Microsoft kills dodgy security certificates

Stefan Mileschin · 30th November 2015, 10:02

Software giant Microsoft has killed off two dodgy security certificates being used on Dell bloatware.

Updates apply to Windows Defender for Windows 10 and 8.1; Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and Vista; and its Safety Scanner and Malicious Software Removal tool, will remove the certificates.

Dell mistakenly included private encryption keys for two digital certificates installed in the Windows root store as part of service tools that made its technical support easier. The tools transmit back to Dell what product a customer is using.

However the private keys in both of the digital certificates could be used by attackers to sign malware, create spoof websites and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks to spy on user’s data.

http://www.techeye.net/desktop-softw...y-certificates

30th November 2015, 10:02	#1
Stefan Mileschin [M] Reviewer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Romania Posts: 148,578	Microsoft kills dodgy security certificates Software giant Microsoft has killed off two dodgy security certificates being used on Dell bloatware. Updates apply to Windows Defender for Windows 10 and 8.1; Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and Vista; and its Safety Scanner and Malicious Software Removal tool, will remove the certificates. Dell mistakenly included private encryption keys for two digital certificates installed in the Windows root store as part of service tools that made its technical support easier. The tools transmit back to Dell what product a customer is using. However the private keys in both of the digital certificates could be used by attackers to sign malware, create spoof websites and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks to spy on user’s data. http://www.techeye.net/desktop-softw...y-certificates

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Google slaps Symantec for issuing fake web security certificates	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	30th October 2015 09:06
Microsoft Freaks out over security	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	9th March 2015 06:10
Security alliance kills Grum botnet	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	23rd July 2012 07:17
Microsoft Office kills off links to antique operating systems	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	20th July 2012 06:18
Mac Security Is '10 Years Behind Microsoft'	Stefan Mileschin	WebNews	0	26th April 2012 08:45
Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Kills Viruses Dead.	jmke	WebNews	3	26th December 2010 13:07
IE7 Security Guide from Microsoft	jmke	WebNews	0	10th August 2007 13:24
Microsoft Security Patch Can Cause Security Issues to Internet Explorer	jmke	WebNews	0	18th August 2006 10:09
Firefox update kills security bugs, adds Mac support	Sidney	WebNews	2	14th April 2006 08:51
iPod Kills RIO, Microsoft Kills iPod	Sidney	WebNews	0	2nd September 2005 15:23