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Software update
Critical Infrastructure critical infrastructure risk Cyber Security faulty software update software se Software update

Faulty Software Update Shuts Down Critical Infrastructure, Highlighting Major Risks

 

A recent incident involving a faulty software update has underscored the significant risks associated with system updates and the potential vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. This incident, which caused a widespread shutdown of essential services, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous testing and robust cybersecurity protocols. The issue arose when a routine software update, intended to enhance performance and security, instead led to a catastrophic failure in several systems. 

The update, which was pushed out without adequate testing, contained a critical bug that disrupted the operation of numerous infrastructure services. As a result, vital operations were halted, causing widespread inconvenience and highlighting the fragility of digital infrastructure. One of the most affected sectors was the energy industry, where the software update caused several power plants to go offline. This led to significant disruptions in power supply, affecting both residential and commercial users. The outage also had a ripple effect on other critical services, including healthcare and transportation, further amplifying the impact of the incident. The problem was traced back to a flaw in the software update process. The update was not thoroughly vetted before being deployed, and the critical bug went unnoticed. Once the issue became apparent, emergency protocols were initiated to roll back the update and restore normal operations. 

However, the process was not straightforward, and it took several hours to bring all affected systems back online. This incident has raised serious concerns about the security and reliability of software updates, particularly for systems that underpin critical infrastructure. It has also highlighted the need for more stringent testing procedures and better contingency planning. Experts argue that while updates are necessary for maintaining security and performance, they must be handled with extreme caution to avoid such catastrophic failures. In response to the incident, several companies have announced plans to review and enhance their software update processes. This includes implementing more rigorous testing procedures, improving communication channels to quickly address any issues that arise, and developing more robust rollback mechanisms to quickly revert to previous versions in case of problems. 

Moreover, there is a growing call for industry-wide standards and best practices for software updates, particularly for critical infrastructure. These standards would ensure that updates are thoroughly tested and that there are adequate safeguards in place to prevent widespread disruptions. The incident serves as a sobering reminder of the delicate balance between maintaining security through updates and ensuring the stability of critical systems. As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly integral to everyday life, the stakes for getting this balance right have never been higher. 

Moving forward, it is imperative for companies and regulatory bodies to work together to strengthen the processes and protocols surrounding software updates, ensuring that they enhance security without compromising the reliability of essential services.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Cyber Breach Cyberattacks CyberCrime Cybersecurity Cyberthreats Security Breach Software update UAE Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Security Advisory: Protecting Mobile Devices for UAE Residents

 


In a security update released by Microsoft on Thursday, 61 high-risk vulnerabilities, including critical ones, were addressed. The cyber threat actor may be able to exploit some of these vulnerabilities to gain control of a computer that has been affected. To prevent the breach or leak of information or personal data, UAE Cyber Security Wednesday advised users to implement Microsoft updates. 

The UAE authorities have emphasized the importance of heightened awareness of the vulnerability of their devices and the need for proactive measures to combat it. As the digital world is increasing, it has become increasingly important to secure users' mobile devices to ensure that they are protected against potential risks.

By taking proactive steps, residents can mitigate these threats and protect their data. The Cyber Security Council has provided a real-life example to educate residents regarding the dangers posed by online disrupters. A report issued by the UAE Cyber Security Council and CPX Holding jointly published in 2024 on UAE's cybersecurity highlights a worrying reality. 

There are currently 155,000 cyber assets in the UAE that are vulnerable, with over 40 per cent of them over the age of five. In light of the escalating cyber threats, including sophisticated attacks such as ransomware, the need for advanced cybersecurity measures is urgent, particularly now that the nation has faced an increase in cyberattacks. 

In general, software updates are not thought to be solely relevant to smartphones. However, they play an important role in ensuring security across all types of devices and applications - computers, tablets, smart appliances and even wearables - as well as ensuring security and protecting the user's data. It is imperative to keep devices up to date to ensure security and safeguard them, particularly when they are intertwined with a variety of aspects of life for users.

