vulnerability Archives

Winsage

July 15, 2026

Microsoft patches record 570 Windows security bugs with two exploited zero days

Microsoft released its July Patch Tuesday updates, addressing 570 security vulnerabilities in Windows, a record number for the company. This update includes three zero-day vulnerabilities, two of which have been exploited in real-world attacks, affecting Microsoft’s Active Directory and SharePoint, while the third concerns BitLocker encryption. The update also enhances Windows features, including changes to the Widgets app, improvements in File Explorer speed, refined Bluetooth connectivity, and a new feature allowing users to pause updates until a specific date. However, the update has been temporarily halted for certain Dell computers due to compatibility issues, with Microsoft working on a fix.

Winsage

July 15, 2026

Windows 0-day drops the same day Microsoft releases record number of patches

Will Dormann, a senior principal vulnerability analyst at Tharros Labs, discussed a vulnerability that allows attackers to gain administrator privileges by configuring a system to execute their code upon an admin user's login. This vulnerability enables non-admin users to modify the classes registry hive of an admin user, posing a significant risk. It could be exploited without user interaction and may be combined with another vulnerability that provides direct access to an administrative account. Microsoft is aware of the issue and is investigating it, encouraging coordinated disclosure from vulnerability reporters. Independent researcher Kevin Beaumont has created a detection script to help protect against this vulnerability, along with recommendations to restrict local non-user accounts, monitor the ProfSvc for unexpected hive loads, and track activity related to NTUSER.DAT and UsrClass.dat files.

Winsage

July 15, 2026

Cursor Flaw Lets Malicious Cloned Repositories Trigger Windows Code Execution

Cursor, a development tool, has a security vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution by simply opening a project repository on Windows. This flaw, reported by AI security firm Mindgard, is due to the presence of a file named git.exe in the project root, which Cursor executes automatically without user prompts. Mindgard demonstrated this vulnerability by renaming Windows Calculator to git.exe and placing it in the project root, leading to multiple instances of Calculator launching upon opening the repository. Cursor has not yet released a patch or advisory for this issue, which was first reported on December 15, 2025, and remains in the latest version, 3.11, released on July 10, 2026. Users are advised to implement workarounds, such as using AppLocker or Windows App Control to block executables by name and path. Other vendors, including GitHub and Google, have encountered similar vulnerabilities, but none have released fixes. The issue highlights the risks associated with untrusted search paths in software development.

Winsage

July 15, 2026

Researcher Drops New Windows Zero-Day PoC Hours After Microsoft Patch Tuesday

Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse has released a proof-of-concept exploit called LegacyHive, which targets a vulnerability in the Windows User Profile Service. The exploit requires standard user credentials and a third username, potentially an administrator account. It can mount the target user hive in the current user classes root and is designed to reduce the risk of public exploitation. The exploit works across all supported desktop and server versions of Windows, including those updated with the July 2026 Patch Tuesday release. Microsoft is investigating the findings related to LegacyHive. Microsoft has patched 622 vulnerabilities, including two privilege escalation flaws in SharePoint Server (CVE-2026-56164, CVSS score: 5.3) and Active Directory Federation Services (CVE-2026-56155, CVSS score: 7.8), which are actively exploited threats. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has included these vulnerabilities in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, requiring Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies to implement fixes by specified deadlines. CISA has also noted active exploitation of several SharePoint Server vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-32201, CVE-2026-45659, and CVE-2026-56164, which allow unauthorized access to vulnerable instances. CVE-2026-56164 enables attackers to send crafted network requests to access functions that should require authorization, leading to privilege escalation without prior authentication. Additionally, CVE-2026-55040 (CVSS score: 9.1) allows remote unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication on a vulnerable SharePoint server, enabling unauthorized operations.

