried Penteract's disguised keyboard detector.
I connected a keyboard and it locked the screen.
But I don't ...
- 191
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votes
1
answer
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Browsers silently adding trusted root certificates in Windows
When accessing https://internetbanking.caixa.gov.br (site of a well known bank in Brazil), the server returns a certificate signed by "Autoridade Certificadora Raiz Brasileira" (Brazilian Root ...
- 336
6
votes
2
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What's a good secure file deletion software?
I've used cipher \w which is built into Windows to overwrite free space, but I'm looking for a tool that securely deletes files which have not been deleted yet. It would be a plus (but certainly not ...
- 10.1k
6
votes
2
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I am always Hibernating my System, is there any risk for my Encrypted drive with BitLocker?
I am Always Hibernating my Laptop, for faster booting, I encrypted sensitive drive by BitLocker, what if my Laptop stolen and attacker knew that it was in hybernate mode, can he decrypt my hard?
- 1,357
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How to change default cipher in GnuPG on both Linux and Windows?
How can I change the default symmetric cipher used by GnuPG from CAST5 to another?
I'm using GPG4Win on Windows, but would also be interested in a solution for Linux.
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1
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Forensics - trace back DNS query origin on host?
So I tried to search the web for answers but didn't find any.
Is there any way to trace back which exe file or application caused the computer to make a specific DNS query?
- 111
3
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1
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Did changes in Google Chrome 80 weaken cookie and password encryption?
According to Arun on StackOverflow “Starting Chrome 80 version, cookies are encrypted using the AES256-GCM algorithm, and the AES encryption key is encrypted with the DPAPI encryption system, and the ...
user115400
2
votes
2
answers
3k
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Why use Linux instead of Windows for Pentesting? [closed]
Nowadays we can find all sorts of tools i.e. Aircrack Suite, Metasploit, Burpsuite etc. for Windows too!
So why use Linux?
e.g. I am using aircrack on Windows what will be my disadvantage?
My laptop ...
104
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2
answers
32k
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Can a rogue .wmv file "hijack" Windows Media Player?
I've downloaded a .wmv file using P2P. Attempting to play it with Media Player Classic (K-Lite Codec Pack) only gave me a green square in the playback window:
I noticed that the video came with a ...
- 1,037
36
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4
answers
6k
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Is my data safe if, with an encrypted hard disk, I put Windows in "sleep" mode
Both my boot partition and my data partition are encrypted with TrueCrypt. My password is lengthy, so I find myself avoiding a reboot of my system whenever possible. When going to lunch (for instance),...
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6
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5k
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How do I purge Windows of my private data when formatting the drive is not an option?
I'm changing my employer, and I'm about to leave my office computer. Due to internal regulations and my supervisor's orders, I'm unable to format the disk drive. I was hoping I would be able to do ...
- 3,619
33
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1
answer
4k
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What are the privacy and security implications of Windows Telemetry
There have been quite a few news stories relating to the use of "Telemetry" in Windows 10 (and also now Windows 7/8) with suggestions that users would want to disable or remove these updates due to ...
- 62.1k
24
votes
3
answers
6k
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Why aren't applications sandboxed in Windows?
Sandboxing seem to be a way to restrict what an application can do. Today, I don't have much control of what my applications do with my computer. It feels more secure to use JavaScript based web ...
- 5,183