New discoveries show that sneaky computer attackers can use a tricky trick to get past security on your computer by messing with something called the Windows Container Isolation Framework.
At a recent DEF CON security conference, a researcher named Daniel Avinoam talked about these discoveries.
You see, Microsoft’s computer system uses something called a “container”. This is to keep things separate and secure. It’s like having a special box for your stuff so it doesn’t mix with other people’s things. This makes it easier to keep things organized and safe.
But some clever people found a way to trick this system. They realized that these containers sometimes have “ghost files.” These ghost files are like empty placeholders that point to other files on the computer. They don’t have real information in them, but they can be used to confuse security programs.
To do this, they use a special program. It’s called the Windows Container Isolation FS mini filter driver. This program is like a traffic cop for the files in the container. It tells files where to go and what to do.
The tricky part is that this mini filter driver can make it seem like the computer is doing normal things. Even when it’s actually doing sneaky stuff. It can create, read, write, and delete files without the security programs noticing.
One important thing to know is that this trick only works if the person doing it has special permissions on the computer. They need to be like a super user to talk to the mini filter driver. Also, they can’t mess with important files on the main part of the computer.
This discovery is important because it can be used in cyber attacks. It’s like finding a secret way into a castle without the guards noticing. Once inside, the attackers can do harmful things.
The same company that talked about this trick also showed another sneaky technique. They called it “NoFilter.” This technique lets attackers take control of your computer and do bad things with it.
So, it’s important to keep your computer safe. Make sure you have good security programs. And be careful about who has special access to your computer. Like in real life, not everyone should be allowed into your digital “castle.”