Tech Optimizer

July 15, 2026

Can Chromebooks Get Viruses? How to Protect Your Device

Chromebooks are designed with robust security features, including sandboxing, Verified Boot, automatic updates, data encryption, and Recovery Mode, which collectively reduce the risk of malware infections. However, they are still vulnerable to threats such as malicious Chrome extensions, scam Android apps from third-party stores, phishing attacks, and risks associated with using Developer Mode and cloud storage. Users can identify potential malware through signs like slow performance, unexpected pop-ups, and unusual battery drain. To remove malware, users should eliminate suspicious extensions, uninstall dubious apps, run antivirus scans, enable Google Play Protect, or perform a Powerwash to reset the device. To protect their Chromebooks, users should avoid Developer Mode, check app permissions, use two-factor authentication, verify website URLs, and use a VPN on public Wi-Fi.

Winsage

July 14, 2026

Microsoft Just Patched a Record 570 Flaws in Windows

Microsoft's July Patch Tuesday update addresses 570 vulnerabilities, including three critical zero-days. The vulnerabilities include 254 elevation-of-privilege flaws, 17 security feature bypasses, 145 remote-code-execution issues, 102 information disclosures, 16 spoofing vulnerabilities, and 35 denial-of-service vulnerabilities. Among these, 59 bugs are classified as "critical." The three zero-days patched are CVE-2026-56155 (elevation of privilege in Active Directory Federation Services), CVE-2026-56164 (elevation of privilege in Microsoft SharePoint Server), and CVE-2026-50661 (security bypass in Windows BitLocker). The update is recommended to be installed as soon as possible, and users can check for updates through the Windows Update settings.

Winsage

July 14, 2026

Microsoft Patch Tuesday for July 2026 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities

Microsoft's July 2026 security update addresses 622 vulnerabilities, with 57 classified as "critical." Two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-56155 (Active Directory Federation Services) and CVE-2026-56164 (Microsoft SharePoint Server), have been exploited in the wild. The critical vulnerabilities include 48 remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities, seven elevation of privilege (EoP) vulnerabilities, one spoofing vulnerability, and one security feature bypass vulnerability. RCE vulnerabilities affect various Microsoft services, including Windows Media, Microsoft Office, and SQL Server, with eleven rated as "more likely" to be exploited. Additional important vulnerabilities include CVE-2026-49170, CVE-2026-49795, and CVE-2026-50325. Talos is releasing a new Snort ruleset to detect these vulnerabilities, and Cisco Security Firewall customers are advised to update their ruleset.

Winsage

July 14, 2026

Microsoft rolls out massive Windows 11 security update with 416 fixes

Microsoft released its July 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative updates for Windows 11, addressing numerous security vulnerabilities and enhancing Secure Boot functionalities. The updates include: - KB5101650 for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, updating systems to builds 26200.8875 and 26100.8875. - KB5101649 for Windows 11 26H1, updating devices to build 28000.2525. The release addresses a total of 622 Microsoft Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), including: - 416 vulnerabilities in Windows. - Fixes for Microsoft Office, Edge, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, SQL Server, Defender, and Azure services. Key vulnerabilities fixed include: - CVE-2026-50661: A BitLocker Security Feature Bypass vulnerability. - CVE-2026-56155: An AD FS Elevation of Privilege vulnerability that has been exploited. - CVE-2026-56164: A SharePoint Server Elevation of Privilege vulnerability. The updates also introduce new Secure Boot certificates, rectify issues from previous patches affecting third-party applications, and incorporate curl 8.21.0 for security improvements. Users are advised to back up data before installation, which requires a system reboot.

Winsage

July 14, 2026

Microsoft says stop waiting to install Windows updates. Here’s why

Microsoft has revised its guidance on Windows updates, urging users to install them within three days due to the rise of AI-driven cyber threats. Jeremy Chapman from Microsoft 365 emphasized the need for timely updates, recommending a maximum deferral period of two days for quality updates. In June, Microsoft patched 206 vulnerabilities, highlighting the importance of these updates to avoid significant risks. AI can help attackers exploit vulnerabilities quickly, making the practice of delaying updates obsolete. Microsoft has also developed an AI tool, MDASH, to identify vulnerabilities in Windows code.

Winsage

July 14, 2026

Microsoft’s July 2026 Patch Tuesday is here

Microsoft has introduced a point-in-time restore feature on its Microsoft Learn platform, allowing users to revert Windows systems to a previous state to protect against data loss and system errors. The company is also addressing critical security vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-20833 and CVE-2026-50656, by working on patches and updates to enhance security.