Users who prefer to update their devices and apps via Wi-Fi might want to set a reminder for when they need to update their apps so they don't have to consume their data plan while doing so. Tips for making updating software a more secure decision: 

To ensure that the data is protected, it is important to periodically update your device's operating system and applications. Ensure that you are up-to-date on software updates from the appropriate source to avoid cyber attacks. Back up important files to prevent losing updates. Ensure that automatic updates are enabled on the device so that manual intervention is minimized. It is important to consider updates for all devices, including smartphones, laptops, wearables, and tablets, when updating software and apps.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Administrative Rights Critical Flaw Driver issue Gaming PCs Security Issues Software update Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Millions of HP OMEN Gaming PCs Impacted by Driver Vulnerability

 

On Tuesday, security experts revealed data about a high-severity weakness in the HP OMEN driver software, which affects millions of gaming laptops worldwide and leaves them vulnerable to various cyberattacks. 

The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2021-3437 with a CVSS score: 7.8. Threat actors may escalate privileges to kernel mode without having administrator rights, enabling them to deactivate security products, overwrite system components, and even damage the operating system. 

The complete list of vulnerable devices includes HP ENVY, HP Pavilion, OMEN desktop gaming systems, and OMEN and HP Pavilion gaming laptops. 

SentinelOne, a cybersecurity firm that identified and communicated the flaw to HP on February 17, claimed it discovered no trace of in-the-wild exploitation. Customers have subsequently received a security update from the company to address the flaw. 

The problems are caused by OMEN Command Center, a pre-installed component on HP OMEN laptops and desktops and can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The program is meant to assist smooth network activity, overclock the gaming PC for quicker computer performance, and monitor the GPU, CPU, and RAM through a vitals dashboard. 

Souce of flaw

According to research shared with The Hacker News by SentinelOne, "The problem is that HP OMEN Command Center includes a driver that, while ostensibly developed by HP, is actually a partial copy of another driver full of known vulnerabilities." 

"In the right circumstances, an attacker with access to an organization's network may also gain access to execute code on unpatched systems and use these vulnerabilities to gain local elevation of privileges. Attackers can then leverage other techniques to pivot to the broader network, like lateral movement." 

HpPortIox64.sys is the driver in issue, and it gets its functionality from OpenLibSys-developed-WinRing0.sys, which was the origin of a local privilege escalation flaw in EVGA Precision X1 software last year (CVE-2020-14979, CVSS score: 7.8). 

In August 2020, researchers from SpecterOps highlighted, "WinRing0 allows users to read and write to arbitrary physical memory, read and modify the model-specific registers (MSRs), and read/write to IO ports on the host. These features are intended by the driver's developers. However, because a low-privileged user can make these requests, they present an opportunity for local privilege escalation." 

This is the second time WinRing0.sys has been identified as a source of security vulnerabilities in HP products. 

In October 2019, SafeBreach Labs discovered a critical vulnerability in HP Touchpoint Analytics software (CVE-2019-6333), which is included with the driver, possibly enabling malicious actors to read arbitrary kernel memory and effectively allowlist malicious payloads via a signature validation bypass. 

The discovery is the third in a series of security flaws affecting software drivers that SentinelOne has discovered since the beginning of the year. 

Earlier this year, they found a 12-year-old privilege escalation problem in Microsoft Defender Antivirus (previously Windows Defender) that hackers could exploit to acquire admin access on unpatched Windows computers.

