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Microsoft Security

Microsoft Defender Security Research Team Posts

Microsoft Defender Security Research Team
Published
3 min read

Your Browser is (not) Locked 

Most ransomware has a binary file that needs to be executed before it can infect your PC. Ransomware usually relies on social engineering or exploits to infect unsuspecting users. However, some malware authors are bypassing this requirement with a new trick – browser lockers. Unlike traditional ransomware threats that lock the entire desktop, browser lockers […]

Published
4 min read

Microsoft cloud protection 

(Note: Read about Windows Defender Antivirus cloud protection service in this blog entry: Windows Defender Antivirus cloud protection service: Advanced real-time defense against never-before-seen malware.) Microsoft is using cloud protection to help keep our customers safe. In fact, nearly any detection made by Microsoft security products could be the result of cloud protection. Software developers […]

Published
4 min read

Adware: A new approach 

Protecting the modern workplace from a wide range of undesirable software Our evaluation criteria describe the characteristics and behavior of malware and potentially unwanted applications and guide the proper identification of threats. Learn how we classify malicious software, unwanted software, and potentially unwanted applications. Read the blog post. ​Here at the Microsoft Malware Protection Center […]

Published
3 min read

Ad injection and you: How adware gets on your computer 

Are advertisements showing up in your browser (no matter whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome) on sites that you’ve never seen ads on before; or, do the ads seem different from what you’ve seen before? Your system might be affected by adware that injects advertisements into sites as you browse, such as Adware:Win32/InfoAtoms […]