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].
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What does it mean when Google anti-virus engine reports "Detected"?
I need to convert a ton of directories of JPEGs into PDFs or EPUBs.
So I downloaded this: https://ci.appveyor.com/project/josch/img2pdf/build/artifacts
Being scared that it might be malware, as any ...
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Is there a way to get Windows login password hint from SAM hive with volatility?
We know that every user in Windows has a password hint. This password hint is stored in the SAM hive, more specifically in the SAM\Domains\Account\Users path. Is there a way to extract this password ...
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Can malware override and execute any memory location or it has to be specific?
Rather primitive Malware using Python3 and similar already available software on the victim's machine (which can also be compiled using PyInstaller/pycom if not) has the capability to override the ...
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How does the "ClaimLetter#.zip" attack work?
I wonder if this is the right place to ask about the specific functioning of viruses / worms. We all receive fishy mails all the time. And generally I never click on anything, especially not ...
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Can Windows invade my privacy by accessing files from my Linux OS?
I have a 500 GB SSD drive with Windows 10 installed, and a 250 GB SSD drive with Ubuntu 22.04 installed. I use the latter mainly to maintain my privacy; Ubuntu is like my personal computer, with ...
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CA-signed certificate for localhost / production app
I have developed an application that consists of various parts, each part communicating either via http and / or gRPC to one another.
All communication has been switched over to TLS using a self-...
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What is the version of the scanned OS?
I've scanned a target with metasploit scanner/smb/smb_version and nmap -O.
smb_version: Windows 2016 Standard (build:14393)
Nmap: Windows Server 2008 R2 - 2012; CPE: cpe:/o:microsoft:windows
What is ...
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Can any program discover my precise geolocation?
While browsing the internet on my laptop, I've allowed an internet site to access my location data. What I had expected was that it will show the name of my city based on my IP. I was quite shocked ...
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How to prevent a user retaining file access with an open handle on Windows?
Suppose a user is a member of a group, and they open (in the Windows API sense) a file whose DACL grants access to that group.
Then, the user stops being a member of the group.
Since access checks are ...
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Is there spy hardware that can be attached to laptops and if so how to detect them?
A while back I lived in shared apartments. One day I returned to my room and found my laptop screen frame open. Since then I keep get log in attempts to my accounts.
I scanned my laptop with multiple ...
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Does malware use Oracle RDBMS Kernel Executable (oracle.exe) to steal data?
I'm worried that my computer may have been infected by a virus. My Windows Virus Scan says that nothing came up, and a Chrome malware scan also turned up nothing. However, a process called Oracle ...
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Fiddler with Android Emulator mostly shows "A SSLv3-compatible ClientHello handshake was found" with no headers or data
When I run fiddler with a proxy for the BlueStacks Android emulator (on Windows), many of the results are listed as "Tunnel to" a random IP address, with no headers and no information on the ...
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New IQ Option Messages in Microsoft Edge even though I've never used their service
All of a sudden I started receiving pop-ups on my Windows PC from this company IQ Option offering virtual money and demo time.
Why are they messaging me through my Microsoft Edge browser? I didn't ...
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Malware file path
How is file location implying if a given file is possibly a malware or not?
Example:
Let's take windows wmiprvse.exe file. Web search results will often give you results similar to:
"If this is ...
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Any security concerns when importing self-signed certificate to Trusted Root certification Authorities store?
I have an ESXi server that is using a self-signed certificate, and the browser gives a warning that SSL certificate cannot be trusted.
I want to put that cert into the Trusted Root Certification ...
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What is the reason why Microsoft decided not to provide updates when bypassing TPM requirements?
I understand TPM is quite an important tool for security, but a lot of the updates not being offered should not be related to TPM. Not offering updates to people who bypass TPM on Windows 11 and also ...
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Is Reading Windows Reserved Filenames Through a URL Valid for OS Enumeration?
I'm aware that writing a file with a reserved name such as CON.txt or CON.mp3, aux.txt, lpt1.html, etc. is not allowed by Windows and can be leveraged for enumeration.
However, what about reading a ...
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Is the "Windows-Defender-Hardening" safe to perform? [closed]
I'm totally not a Microsoft Windows professional. When it comes to Windows, I'm just a normal user. And as this user, I'm wondering why Microsoft isn't shipping a full potential Windows Defender by ...
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Can an ISO file be harmful if opened as an archive?
I was trying to download something off a sketchy website, and ISO was a reasonable extension for what I was trying to get, but I was still pretty sure it was malicious. I didn't put much thought into ...
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fTPM more secure than TPM when using Bitlocker?
Is fTPM more secure than a real TPM module when using Bitlocker?
As far as I know, you should enable pre-boot authentication if you use a TPM module that is plugged separately onto the motherboard to ...
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Is there a way to find out which certificates came preinstalled with Windows and which ones installed afterwards? [duplicate]
I'm looking for a way to find out which certificates, whether machine level or user level, came preinstalled with Windows (when using official Microsoft ISO file to clean install the OS) and which ...
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Any Windows/NTFS trick to ignore/cancel out a file extension from a path?
I am pentesting an application. The application exposes a SOAP API, which I have access to, and internally that API makes the following call:
File.Open("C:\Resources\"+resName+".res&...
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CNG SSL Provider Functions - how are they called?
I've been studying the various cryptographic APIs on Windows, and the flow that Windows goes through when an application creates an SSL connection.
One of the APIs I've come across are the CNG SSL ...
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Retrieve list of trusted server public keys during an application run
I'm trying to implement a mechanism that allows me to maintain a list of SSL server certificate public keys that have been verified as trusted during an application run time. For example:
Application ...
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Does linux in windows with wsl2 carry the usual security advantages of linux
I'm planning on running some bitcoin wallets I would like to be extra resilient to hack attempts. I plan on installing them on an encrypted usb stick and only interacting with the stick with linux ...
