Traveling back in time: Windows Update is now a deceitful tactic for hackers

When it comes to influence, demotion assaults could potentially have significant consequences for institutions that heavily rely on Windows setups,” Chauhan emphasized. “These assaults can undo security fixes, reintroducing systems to previously controlled vulnerabilities, thus amplifying the danger of data breaches, unauthorized entry, and exposure of confidential data.”

Furthermore, such assaults could disturb operations by breaching vital infrastructure, resulting in operational stoppages and monetary setbacks. Sectors with strict adherence prerequisites, like banking, healthcare, and the government, are particularly prone. A prosperous demotion attack in these fields could lead to legal repercussions and considerable harm to an establishment’s image and client reliance.”

Leviev was motivated to devise this method by the BlackLotus UEFI Bootkit 2023, which revealed the seriousness of such assaults by lowering the Windows boot manager to take advantage of CVE-2022-21894, circumventing Secure Boot, and deactivating other OS security mechanisms. “The malware could remain even on entirely updated Windows 11 systems, triggering concern in the cybersecurity community,” Leviev remarked.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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