DigiCert Hacked With a Screensaver File and Defender Flagged Root Certificates as Malware
Microsoft Defender deleted DigiCert root certificates from Windows machines worldwide and flagged them as Trojan:Win32/Cerdigent.A!dha. Those certificates tell your browser which websites to trust, and tell Windows which software is safe to run. DigiCert was hacked through a screensaver file in a customer support chat, Microsoft tried to respond, and Defender ended up deleting the very thing it was trying to protect.
DigiCert is a certificate authority. A certificate is what tells your browser that a website is real, and what tells Windows that software was actually built by the company whose name is on it. When you see a padlock in your browser, a certificate made that happen. When Windows decides whether to run a program without warning you, it checked a certificate. DigiCert issues more of those certificates than almost anyone else. When you log into your bank, check your email, or install software from a trusted vendor, there is a reasonable chance a DigiCert certificate was involved somewhere in that process.









