News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Federal Agency Warns Millions of Microsoft Users to Update Settings

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued more alerts related to security vulnerabilities exploited in attacks targeting Microsoft Windows, Adobe products, and Mozilla software.
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“Microsoft has released updates to address multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft software,” it says. “An attacker can exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.” A similar bulletin was released for Mozilla and Adobe.
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According to Microsoft, it is patching three previously exploited vulnerabilities: CVE-2023-21715, CVE-2023-23376, and CVE-2023-21823. The February 2023 patch fixes those, the company says.

“The attack itself is carried out locally by a user with authentication to the targeted system. An authenticated attacker could exploit the vulnerability by convincing a victim, through social engineering, to download and open a specially crafted file from a website which could lead to a local attack on the victim computer,” Microsoft says.

One of the bugs, according to security expert Dustin Childs with Trend Micro, is likely being used “to spread malware or ransomware"
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For Adobe, CISA advises users to enable updates for After Effects, Connect, FrameMaker, Bridge, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Rush, Animate, and Substance 3D Stager. Several of these patches are deemed as “critical” in terms of severity, including the often-used Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign.
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Mozilla, meanwhile, also released security updates to address vulnerabilities in Firefox 110, according to CISA.

Supreme Court Struggles During Hearing
About Lifting Section 230 Protections From Social Media Platforms

The justices of the Supreme Court struggled during oral arguments on Feb. 21 on the extent to which social media platforms should be held liable when terrorist groups use the platforms to promote their cause.

Conservative and liberal members of the high court alike expressed confusion during a hearing that spanned 2 hours and 41 minutes as the lawyer for a terrorism victim’s family urged them to curtail federal protections enacted decades ago to spur the growth of the internet. Justices seemed concerned that going too far could undermine those federal protections and open the door to widespread litigation over internet content.

Big Tech and its supporters are deeply concerned that the court could eviscerate Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, which generally prevents internet platforms and internet service providers from being held liable for what users say on them. They say the legal provision has fostered a climate online in which free speech has flourished.

Although social media platforms say they shouldn’t be held responsible if terrorists use their websites, critics say shielding social media platforms had led to real-world harm. Congress has been under pressure for years to change Section 230 as conservatives have complained about social media censorship and liberals have protested misinformation online.