IT Security Stack Exchange
IT Security Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [windows-7]

37 questions
66
votes
4 answers

Is an up-to-date browser secure on an out-of-date OS?

Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020. Assuming that after that day I still use an updated browser, is it true that I'm still safe? Can it "patch" the OS-based security holes? Minor question: typically, how long would the browsers stop…
Ooker
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52
votes
10 answers

Replacing Windows 7 security updates with anti-virus?

Microsoft has announced Windows 7 will no longer be receiving updates after January 14, 2020: Here. I hate windows 10's forced updates and telemetry so I have always stuck with Windows 7, but it may be as good as dead after the lack of security…
TritiumCat
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20
votes
3 answers

Some folders in the PATH variable are writable by anyone. Dangerous or not?

I noticed that some folders in the PATH environment variable (e.g. C:\Python) give write privileges to anyone on the machine, including users without Admin rights. I understand that people can probably modify the Python executables and things in…
Shao Kun Deng
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13
votes
1 answer

Understanding Windows local password hashes (NTLM)

I have recently dumped some hashes from my local machine because I'm trying to understand the process in which Windows 7 hashes it's passwords. I have discovered my local password hash that looks (similar) to this:…
13aal
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11
votes
2 answers

gpg4win kleopatra doesn't ask for passphrase on subsequent runs

Am using gpg4win kleopatra for encrypting files. After bootup when I try to decrypt a previously encrypted file, it asks for a passphrase as expected. But after some time, if again I try decrypting a file it doesn't ask for passphrase and directly…
Hemanth
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10
votes
2 answers

How to prevent Firefox and Chrome from opening ports in the firewall?

I have noticed that Firefox and Chrome have opened ports for unsolicited inbound traffic in the Windows firewall. This happened with Windows 7 x64 and Windows 10. (Here, I am talking about the standard firewall integrated in recent Windows versions,…
Binarus
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6
votes
1 answer

I'm hacked without telling anyone my ip

I have a pc with static IP bought from my ISP and RDP enabled. I was using this PC for development and didn't tell or use it for any communication purpose so it's not possible that someone knew about it. But I got hacked with a ransomware and all my…
Ammar Hussein
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6
votes
3 answers

No Debugger, but a ton of "DbgUiRemoteBreakin" threads

I noticed that just about every running process on my Windows 7 desktop - whether it be explorer.exe, lsm.exe, winlogon.exe, or firefox.exe has at least 1 (usually 6+) of the following thread: "ntdll.dll!DbgUiRemoteBreakin" From what I can gather,…
Noles
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5
votes
2 answers

Does CVE-2020-0601 (CRYPT32.DLL critical exploit) affect Windows 7 and is there a patch to fix it?

I'm getting conflicting reports. Search in Google: "windows 7" fix CVE-2020-0601 The top result (from PCWorld) claims that "contrary to earlier rumors, it does not affect Windows 7". Scrolling down finds a bunch of articles that claim it affects…
user1258361
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5
votes
1 answer

How to check for security breach after a potential physical home intrusion

My family member has reason to believe that someone entered their house last night although they cannot be certain because they only have circumstantial evidence: In the morning they found a light left on and a door leading to the garage left open…
Jack
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5
votes
2 answers

Is it safe to install phone driver?

When I connect most Android phones to a Windows 7 computer via USB, Windows will install the appropriate drivers for the device. My (possibly incorrect) understanding is that those drivers come with Windows or, if needed, are downloaded from…
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket
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5
votes
2 answers

Fresh install of Windows 7 vulnerable?

A friend got a new Windows 7 computer. His plan was to connect it to the internet and download all the Windows updates. I told him a better strategy would be to download the patches from another system and then install them on his new computer…
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket
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5
votes
4 answers

Does Hibernate feature pose any security threat?

My organization previously allowed its employees to hibernate their devices(Start>Power>Hibernate). Sometime later, the 'Hibernate' option disappeared from the Start menu. Some employees started using shutdown /h to hibernate their PCs. It worked…
pri
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4
votes
2 answers

Windows 7 consent.exe attempting to access the internet

Looking at Firewall logs, I see that consent.exe, which is responsible for the Windows 7 UAC UI, attempts to connect to the internet. I have verified the file is a genuine executable provided by Microsoft. Does anyone know why it attempts to…
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket
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3
votes
3 answers

Using a windows partition as a decoy

I'm interested in setting up a laptop that dual boots Windows 7 and openSUSE. The plan is to encrypt the openSUSE partition and require a USB thumb drive with the encryption key for it to boot. Where if the USB drive is not plugged in at boot time…
roboChan
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