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**How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?** An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by tricking an authenticated user into attempting to connect to a malicious SQL server via OLEDB, which could result in the server receiving a malicious networking packet. This could allow the attacker to execute code remotely on the client.

**What is the relationship between Mark of the Web and Windows SmartScreen?** When you download a file from the internet, Windows adds the zone identifier or Mark of the Web as an NTFS stream to the file. So, when you run the file, Windows SmartScreen checks if there is a zone identifier Alternate Data Stream (ADS) attached to the file. If the ADS indicates ZoneId=3 which means that the file was downloaded from the internet, the SmartScreen does a reputation check. For more information on SmartScreen, please visit Microsoft Defender SmartScreen overview | Microsoft Learn.

**How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?** An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by tricking an authenticated user into attempting to connect to a malicious SQL server via OLEDB, which could result in the server receiving a malicious networking packet. This could allow the attacker to execute code remotely on the client.

**According to the CVSS metric, the attack vector is network (AV:N) and the user interaction is required (UI:R). What is the target context of the remote code execution?** An authenticated victim who is connected to the network must be tricked or persuaded to connect to a malicious SQL database using their SQL client application. After the connection is made, the server can send specially crafted replies to the client that exploit the vulnerability and permit execution of arbitrary code within the context of the user's SQL client application.

**According to the CVSS metric, a successful exploitation could lead to a scope change (S:C). What does this mean for this vulnerability?** The vulnerability is in the web server, but the malicious scripts execute in the victim’s browser on their machine.

This is additional research regarding a mitigation bypass in Windows Defender. Back in 2022, the researcher disclosed how it could be easily bypassed by passing an extra path traversal when referencing mshtml but that issue has since been mitigated. However, the researcher discovered using multiple commas can also be used to achieve the bypass.

When it comes to access security, one recommendation stands out above the rest: multi-factor authentication (MFA). With passwords alone being simple work for hackers, MFA provides an essential layer of protection against breaches. However, it's important to remember that MFA isn't foolproof. It can be bypassed, and it often is.  If a password is compromised, there are several options

Microsoft said it's introducing Sudo for Windows 11 as part of an early preview version to help users execute commands with administrator privileges. "Sudo for Windows is a new way for users to run elevated commands directly from an unelevated console session," Microsoft Product Manager Jordi Adoumie said. "It is an ergonomic and familiar solution for users who want to elevate a command

The U.S. Department of State has announced monetary rewards of up to $10 million for information about individuals holding key positions within the Hive ransomware operation. It is also giving away an additional $5 million for specifics that could lead to the arrest and/or conviction of any person "conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in Hive ransomware activity."

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of online infrastructure that was used to sell a remote access trojan (RAT) called Warzone RAT. The domains – www.warzone[.]ws and three others – were "used to sell computer malware used by cybercriminals to secretly access and steal data from victims' computers," the DoJ said. Alongside the takedown, the