Hacker News: Microsoft isn’t fixing 8-year-old shortcut exploit abused for spying

Mar 18, 2025

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Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/18/microsoft_trend_flaw/
Source: Hacker News
Title: Microsoft isn’t fixing 8-year-old shortcut exploit abused for spying

Feedly Summary: Comments

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text discusses a vulnerability identified by Trend Micro that has been exploited in a prolonged espionage campaign, highlighting Microsoft’s response (or lack thereof) to the issue. It underscores the importance of addressing low-tech vulnerabilities, especially given the context of state-sponsored attacks against various sectors.

Detailed Description:
– **Exploitation Avenue**: Trend Micro’s report indicates a long-term spying campaign utilizing a previously identified vulnerability in Windows, where malicious .LNK shortcut files are designed to download malware.
– **Technical Details**:
– Malicious .LNK files appear to point to legitimate files or executables while concealing extra commands to fetch malware.
– Attackers obfuscate their operations by padding command-line arguments with unnecessary whitespace, making it difficult to detect suspicious activity.
– **Response from Microsoft**:
– Trend Micro reported the vulnerability to Microsoft back in September, but Microsoft has deemed it a user interface issue rather than a security concern, thus not prioritizing a fix.
– The attackers have shown a distinct pattern, with approximately 70% of the identified activities driven by state-sponsored entities, particularly North Korean actors.
– **Targeted Sectors**: The attackers predominantly target:
– Government bodies
– Private sector organizations
– Financial institutions
– Think tanks and telecommunications
– Military and energy sectors
– **Zero Day Initiative’s Stance**: ZDI insists that while the attack vector might not be critical, it warrants addressing through security updates to prevent potential exploits in conjunction with other vulnerabilities such as privilege escalation.
– **Microsoft’s Best Practices**: A Microsoft spokesperson emphasized user caution when downloading files from unidentified sources, reiterating the need for enhanced security awareness among users.

This analysis highlights serious implications for security professionals, particularly in understanding how even low-tech exploits can underpin broader state-sponsored cyber activities. Attention must be given to refining detection methods for such vulnerabilities, even when they are overlooked by major tech companies.

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