Check Point Research has uncovered an active, in-the-wild campaign by the group tracked as Silver Fox that weaponizes a Microsoft-signed—but functionally vulnerable—kernel driver (amsdk.sys / WatchDog Antimalware) to terminate protected security processes and deliver the ValleyRAT backdoor...
The arrival of an open-source AppLocker policy generator aimed at simplifying XML policy creation for Windows administrators deserves attention: AppLockerGen promises a lightweight, web-like interface to author, merge, inspect, and export AppLocker policies — but the tool’s appeal comes with...
Macrohard: Elon Musk’s ‘AI Software Company’ Sets Sights on Microsoft
Dek
On August 22, 2025, Elon Musk said he’s building “a purely AI software company called Macrohard” to take on Microsoft—framing it as tongue‑in‑cheek in name but “very real” in intent. Here’s what he actually announced, what...
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When a vendor-side advisory and a CVE identifier don’t line up, the first — and most important — job for defenders and researchers is to stop, verify, and update the record. I tried to open the MSRC page you gave (Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center) and could not find any...
applocker
cve-2025-29975
cve-2025-47993
cve-2025-49738
link following
local eop
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patch management
pc manager
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soc playbook
symlink abuse
sysmon
threat hunting
wdac
windows security
Microsoft’s August 2025 Intune update materially expands the platform’s security controls and enrollment ergonomics, delivering four headline features—granular App Control targeting, automatic patching during device setup, near‑real‑time Apple software update visibility via Declarative Device...
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app control
apple software updates
audit and telemetry
declarative device management
enrollment status page
enterprise security
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intune
it admin workflows
multi-admin approval
oobe
patching during oobe
pilot testing
real-time telemetry
security governance
wdac
windows autopilot
zero trust
A critical local privilege‑escalation flaw has been disclosed in Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk ViewPoint (versions 14.00 and prior) that allows an attacker with local access to escalate to SYSTEM by abusing Windows MSI repair behavior — the issue is tracked as CVE‑2025‑7973 and has been...
A high-severity privilege-escalation flaw has been disclosed in Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk ViewPoint that allows a local attacker to escalate to SYSTEM privileges by abusing Windows MSI repair behavior; the issue (CVE-2025-7973) carries a CVSS v4 base score of 8.5 and affects FactoryTalk...
Siemens ProductCERT has confirmed a widespread DLL-hijacking flaw in the Siemens Web Installer used by its Online Software Delivery (OSD) mechanism — tracked as CVE‑2025‑30033 — that can allow arbitrary code execution during installation, carries a CVSS v4 base score of 8.5, and affects dozens...
Windows 11’s security-first architecture is arriving at a critical moment for colleges and universities, delivering a broad set of built-in protections—passwordless sign-on, hardware-based isolation, and Microsoft Defender tooling—that aim to reduce ransomware risk and ease management burdens...
Microsoft’s Security Update Guide lists CVE-2025-53736 as a Microsoft Word information-disclosure vulnerability caused by a buffer over-read in Word that can allow an unauthorized local actor to read memory and disclose sensitive information on a victim machine; administrators are strongly...
Microsoft’s Security Update Guide entry for CVE-2025-53718 describes a use‑after‑free (UAF) flaw in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (AFD.sys) that can be triggered by a locally authorized user to obtain elevated privileges on affected Windows hosts — a kernel‑level...
A use‑after‑free vulnerability in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (AFD.sys), tracked as CVE-2025-53137, can be abused by an authorized local user to escalate privileges to SYSTEM on affected Windows hosts — a high‑impact kernel vulnerability that follows a string of similar AFD...
Title: CVE‑2025‑50173 — Windows Installer “Weak Authentication” Elevation‑of‑Privilege: What admins need to know and do now
Summary
Microsoft lists CVE‑2025‑50173 as an elevation‑of‑privilege vulnerability in Windows Installer. The vendor description summarizes the issue as “weak authentication...
Note: I checked the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) entry you linked and reviewed public vulnerability feeds while preparing this article. The MSRC page for CVE-2025-53759 is the primary source for the vulnerability statement; I also cross‑checked public advisories and CISA summaries...
Windows App Control for Business (WDAC) has long been one of the cornerstone technologies within the modern enterprise Windows ecosystem, built to allow organizations granular policy enforcement around which applications may run and under what circumstances. The policy-based security of WDAC...
The relentless evolution of the enterprise security landscape in 2025 places an unprecedented emphasis on securing Windows endpoints, reflecting both the aftermath of the widespread CrowdStrike incident of 2024 and the new technological imperatives shaping endpoint protection. The high-profile...
The latest evolution of Windows support for Application Control for Business introduces a significant and controversial overhaul: a new Certificate Authority (CA) handling logic designed to bolster software trust and compliance in modern enterprise environments. Users and administrators who rely...
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wdac
windows 10
windows 11
windows defender
windows security
zero trust
The ongoing digital arms race has placed organizations under relentless pressure to defend their Windows Server infrastructure against an evermore sophisticated array of cyber threats. As cybercriminals refine their tactics, from credential theft to ransomware and lateral movement, Microsoft’s...
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windows server 2025
zero trust
A security crisis with broad implications has emerged in recent months as Windows 11 24H2, the much-anticipated feature update, rolled out to users worldwide. Despite Microsoft’s assurances about the readiness and stability of this release, seasoned administrators and cybersecurity professionals...
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cybersecurity
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windows 11
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zero trust
With little fanfare but seismic impact, Microsoft has charted a new course for enterprise IT security with Windows Server 2025’s latest round of security updates and architectural changes. As organizations across the globe race to secure increasingly hybrid and cloud-integrated environments...
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