And last month, SentinelOne reported on a 16-year-old security flaw discovered in an HP, Xerox, and Samsung printer driver that allows attackers to obtain administrative access to computers running the vulnerable software.
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Windows Defender
CyberCrime Microsoft Microsoft Edge Potentially Unwanted App Potentially Unwanted Program Software update Windows 10 Windows Defender

Windows 10 New Feature Hunts and Thwarts PUAs/PUPs


Per reports, Microsoft has hinted that the next main version of Windows 10 will come stacked with a fresh security feature that would allow the users to facilitate the Windows Defender’s secret feature that helps hunt and bar the installation of known PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

PUA’s are also widely known as PUPs that stands for Potentially Unwanted Programs. These aren’t as well known by the users in the cyber-crime world as all the other major threats but are a valid threat nevertheless.

Per sources, these are software that is installed on devices via fooling the targets. The term for which the PUP/PUA stands is self-explanatory with regards to applications or programs that your device may not really need.

PUPs/PUAs go around with tactics like either by employing “silent installs” to dodge user permissions or by “bundling” an unrequired application with the installer of an authentic program.

Sources mention that PUAs most commonly contain applications that alter browser history, hinder security controls, install root certificates, track users and sell their data, and display invasive ads.

As per reports, the May 2020 update is to be rolled out to the users in the last week of this month. Microsoft mentioned that it has added a fresh new feature in its setting panel that would allow users to bar the installation of any unwanted applications or programs in the form of known PUAs/PUPs.

As it turns out, researchers mention that the feature has been available in the Windows Defender for quite a lot of time, but for it to kick start it would need group policies and not the usual Windows user interface.

As per sources, to enable the feature a user must go to ‘Start’, ‘Settings’, ‘Update & Security’, ‘Windows Security’, ‘App & Browser Control’, and finally 'Reputation-based Protection Settings’. Once updated, the feature would show two settings, the above-mentioned feature is disabled by default and would need to be enabled manually. However, Microsoft suggests, enabling both the settings.

Reports mention, that the “Block Apps” feature will scan for PUAs that have already been downloaded or installed, so if the user’s using a different browser Windows Security would intercept it after it’s downloaded. However, the “Block Downloads” feature hunts the PUAs while they are being downloaded.
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Software update
Asus Kaspersky Software update

Hackers used ASUS Software Updates to Install malware on thousands of computers





Researchers at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab found out that recent Asus’ software update system was hacked and used to distribute malware to millions of its customers.

The malware was masked as a  “critical” software update, which was distributed from the Asus’ servers. The malicious malware file was signed with legitimate ASUS digital certificates that made it look an authentic software update from the company, Kaspersky Lab says.

 The report of the hack was first reported by Motherboard, and Kaspersky Lab plans to release more details as soon as possible at an upcoming conference.

The intentions of hackers behind doing this is not clear. However, from the early investigation, it is reported that the hackers seem to target a bunch of specific Asus customers as it contains special instructions for 600 systems, which is identified by specific MAC addresses.

Till now, Asus has not contacted any of its affected customers or taken any step to stop the malware. In an email interview with the Verge, Asus said that they would issue an official statement on the malware tomorrow afternoon.

According to the Motherboard, Asus apparently denied that the malware had come from its servers.

“This attack shows that the trust model we are using based on known vendor names and validation of digital signatures cannot guarantee that you are safe from malware,” said Vitaly Kamluk, Asia-Pacific director of Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research and Analysis Team who led the research.



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United States
Boeing Software update United States

Pilots still waiting for Software Update of Boeing, which was promised last year






After a deadly crash of the Lion Air 737 MAX 8 in Indonesia in last October, company officials have met pilot union, and said that they are planning to the software for their 737 Max jets, but till now there has not been a single update.

Meanwhile, addressing the issue, the United States regulators said the software update would be ready by April.

“Boeing was going to have a software fix in the next five to six weeks,” said Michael, the top safety official at the American Airlines pilots union. “We told them, ‘Yeah, it can’t drag out.’ And well, here we are.”

The planned software update would let pilots to detect the problem, and will them from recurrence of the same problem.  Boeing officials  believe that pilots doesn't need any special training in order to learn the functioning of the software update, but they just need a small briefing on how the software fix would function.

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