AppFabric Blog

In our most recent version of the Security Intelligence Report (SIRv15), we compared the encounter rates of malware categories for the top 10 countries with computers reporting the most detections in 2Q13. Amongst these countries, Turkey stood out with considerably high encounter rates in multiple categories. Encounter rate is the percentage of computers in a country that reported at least one detection of malware.

Coreinfo v3.21: CoreInfo is a command-line tool for reporting processor topology, NUMA performance, and processor features. The v3.21 release adds microcode reporting.

Today we’re publishing the December 2013 Security Bulletin Webcast Questions & Answers page.  We answered 17 questions in total, with the majority of questions focusing on the Graphics Component bulletin (MS13-096), Security Advisory 2915720 and Security Advisory 2905247.

One of the many unusual characteristics of the Stuxnet malware that was discovered in 2010 was that its files were distributed with a valid digital signature, created using authentication credentials that belonged to two unrelated legitimate software companies. Normally the signature would verify that the program was issued by the company listed in the signing certificate, and that the contents of the program had not been tampered with since it was signed. By using other companies’ authentication credentials to sign their own files, malware distributors are able to make it appear that their files have come from a more trustworthy source.

In October, we announced Windows Server 2012 R2 which delivers several exciting improvements for VDI solutions. Among the benefits, Windows Server 2012 R2 reduces the cost per seat for VDI as well as enhances your end user’s experience. The following are just some of the features and benefits of Windows Server 2012 R2 for VDI:

This month's addition to the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool is a family that is both old and new. Win32/Rotbrow existed as far back as 2011, but the first time we saw it used for malicious purposes was only in the past few months.

There are times when we get too close to a topic. We familiarize ourselves with every aspect and nuance, but fail to recognize not everyone else has done the same. Whether you consider this myopia, navel-gazing, or human nature, the effect is the same. I recognized this during the recent webcast when someone asked the question – “What’s the difference between a security advisory and a security bulletin?” The answer was simple to me, as I’ve been doing this for years, but the question was valid and it reminded me that not every person on the planet knows all of the ins and outs of Update Tuesday.

Microsoft is updating the Certificate Trust List (CTL) for all supported releases of Microsoft Windows to remove the trust of a mis-issued third-party digital certificate, which could be used to spoof content and perform phishing or man-in-the-middle attacks against web properties. With this action, customers will be automatically be protected against this issue. Additionally, the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 4.0 and newer versions help mitigate man-in-the-middle attacks by detecting untrusted or improperly issued SSL certificates through the Certificate Trust feature.