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Government Issues Security Alert for Windows Users

Using a desktop powered by Windows? In that case, you should be aware that India’s government has issued a severe security alert for you. There may be a serious vulnerability in Windows, according to an alert released by the (CERT-In) Indian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (Meity). Users are recommended to install the latest updates as soon as possible. 

The company has been notified about a security problem in Windows Defender, the anti-malware software included in some releases of Microsoft Windows. 

If you’re using Windows, what is the warning about?

According to CERT-In & Microsoft’s security experts, this is one of the most serious alerts they’ve had to send in a long time. It’s also pointed out that security measures may not be able to identify an attack due to the computer’s extreme susceptibility. A flaw in Windows Defender’s Credential Guard has been discovered, which allows a locally authenticated attacker to bypass protections and get administrative privileges on the compromised system. 

In this case, the default bug is a zero-day exploit. In other words, it is not until it is put to use that its existence is uncovered. It can impersonate a legitimate user, gaining control of the entire network as a result. Companies & organizations who rely on domains to centrally manage all of their connected computers and user accounts may face severe consequences as a result of this. 

Professionals in the area of information security estimate that this flaw was identified in the year 2021. About 1.5 billion people are using Windows now. According to estimates from security researchers, this newly discovered flaw affects over 43 distinct releases of Microsoft’s operating system. 

According to the CERT advisory, a locally authenticated attacker might exploit vulnerabilities in Windows Defender Credential Guard to bypass security constraints & gain elevated access to the affected system.

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