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New EDR-Freeze tool uses Windows WER to suspend security software

A new method and proof-of-concept tool called EDR-Freeze demonstrates that evading security solutions is possible from user mode with Microsoft’s Windows Error Reporting (WER) system.

The technique eliminates the need of a vulnerable driver and puts security agents like endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools into a state of hibernation.

By using the WER framework together with the MiniDumpWriteDump API, security researcher TwoSevenOneThree (Zero Salarium) found a way to suspend indefinitely the activity of EDR and antivirus processes indefinitely.

GitHub notifications abused to impersonate Y Combinator for crypto theft

A massive phishing campaign targeted GitHub users with cryptocurrency drainers, delivered via fake invitations to the Y Combinator (YC) W2026 program.

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that funds and mentors projects in their early stages, and connects founders with a network of alumni and venture capital firms.

The attacker abused GitHub’s notification system to deliver the fraudulent messages, by creating issues across multiple repositories and tagging targeted users.

A perspective on space: Preparing for 2075

Recognizing that space is now an integral component of present-day society, the Royal Society (the U.K. academy of sciences) has recently completed a report that explores the potential implications of space activities by 2075, aiming to stimulate discussion without predicting specific outcomes. It highlights the transformative impact of space exploration on industry, society and culture, comparable to the Industrial and Digital Revolutions. The goal is to prepare governments, regulators and society in general for the opportunities and risks space presents — it does not attempt to predict the future (that would indeed be unwise!) or to recommend a particular course of action, but rather to present the direction of travel and where that might lead.

Historically, humanity has progressively expanded from land to sea, air and now into outer space.

Cancer-fighting gene plays unexpected role in pancreatic cancer tumor growth

New research from Indiana University School of Medicine scientists has revealed that a well-known cancer-fighting gene also plays an unexpected role in regulating how certain immune cells can support tumor growth. This insight into pancreatic cancer progression could lead to more effective treatments against one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

The study, recently published in Science Advances, focused on M2-like macrophages, a subtype of found in the tumor environment that are known to weaken the body’s ability to fight cancer. The researchers examined how a gene called serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) influences these cells. They found that when STK11 is missing in macrophages, those cells switch into a tumor-supporting state.

“STK11 was originally identified as a and extensive studies have examined the gene’s functions and mechanisms in regulating cancer cell growth,” said Kai Yang, PhD, corresponding author of the study, an associate professor of pediatrics and microbiology and immunology at the IU School of Medicine and a researcher with the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

How gene mutations drive dementia in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease causes both movement and cognitive deficits, and for a long time both were thought to be caused by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. But a new Nature Communications study has found that the cognitive deficits arise through a different—and unexpected—mechanism.

The new findings suggest that mutations in a gene called GBA—which are a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease—drive by disrupting how neurons communicate with each other in the brain. Patients living with Parkinson’s disease can experience such as difficulty with concentrating and forgetfulness. Over time, many go on to develop dementia, in which they experience profound memory loss among other symptoms.

“Dementia is often the scariest thing for many patients with Parkinson’s disease, more so than ,” says Sreeganga Chandra, PhD, professor of neurology and of neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and the study’s principal investigator. “We are trying to understand the basis of cognitive dysfunction and whether we can find targets to ameliorate it.”

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