Items tagged with Windows
Early last week, Microsoft started to talk up the "all-new" Windows 1.0 with MS-DOS Executive, clock, and more. We all wondered at the time what exactly the deal was. Rumors suggested that Windows 1.0 was going to be a tie in with Netflix's third season of Stranger Things which landed on July 4. The Stranger Things Season 3 mashup has now been confirmed with the official launch of the Windows 1.11 app. The description for the app reads, "Experience 1985 nostalgia with a special edition Windows 10 PC app inspired by Windows 1.0—but one that's been taken over by the Upside Down from Stranger Things. Explore the mysteries and secrets plaguing Hawkins, unlock unique show content and easter...
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Microsoft's social media accounts having been acting a bit "strange" this morning. On both its official Twitter and Instagram accounts, Microsoft posted a video announcing the "All-New Windows 1.0, with MS-DOS Executive, Clock and more." The video itself starts off showing the current Windows 10 logo, then travels backwards displaying older Windows logos including Windows 7 and Windows 95 before settling on the logo for Windows 1.0. During this time, some synth-heavy music plays in the background with graphics that looks like something straight out of the 1980s. Introducing the all-new Windows 1.0, with MS-Dos Executive, Clock, and more!! 😲 💾 pic.twitter.com/guU4QxwsGG — Windows (@Windows)...
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A remote desktop exploit in Windows known as BlueKeep is no joke, and to prove it, security researchers at Sophos have created a proof-of-concept demonstration showing how easy it would be for an unpatched RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) server to be compromised. The researchers hope that the demonstration will essentially scare companies into patching Windows. BlueKeep is viewed as especially dangerous because it affects multiple different versions of Windows and is wormable, meaning it can rapidly spread to other vulnerable systems in a network in similar fashion to the WannaCry malware attacks that wreaked havoc a couple of years ago. Not to be taken lightly, BlueKeep has drawn the attention...
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When we think of the National Security Agency (NSA) and cybersecurity, we think of the intelligence agency’s grab bag of security exploits that it uses to enhance its own spying efforts. But one particular remote code execution exploit, which has been dubbed BlueKeep, has the NSA actually warning Windows users to patch their systems immediately. "This is the type of vulnerability that malicious cyber actors frequently exploit through the use of software code that specifically targets the vulnerability," writes the NSA. "NSA is concerned that malicious cyber actors will use the vulnerability in ransomware and exploit kits containing other known exploits, increasing capabilities against...
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Earlier this month, we brought you news of an incredibly nasty remote code execution vulnerability affecting Windows systems; specifically, Windows 7, Windows Server, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and even the ancient Windows XP. Microsoft in fact was so worried about this WannaCry-style malware that it even pushed out a patch for Windows XP; an operating system that has been officially supported for years. At the time, Microsoft stated, "It is important that affected systems are patched as quickly as possible to prevent such a scenario from happening. In response, we are taking the unusual step of providing a security update for all customers to protect Windows platforms,...
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Many companies are currently working on a wide variety of gaming services. Cox Cable has now thrown their hat into the ring and is currently testing a gaming network service that would reduce lag, ping spikes, and jitter. Cox Cable’s “Elite Gamer Service” reportedly speeds up the connection between the player and desired gaming server. The Elite Gamer Service is not a “fast lane” service and does not “prioritize Internet use”. It relies on WTFast technology to find the shortest available route to send data. The company insists that they do not plan on introducing any “fast lane” services in the future. Cox claims that that service will produce...
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Few things are more annoying than when a Windows update wreaks havoc on your system. It's a case of the cure being worse than the disease, as Ray Stevens sang about in his comical song "Doctor Doctor (Have Mercy On Me)." We saw this play out recently when it was reported that a Patch Tuesday roll out was causing boot problems on some systems with certain antivirus software installed, and the list of affected AV software appears to be growing. Image Source: Flickr via Rory Finneren Originally, Microsoft only said that the update was conflicting with some machines that have Sophos Endpoint Protection installed. Sophos also acknowledged the problem, saying it had received reports of PCs failing...
