Items tagged with Microsoft
After last week's out-of-band update to patch the PrintNightmare vulnerability, Microsoft has now released more vulnerability fixes as part of Patch Tuesday. With this update, the Redmond, Washington-based company knocked out a whopping 117 security issues that garnered a variety of concerns. Patch Tuesday has become something a holiday (or recurring nightmare) on the second Tuesday of each month for IT administrators, as Microsoft pushes out the latest security updates to its products. For this Patch Tuesday, a rather extensive list including Microsoft Office products, Microsoft networking products, and a swath of Windows products have been given security updates. Many of the vulnerabilities...
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If all the rumors are accurate, Microsoft will launch its next-generation Windows 11 operating system in October. Windows 11 builds upon the strong foundation that Windows 10 provided but brings some critical functionality and user interface improvements to improve the customer experience. Now, in a Medium post penned by Microsoft's Christina Koehn and Diego Baca, we're getting the inside track on some of the critical design decisions behind Windows 11. Not surprisingly, some of the changes within Windows 11 are due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the way we work and learn. "We created the digital equivalent of your work desk nestled into your home, empowering you to achieve something...
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Yesterday, Microsoft reported that it had detected a 0-day remote code execution exploit being used in the wild against SolarWinds’ Serv-U FTP product. The vulnerability that allowed this exploit has since been patched, but it is still disconcerting, nonetheless. Tracked as CVE-2021-35211, the vulnerability reported to SolarWinds by Microsoft resided in Serv-U’s version of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, explains Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC). If Serv-U’s SSH happened to be exposed to the internet, black hat hackers could exploit the vulnerability; thus allowing for remote code execution with privileges, leading to malware installations or unwanted data...
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Windows 11 is still a work in progress, even as it nears a wholesale release sometime this holiday season (perhaps as early as October). That means there could be new features in the final build that have not been disclosed yet. In the meantime, the Windows Insider program is our, erm, window into Windows 11, and the latest build has a new recommendations feature that appears destined for the final release. The latest Preview build of Windows 11 is 22000.65, which you can obtain and install if you are a member of the Windows Insider program (free to join). In a blog post announcing the build, Microsoft does not really talk about the new feature (not in any kind of detail, anyway), but sort of...
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Coping and pasting content from the web is about to become a whole lot more flexible, courtesy of some new APIs (application programming interfaces) Microsoft and Google are working on for their respective browsers. Once in place, Edge and Chrome users will be able to copy content from a wider range of sources, including .docx. What is at play here are a set of Pickle Clipboard APIs. As things currently stand, Edge and Chrome users are only able to copy content from a limited selection of file types, like .jpg and .png. But that is going to change. As described in a Google Chromium conversation, Pickle Clipboard APIs will expand the copy and paste capability to non-standard web formats. "Pickle...
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Microsoft is taking a trip down memory lane and it is inviting you along for the stroll, with some nifty new background options for its Teams software. One of the background options is of Clippy, the "true OG virtual assistant" that predates today's fancy-pants AI assistants like Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and the rest (we can throw Bixby into the mix). Clippy first debuted in Microsoft Office in 1997. It would have been hard to imagine two and a half decades ago ever being enamored by the cheerful paperclip that was always all-too-eager to help, whether you wanted its suggestions or not. But in the years that have passed, Clippy has become a sort of cult icon in geek nostalgia. "Whether...
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As people became more comfortable with the Windows 10 Start menu, Microsoft massively changed it with Windows 11. However, there was a workaround to bring back the familiar menu until Windows 11 build 22000.65 was released, which disabled the hack. Now, if you happen to update, the workaround is gone, but there are a few ways to make the Windows 11 Start Menu more comfortable. Several days ago, a workaround to bring back the Windows 10 Start menu to Windows 11 was discovered. To do this, users needed to create a DWORD (32-bit) registry key called “Start_ShowClassicMode” located at “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced” and then set the value...
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Windows 11 is coming this holiday season, although upgrades from Windows 10 won't happen until much later. We're sure that users who are hungry to get their hands on Microsoft's latest OS will be able to do so fairly quickly, though. That's especially true considering Windows 10 Insider Previews have all but dried up, leaving nothing but Windows 11 for Microsoft's volunteer quality assurance testers. However, once users upgrade, there's an alarmingly short time to decide to roll back to Windows 10 without starting over entirely. An FAQ has made its way to PC maker MSI's website that indicates Microsoft is trimming down the Windows 10 rollback window to just 10 days. The rollback functionality...
