Windows 8 Security Measures Broken?

By SongHyeonDeok
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Community Regular

SongHyeonDeok

Posted
Posted

Last week?s Windows 8 launch wasn?t just a major product release for Microsoft. It seems to have been a banner day for the government-funded hackers who take Microsoft?s software apart, too.

On Tuesday the French firm Vupen, whose researchers develop software hacking techniques and sell them to government agency customers, announced that it had already developed an exploit that could take over a Window 8 machine running Internet Explorer 10, in spite of the many significant security upgrades Microsoft built into the latest version of its operating system.

Source: Forbes

Really interesting read. It's also noted that it'll take other hackers a while before breaking into Windows 8 becomes more common.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1116295-windows-8-security-measures-broken/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

And this is why I will never buy an RT based tablet as long as the browser restrictions are in place. Even with Microsoft's security improvements IE still seems to be a portal for hackers.

  • Seahorsepip and f0rk_b0mb
  • Like 2
Grand Master

soldier1st

Posted
Posted

And this is why I will never buy an RT based tablet as long as the browser restrictions are in place. Even with Microsoft's security improvements IE still seems to be a portal for hackers.

And that and other reasons are why it is advised to avoid IE.

Veteran

CentralDogma

Posted
Posted

so this was with the desktop version of IE? no surprise there

now if this was with the Metro IE and they had managed to break RTs sandbox THEN I'd be impressed

Well, that depends. A lot of Metro apps use WWAHost for execution, which is an IE renderer. If the bug is in that, then they could potentially breach the sandbox for Metro apps.

Veteran

Aethec

Posted
Posted

And this is why I will never buy an RT based tablet as long as the browser restrictions are in place. Even with Microsoft's security improvements IE still seems to be a portal for hackers.

Actually, IE on Metro has a more restrictive sandbox than IE on desktop. I know you can enable the more secure sandboy in the "normal" desktop IE, but I don't know if you can do it in the ARM version.

But then what do you want to use? Firefox? I like Firefox, but it's nowhere near IE in terms of security.

Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

Actually, IE on Metro has a more restrictive sandbox than IE on desktop. I know you can enable the more secure sandboy in the "normal" desktop IE, but I don't know if you can do it in the ARM version.

But then what do you want to use? Firefox? I like Firefox, but it's nowhere near IE in terms of security.

yeah doesn't IE actually have the strongest sandbox between firefox(which doesn't even have a sandbox) and chrome now?
Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted

And this is why I will never buy an RT based tablet as long as the browser restrictions are in place. Even with Microsoft's security improvements IE still seems to be a portal for hackers.

the more reason to not use IE :p

what makes you think Firefox, Chrome or Opera on Windows 8 will be any better? :/

Grand Master

Seahorsepip Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

what makes you think Firefox, Chrome or Opera on Windows 8 will be any better? :/

I think it's security wise better because of the way it's written and I'm always pro firefox since they're the only ones that keep themselves to the webstandards which is important to me as a webdesigner.

But yeah every software has/had its security holes except IE a few more :p

Grand Master

+Xinok Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

You mean hackers have done the possible?! :huh:

All the additional layers of security in Windows 8 and RT make hacking more difficult but not impossible. With enough determination, a hacker can break into any system. Even Google Chrome has been exploited, bypassing the sandbox and all.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Playground Games confirms Forza Horizon 6 save wipe bug

      By RejZoR · Posted

      Wow, imagine you dump hundreds of hours into completing things and unlocking stuff and you lose it all. Back in the day when cheats were built into games, you could at least unlock things again that way without spending hundreds of hours again. But those days are long gone for some reason as no one builds cheats into games anymore. So it's even more painful that studio that's on its 6th installment **** it up so badly.
    • Spotify finally removes the disco ball app icon in the latest update

      By Ivan Jenic · Posted

      Spotify finally removes the disco ball app icon in the latest update by Ivan Jenic Image: Spotify Spotify has just released an update that removes its now infamous disco ball icon. The update reverts the app icon to the familiar flat green logo after weeks of mixed reactions online. The icon arrived on May 13 as part of the company's 20th anniversary celebration and was always intended to be temporary, though Spotify only confirmed that after the backlash started. The disco ball took the internet by storm, as the reception was split. A vocal group of users called it ugly and disorienting, with some iOS users noting that the 3D glowing effect made the app look like it was stuck mid-update. On the other end, the icon picked up a following of its own. Its retro, three-dimensional look immediately stood out against the flat, minimalist aesthetic that has dominated app design for years. It even started a small movement, spawning what people started calling "discomorphism," a mashup of disco and skeuomorphism. Other brands started posting disco ball versions of their own logos, probably in an effort to ride the wave of memes that flooded the internet during late May. Spotify has had a turbulent relationship with its user base lately. Besides the disco ball icon, which certainly wasn't appreciated by everyone, the company has also received backlash for its willingness to include AI-generated music on its platform. On May 17, Spotify promised the old icon would return “in a few weeks.” And now it looks like that time has finally arrived. So, whether you liked the disco ball or it made you uncomfortable, it’s now gone for good. The next time you update the Spotify app on your phone, the old, flat-design icon will return.
    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +primortal · Posted

    • Playground Games confirms Forza Horizon 6 save wipe bug

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Playground Games confirms Forza Horizon 6 save wipe bug by Taras Buria Forza Horizon 6 was launched last month to critical acclaim (check out our review here), and it became a smash hit in an instant. Now, weeks into the launch, with die-hard fans clocking hundreds of hours, Forza Horizon 6 is facing a serious issue: save wipes. After multiple complaints on Reddit and social media, the studio issued a statement. The problem with missing saves came shortly after Playground Games promised the initial batch of gameplay tweaks and improvements. Unfortunately, there seems to be no temporary fixes for those affected by unexpected save wipes. However, the studio published a new support document with a few important steps users should try. First, affected gamers should open a support ticket immediately (go here to file one) so that the support team can try recovering the lost progress by reverting to an earlier save. Playground Games says this should be done the same day the issue occurs. Meanwhile, gamers are urged not to start new play sessions or create new saves. The studio also published a few things gamers should try to avoid to prevent potential progress loss: Ensure your Gaming Services app on PC or XBOX Series X|S console is fully up to date. On XBOX Series X|S consoles, disable Quick Resume for Forza Horizon 6: To disable Forza Horizon 6 from using Quick Resume, highlight the game box art anywhere in the console experience (Home, My Games & Apps, Pins, etc) and then press the Menu button, then go to Manage game and add-ons > Quick Resume settings > Disable Quick Resume. Ensure you are online when ‘quitting’ the game. Give your saved time to sync to the cloud before powering off or switching devices. Do not force quit the game during save screens. Do not power off the device during gameplay. Always "Quit" (console) or "Exit to desktop" (PC) once you've finished your play session, ensuring the save icon is not visible when you’re closing the game. Before turning off your console, shutting down your PC, or force-closing the Steam app, give your devices or clients at least a few minutes to ensure your latest progress has been synchronized with the cloud. This will reduce the risk of progress reversions as you switch between different platforms. XBOX Series X|S consoles, Steam, and the XBOX app on PC all include game save indicators that confirm your progress has been synced. You can read more about the bug in the official support document here. Forza Horizon 6 is currently available on PC (Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass. The game is also coming to PlayStation 5 later this year.
    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +primortal · Posted

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      slackerzz earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      highriskpaym earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      highriskpaym earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      highriskpaym earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      FBSPL earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      521
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      197
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      157
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      84
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      75
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!