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Another day, another update fiasco that Microsoft and its partners must battle through. Earlier this week, Microsoft issued another round of monthly “Patch Tuesday” updates, but things didn’t go so swiftly for those that have Sophos Endpoint Protection installed on their systems. Sophos acknowledged the problem on its support website this morning, writing, “Sophos has received reports of computers failing to boot. Sophos is actively investigating this issue and will update this article when more information is available.” According to Sophos, all versions of its Endpoint and server licenses are affected. In addition, the Patch Tuesday updates are causing widespread...
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Huawei has seen massive growth in the smartphone market in part because prices for Apple and Samsung devices have soared. Huawei is very popular outside of the U.S., but the company has virtually no marketshare inside the U.S. due to the government urging carriers not to offer its devices over fears of spying. In January 2019, the U.S. DOJ filed criminal charges against Huawei for alleged trade secret theft, bank fraud, and obstruction of justice. Huawei has now filed suit against the U.S. government over product bans in the States. Despite Huawei fighting the U.S. government in court, the company is preparing for the worst. The worst-case scenario for its products isn't that the ban of its devices...
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Microsoft started talking up the Your Phone app that lets you share content and control some phone functions between your PC and smartphone last summer. Now that the app is available for users, a new feature is rolling out that is only currently supported on a handful of devices. The feature is called Phone Screen and lets you mirror the screen of your supported smartphone to the Your Phone app on the PC. When the feature is active, users can interact with the apps on their computer screen using the mouse and keyboard. To access the functionality, PC users do need to be running the latest Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build (18335 or higher), you must be on the Surface Go, and using a small subset...
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If you're still hanging on to the Windows 7 operating system on your rig, Microsoft wants you to abandon ship and upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible. Windows 7 was first released on July 22nd 2009, which was nearly a decade ago. The operating system proved very popular following the disappointment of Windows Vista, and was quickly adopted by both consumers and businesses. That popularity has been a double-edged sword for Microsoft. The performance, stability, and overall ubiquity of Windows 7 has led many to simply stick with the OS over upgrading to the [long forgotten] Windows 8/8.1 operating system and even the current Windows 10. But with support for Windows 7 coming...
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If you're running a version of Windows IoT Core, you'll want to pay attention to the latest vulnerability discovered by Dor Azouri, a researcher for SafeBreach. The risk of leaving the bug unpatched is great, but fortunately, most of the Windows ecosystem is safe. Even the IoT Enterprise version is safe from this bug; only those using the free IoT Core on their DIY devices (eg: Raspberry Pi) will need to take action. The issue lays with IoT Core's Sirep Test service, which allows users to perform tests on given hardware. The researcher discovered that this service could be used to reveal a remote command line interface which could be used to exploit the system. Once compromised, an attacker would...
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We have a special treat for you today, folks. Back in August, we brought you news about a Windows 95 "app" that was developed by Felix Rieseberg using Electron. The Windows 95 port was mostly a faithful recreation of the original groundbreaking PC operating system complete with playable classics like Minesweeper and Solitaire. Rieseberg is now back with Windows 95 version 2.0. Whereas the first release was pretty barebones, v2.0 ups the stakes with period-correct applications like Frontpage and the Netscape Navigator 2.01 web browser. For those that want to get your fix with some nostalgic gaming, you'll find Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, A10 Tank Killer and Grand Prix Circuit preinstalled....
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Are you itching to try Windows 10 preview build 19H2? This quick and simple hack will allow you to test out Windows 10 19H2, even if you missed the Skip Ahead enrollment period. The Skip Ahead ring allows Windows Insiders to switch from the current update preview to the next one. First and foremost, you must already be a Windows Insider to take advantage of this trick. If you are a Windows Insider, first launch the registry editor. Insiders should then navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ WindowsSelfHost\UI\Selection You will then need to double-click on “UIContentType” and change it to “Skip”. You should then find “UIRing” and change it to...
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