Microsoft Support & Discussions

DMA Locker now comes with support for a C&C server, more complex encryption process, and exploit kit distribution Malwarebytes security researcher Hasherezade has dissected the most recent version of the DMA Locker ransomware, which she claims made important strides in improving quality overall and getting ready for a massive distribution campaign. The first version of DMA Locker appeared this past January. Technically, the ransomware was a joke, coming with hilarious flaws such as the decryption key being hardcoded in the ransomware binary, and the ransomware working as a decrypter. Researchers had no problem crafting a decrypter that recovered user fi…

Next week, I look forward to joining over 100,000 industry partners from over 29 countries at COMPUTEX 2016 in Taipei. The partner ecosystem is critical to our success and we continue to work hard with our hardware partners to create opportunities, drive innovation, and deliver incredible Windows devices to the world. On June 1st, I will take the stage to discuss how Microsoft is enabling modern Windows devices and experiences. I look forward to sharing how Windows 10 technologies like Windows Hello, Windows Ink, Cortana and more are coming to life in all new and exciting ways on a broad range of devices. And, how Microsoft productivity apps and cloud services provide …

Security researchers at Bleeping Computer are quick to discover emerging and revenant threats, and this time the team broke the alarm to a new variant of the Shopperz adware, thanks to the tipster in the name of Djordje Lukic. Unlike in the past, the updated Shopperz adware now leverages a rootkit to ward off any possibility of getting detected and removed with the use of advanced anti-virus tools. Since it now takes refuge under a rootkit, the adware has the capability to conceal its real identity from the view of the users or the operating system of the machine that is being infected. How does it do that? Well, when the machine’s operating system sends a req…

Here’s a roundup of what’s new in the Windows Store this week, including great sales on games, a thrilling season finale, and a new album! Games Minecraft: Pocket and Windows 10 Beta Editions – Buy the new Biome Settlers Skin Pack for $1.99 Nether and Mooshroom players – assemble! Now you can dress like a Nether rack caught on fire – or a Mooshroom glutton. The team took inspiration from the resources, mobs, and ways to play in the Nether and Mooshroom biomes to create this pack of seed-inspired skins. The second Biome Settlers skin pack is now available on Minecraft: Pocket Edition or Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta Edition. King of Thieves – 30% off Starter…

Security shocker: Ransomware creators give researchers the master decryption key Victims of the widespread TeslaCrypt ransomware are in luck: Security researchers have created a tool that can decrypt files affected by recent versions of the malicious program. Surprisingly, the TeslaCrypt creators themselves helped the researchers. TeslaCrypt first appeared in early 2015 and stood out by targeting game-related user content, such as save files and custom maps, in addition to personal documents and pictures -- 185 different file extensions in total. The program had some moderate success in the beginning, earning its creators $76,522 in less than two months. How…

Since it launched back in 2007, Halo’s Forge has been one of gaming most popular community creation tools, allowing players to do everything from building custom maps to designing special gametypes and mini-games, then share their creations with friends and the larger Halo community. Today, we’re excited to share that developer 343 Industries is bringing this same spirit of creation and collaboration to the PC later this year with Forge – Halo 5: Guardians Edition for Windows 10. Best of all? It will be absolutely free. In addition to the evolutions already present in the mode on Xbox One, Forge – Halo 5: Guardians Edition for Windows 10 will include some e…

Today Emsisoft has released two new ransomware decryptors for the Xorist family and the 777 Ransomware infections. The Xorist ransomware has been around for a while, but Fabian Wosar was manually helping victims on a case-by-case basis. The ransomware family behind the 777 ransomware has also been around for a while, but a sample was discovered recently and thus a decryptor could be made. More details on the two decryptors can be found below. Decryptor for the Xorist Ransomware Family The Xorist ransomware encrypts your files appends various extensions such as *.EnCiPhErEd, *.0JELvV, *.p5tkjw, *.6FKR8d, *.UslJ6m, *.n1wLp0, *.5vypSa and *.YNhlv1 to the encry…

Tech support scammers are well aware of what is going on in the malware scene and often rip off ideas and concepts from other criminals. We see this today with for example bogus browser locks and fake AV alerts which are mostly an annoyance and can somewhat easily be disabled. But things have been changing with more serious malware-like techniques to force people into calling rogue tech support call centres. We previously saw a case of fake Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) actually locking up people’s desktops and now there is a growing demand for such ‘products’. Below is a Facebook post advertising a locker specifically designed for tech support scams. It tricks u…

Hi everyone, Today we are releasing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 14342 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Please note that due to a bug, this update will show up as 10.0.0.1001 instead of 10.0.14342.1001 under Phone update in the Settings app. We are excited to announce that we have added 3 new devices to the list of devices capable of receiving updates from our Development Branch as part of the Windows Insider Program: Lumia Icon, BLU Win HD LTE 150e, and BLU Win JR 130e. Here’s what’s new in Build 14342 Swipe navigation in Microsoft Edge: Since the release of Windows 10 Mobile, our top feedback request for Microsoft Edge has been asking fo…

An updated decryptor tool can help users recover files affected by the CryptXXX ransomware program Researchers from Kaspersky Lab have developed a method of decrypting files affected with the latest version of CryptXXX, a malware program that combines ransomware and information-stealing capabilities. CryptXXX was first discovered in April by security researchers from Proofpoint. In addition to encrypting user files on local drives and network shares, the malware also steals saved log-in credentials from browsers, instant messaging applications, FTP clients and email clients. It then asks for a US$500 ransom to be paid in bitcoins. Researchers from Kaspersky Lab…

The PGA TOUR ® showcases one of the most elegant sports in the world with a rich history and storied tradition. What most people don’t realize is what happens behind the scenes to pull off the great TOUR golf events that so many of us enjoy watching throughout the year. The TOUR has 600 players, thousands of employees and volunteers, and is involved with more than 100 tournaments each year across three tours in the US and throughout the world, where big purses and prestigious titles are bestowed. As the world’s premier professional golf association, it is also one of the most innovative sports organizations on the planet, striving to deliver an experience for its fans tha…

This post was authored by Don Stanwyck, Senior Program Manager, Windows Server. Network complexity is largely driven by the number of nodes connected to it and the number of paths between them. The situation is compounded when multiple protocols operate over the shared resource. Windows Server 2016 simplifies the network by decreasing the number of connected nodes and increases storage performance because Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and the Hyper-V switch can share the same network interface card (NIC) ports. Network architects can consolidate the physical networking without giving up the higher level benefits that traditional approaches afford, when storage tr…

Here’s a roundup of what’s new in the Windows Store this week, including great sales on TV shows and music, plus a new movie! Movies End of Season TV Sale – up to 29% off The TV season may be coming to an end, but there’s an upside – you can catch up on the latest seasons of all your favorite shows and save money doing it with our End of Season TV Sale! Are you behind on The Blacklist? Psyched to rewatch every hilarious episode of The Big Bang Theory? Binge watch these shows and more to your heart’s content, now through May 23, in the Movies & TV section of the Windows Store. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Buy for $14.99 It is a truth unive…

The notorious Jigsaw Ransomware has rebranded itself as CryptoHitman and now uses the character from the popular Hitman video games and movies. In addition to adding the Hitman character to its locker screen, CryptoHitman also covers the lock screen with pornographic images that are definitely not safe for work. Blurred out Hitman Ransomware Locker Screen Like the previous Jigsaw ransomware infections, CryptoHitman will encrypt your data with AES encryption and demand a ransom payment before it will decrypt your files. In order to pay this ransom you will be required to send payment to cryptohitman@yandex.com. Unfortunately, this version will still delete …