Proactive downgrade protection: Keeping your systems protected from hidden vulnerabilities

Understanding Downdate

An often-overlooked cybersecurity threat making its rounds, the “downgrade attack,” is a method attackers use to revert a system to an earlier, more vulnerable state. Recently, an attack variant dubbed “Downdate” has been shown to bypass security barriers. In essence, an attacker could compromise a critical system and silently downgrade it to a previous software version with known vulnerabilities, and exploit those weaknesses to gain control.

In the case of Downdate, researchers found that attackers could exploit this rollback vulnerability specifically within Windows systems. Traditional security tools are often blind to this type of attack entirely because older software versions are recognized as “known safe” in earlier approved updates, leading to a false sense of security.

Stairwell’s approach

Stairwell’s platform is built with this challenge in mind, combining out-of-band monitoring and real-time intelligence to identify, track, and alert against any unauthorized downgrades on critical files. Here’s how it works:

1. Continuous baseline and version monitoring: Stairwell’s data lake archives every executable file across your enterprise, building a complete version history. If any system or software suddenly reverts to an earlier file version, our platform, with the help of cloud-based YARA scanning, can help find the anomaly – regardless of the historical version’s “known” status.
2. Real-time threat intelligence rescanning: The platform continuously cross-checks every file against the latest threat intelligence. If a file is downgraded to a previously safe version that is now vulnerable, Stairwell can instantly alert you, allowing rapid intervention before an attacker can capitalize on the vulnerability.
3. Actionable downgrade insight: With Stairwell’s insights, security teams can receive actionable details on what has changed, where it occurred, and which systems could be impacted. This intelligence empowers teams to stop potential attacks before they take root, minimizing the damage window.

For more information on Stairwell’s threat detection and downgrade protection, contact us today to see a firsthand demo.