Backdoored Automatic Updates Amplify NotPetya's Destruction

[Lucian Armasu]

The authors of the NotPetya malware stole the source code of the popular Ukranian accounting software, M.E.Doc, hacked the update server, and then automatically spread NotPetya to over 2,000 Ukranian companies, showing the dangers of malicious updates.

Backdoored Automatic Updates Amplify NotPetya's Destruction : Read more

 

[redgarl]

Auto-update... My Aetheros Lan driver is making my Windows 10 systems crash. Everytime I desinstall the driver, Windows 10 resinstall it back at every reboot. This nonsense needs to stop! I should be able to install the updates that I want since many are useless junk.

 

[popatim]

Automatic updates have always been used maliciously. Just look at how many times Adobe Reader and java auto updates have been intercepted and used as an easy attack vector.

 

[derekullo]

Windows 10: I'm sorry, Redgarl. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Windows 10: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

 

[ledhead11]

My like of Windows 10 has been dying by the microsecond for the last six months. I'm, glad I have a legitimate pro edition disk of 7 still hanging around. That being said, all software or OS is vulnerable to this when the root vendor servers are not properly protected. Why corrupt a vulnerability in the masses when the source can be the target? Although convenient now, avoiding 10 and others is short sighted in relation to the true threat of this strategy. It doesn't matter what OS or software you use, if anything is left to auto-update you should be concerned.

 

[FunSurfer]

Companies that issue Auto Updates can create a "Checksum" to an update and send it through a second channel like an email. The installer will run the Checksum test before installing the update and if the result doesn't match the original the update is corrupted.