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EAP-TLS for securing internal local WLAN?
I'm looking at securing a wi-fi network used in an industrial context.
I have a pool of client devices which should automatically connect to an AP (selecting SSIDs which match a specific pattern). ...
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Does Windows 10 read/run/care about USB devices plugged in "Lock Screen" mode?
Whenever I leave my computer for the bathroom or anything inside the living space, I press WinKey + L to enter the "Lock Screen" mode. (If I go outside, I turn it off completely.)
Let's say ...
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Use platform TPM as U2F for web applications
The Problem:
Use the platform TMP of my Windows Laptop/PC (no external device or USB token) as U2F in a web application to check if it is a known device.
My intended solution:
I need to store/create ...
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Windows IP Helper service listening on port 1000
On a Windows 10 Home machine (21H2 19044.1741), I noticed one of my applications failed to listen on port 1000, because something was already using that port. That struck me as peculiar, because I ...
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Can modifying environment variables in Windows cause vulnerability?
As normal user, if you open the Edit Environment Variable setting in Windows, you will get this:
As you can see, the %path% variable that available for an user is a combination of %path% set globally ...
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How risky is it to let someone know the name of your Windows PC?
I have here a situation where if I share this file with someone on the internet, the file may contain: 1. data pointing to the directories where it is stored on my computer, along with 2. the name of ...
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Does only having Microsoft Office installed make you vulnerable to the CVE-2022-30190 RCE or having Windows as your OS is enough?
I was wondering whether you need to have Microsoft Office installed to be vulnerable to CVE-2022-30190 RCE.
As far as I understand, MSDT is the issue here (the attack vector so to say) and as shown ...
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Is there a difference between a bootkit and a ring-0 rootkit?
I understand the difference between a Ring-0 rootkit and a Ring-3 rootkit, in terms of their hierarchical depth in computational models. That is kernel mode and usermode, respectively.
I am confused ...
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How do I compare a signed .exe file with the unsigned version of the same .exe file?
I have had some binary executable files (.exe) for Windows signed, I have checked the signature of the signed files, but I would also like to check that the file that I sent for signing is indeed ...
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Unlocking a Windows computer through the CMD prompt [closed]
Let's say I had an "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" command shell on my locked Windows computer (at the login prompt) and I would like to get log in as user X (as if I logged in normally with their ...
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File sharing with compromised Windows machine
I want to connect a known to be compromised Windows machine to the network for file sharing, it has lots of pirated software installed therefor not secure. Can it be isolated so that nothing can ...
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Is there any way to disable/not allow unquoted service paths in Windows?
Unquoted service paths might be used as a privilege escalation vector after an attacker gains access to a Windows host.
Given Hector's answer in the following question:
"Windows Unquoted Search&...
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Export ECDSA certificate from Windows Store
I am trying to export public and private key of an ECDSA certificate from Windows key store. PFXExportCertStoreEx fails when I try to export ECDSA certificate. GetLastError() returns 0x80090016. I am ...
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Need to leave computer in repair shop. How can I secure solid state drive contents?
I need to take my desktop into a PC repair shop and leave it for a few days. It would be easy for them to copy the drives without me knowing. I am running Windows 10 with a password but this doesn't ...
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Common attack vectors for Microsoft Exchange Server?
What are the common attack vectors for a Microsoft Exchange Server?
My online searches only yield discussion into various APT groups, and technical write-ups of different 0day exploits. There does not ...
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How can this Jim Browning YouTuber have access to so many scammers' computers/networks?
I'm frankly sick of these videos, and the only interesting part to me has nothing to do with the scam or the content of the video, but simply the fact that he is apparently somehow able to see exactly ...
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Local Machine certificate (certlm.msc) Import - Enable strong private key protection
We were trying key export from Windows Certificate Store as part of a certificate module development.
The code is in C++ and mostly WinCrypt and openssl APIs are used.
I installed a certificate that ...
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Windows XP SP3 2002 is not vulnerable to MS08-067
Why is my VM not vulnerable to MS08-067?
There are similar question on stack exchange, yes, but they fail to specify all relevant information and so non receive a meaningful, thoughtful nor thorough ...
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How can a service securely update an application even when the computer's current user could be hostile
Keep in mind that I am not a security specialist or a networking specialist. I am a software developer dealing with this kind of software for the first time.
Our software is used to control user ...
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How do screenshot blocking technologies work? [closed]
I've noticed I can't take screenshots of videos in Star+. When I paste whatever I tried to shot, it comes all black (subtitles however are visible). After some research, I found out it happens with ...
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How exactly is a fingerprint stored in Windows Hello? Why is it claimed to be more secure than a password?
I can't quite imagine a scenario where fingerprints can be stored in a way that defeats the weaknesses of password storage (i.e. pass the hash attacks or password reuse). Moreover, I couldn't quite ...
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Windows hello pin removal/crack
Is there a workaround to the Windows 10 Hello PIN security login policy?
The PIN is the only credential needed to log in, no password is set, checked with samdump2.
I inherited this computer from a ...
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How to secure against USB drives?
Is it possible to set up Windows in a way that plugging in external storage can't compromise the device/network?
To clarify, I would like to use the storage device to transfer data into the network. ...
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Microsoft Pluton Security Chip - Specs and API?
Microsoft introduced a new security chip dubbed Pluton that is ought to become mandatory for systems running Windows (11 and forward).
AMD has already implemented or is about to implement the chip as ...
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C# Hello World program detected as virus
I just wrote and compiled a Hello World program in C# (I'm using Visual Studio 2022) and when I sent the file to VirusTotal, 1 antivirus program detected the exe as unsafe (VirusTotal results of C# ...
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