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Windows 11 is coming, and millions of PCs will be eligible for the free upgrade. However, those reticent to upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 11 will be in for a slightly more complicated transition (if they decide to make the jump). It's worth noting that Windows 7 was first released back in 2009 and was replaced by Windows 8 in late 2012. However, it's not likely that PCs that initially shipped with Windows 7 even meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, which necessitates a TPM 2.0 module and an Intel 8th generation Core or AMD Ryzen 2000 processor (among other stipulations). But even if your PC does meet these requirements, Lenovo is explaining that the upgrade procedure...
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At the top of July, a vulnerability within the Windows print spooler service, dubbed PrintNightmare, was discovered in the wild. Afterward, Microsoft rushed out a patch to fix the problem, but the Redmond, Washington-based company may have been just a little quick on the draw. Now, some users are encountering printer issues with the emergency Windows patch leading to an even bigger headache. As reported on Reddit, among other places on the Internet, users and system administrators are finding that the emergency patch KB5004945 to fix PrintNightmare is breaking Zebra printers’ functionality. The common theme appears to be that print jobs are getting stuck in the queue after a computer wakes...
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With all the excitement building around the upcoming fall release of Windows 11, we have some good news to share with you. Microsoft just released Windows 11 Build 22000.65 to everyone currently on the Windows Insider Dev Channel. Microsoft introduced some pretty significant UI updates with Windows 11, along with some stringent hardware requirements (like the need for a TPM 2.0 module and an AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer processor, for example). With that said, here are the latest updates that are coming with Build 22000.65: Changes and Improvements Start now has a search box to make it easier to find what you're looking for. Taskbar will now show across multiple monitors which can be enabled via Settings...
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We are all cautiously optimistic (or at least hopeful) that Windows 11 will arrive to PCs without a hitch. That is never a given when a new operating system comes out, and even though Windows 11 is more akin to a major Windows 10 update, it would not be surprising if some bugs came along for the ride. That is where you come in—Microsoft is dangling a carrot in front of Windows Insiders to help catch bugs before Windows 11 releases, as part of its first Windows 11 Bug Bash event. What exactly is that? It is a series of "Quests," as Microsoft calls them, found within the Feedback Hub. They are essentially various tasks to help Microsoft root out issues and quirks. Some of the tasks are fairly...
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NVIDIA first introduced its Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling technology with the GeForce RTX 20 Series GPUs in late 2018, which was improved upon with DLSS 2.0 in April 2020. More recently, AMD debuted its competing FidelityFX Super Resolution tech, which provides similar performance benefits over running at native resolution while delivering comparable image quality. The big difference is that FidelityFX Super Resolution isn’t proprietary; it can be leveraged by GPUs from AMD, NVIDIA, and even Intel in supported game engines. It seems as though Microsoft is receptive to AMD’s more “open” approach, as the company posted two new job openings in June for a Senior...
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As if fussing with a printer is not maddening enough, a recent Windows Print Spooler exploit called 'PrintNightmare' left users vulnerable to remote code execution attacks. Not cool. Fortunately, Microsoft has made rather quick work of rolling out an out-of-band patch, which is being sent out via Windows Update (or you can grab it manually). Out-of-band patches for Windows are somewhat on the rare side, though they do happen on occasion. Normally, Microsoft packages up cumulative updates and dishes them out on the second Tuesday of every month, otherwise known as Patch Tuesday. Sometimes, however, problems or exploits arise that simply can't wait. This is one of them. Published as CVE-2021-34527,...
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In October of 2019, the Department of Defense awarded Microsoft the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, which could have been worth upwards of $10 billion over the next decade. Afterward, Amazon, which lost the bid, filed a lawsuit with allegations that former President Donald Trump influenced the decision over his dislike for former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Now, in an incredible turn of events, the Pentagon has canceled the JEDI cloud contract with Microsoft after reporting it wanted to reconsider the contract last year. As reported by the Associated Press, the Pentagon has come out explaining that it is now canceling the JEDI contract to pursue a deal with both Microsoft...
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How low can it go? In May, we reported that the Surface Duo Android flagship dropped to a low $599 versus its $1,399 launch price. But it appears that Microsoft still wasn't moving the smartphones fast enough, as Amazon-owned Woot is now selling the smartphones at an even more attractive price point. Today, the 128GB version of the Surface Duo is selling for just $409.99 (brand new, factory sealed), which is nearly a $200 discount from its previous low. If you want to double your storage to 256GB, that'll add $100 to the price tag. Microsoft Surface Duo Dual-Screen Android Smartphone 128GB (AT&T) $409.99 @ Woot Microsoft Surface Duo Dual-Screen Android Smartphone 256GB (AT&T) $509.99...
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Over the last couple of days, a vulnerability tracked as CVE-2021-34527 has made the rounds, making IT people quite nervous. The cybersecurity threat, also dubbed PrintNightmare, exploits a flaw within the Windows Print Spooler, allowing for remote code execution on a system. Now, Microsoft has provided mitigation guidance to block these attacks on vulnerable devices around the world. The CVE (common vulnerability enumeration), published yesterday by Microsoft, outlined the vulnerability that recently cropped up affecting the Windows Print Spooler. The executive summary explains that remote code execution can occur when the Windows Print Spooler service “improperly performs privileged file...
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As cybersecurity solutions tighten up and prevent many attacks, threat actors are looking for new and innovative ways to attack systems. This has led to a rise in attacks that start “outside and below the operating system layer,” such as firmware attacks and ransomware attacks through VPN devices or other internet-facing devices, as Microsoft explains. Thus, it is critical to secure software that runs things like routers, as the Redmond-based company has now discovered. Published on the Microsoft Security blog yesterday, the MS365 Defender Research Team was researching device fingerprinting within Microsoft Defender for Endpoint when the team found some interesting activity. Microsoft...
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Once the next Microsoft Flight Simulator update is cleared for takeoff, players on PC can expect a potentially gigantic performance improvement, depending on their setup. That's because developer Asobo Studio retooled the inner workings of the simulation so that it runs more efficiently and makes better use of a system's various resources. Here's the thing—Microsoft Flight Simulator is a demanding game. Trying to run it at a 4K resolution at the Ultra image quality setting can be a serious strain on your PC, and even a relatively high end setup can suffer from stuttering when taking to the skies. But at least for some PCs, that will change with the upcoming Update 5. During a livestream,...
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Microsoft is hard at work on the next generation of Windows, aptly named Windows 11. Microsoft first revealed the operating system last week, hinting at a late 2021 launch, and excitement has been relatively high in anticipation of its release. However, we're now beginning to hear rumblings that the operating system will launch in October. Several of Microsoft's press images for Windows 11 have the date set to October 20th, with the time dialed in at 11:11 am. Even if the October 20th date doesn't hold up, for whatever reason, Microsoft seems locked in on the month of October regardless. The first hint at an October launch for Windows 11 in the Microsoft Teams message (Click to Enlarge) "Good...
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Confusion is still swirling around Windows 11 and what PC systems will be fully supported at launch. Microsoft first attempted to address this with the PC Health Check app, but the first iteration was clueless in its attempt to tell users why their systems were incompatible with Windows 11. Microsoft quickly updated the PC Heath Check app to provide more information on customers' error messages. For example, if a system lacked a TPM 2.0 module, the updated app would explain this deficit when attempting to upgrade. However, Microsoft now admits that even this updated PC Health Check app doesn't go far enough in providing prospective Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgraders with an ideal experience....
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Windows 11 is the hot topic these days in the PC community, as it is the follow-up to the nearly 6-year-old Windows 10 operating system. Unfortunately, Windows 11 has steep hardware requirements along with necessitating the inclusion of a TPM 2.0 module. However, Microsoft is adding a new Windows 11 feature that will be much appreciated by those that work unplugged from the wall for a considerable amount of time if you have the supported hardware. Microsoft added Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) to Windows 11, which allows the operating system to automatically switch to a lower refresh rate based on what you're currently doing on your PC. For example, Microsoft says that a 120Hz refresh rate is ideal...
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