Hackers to the rescue! UFO VPN user log database leaks online for a second time
Just a week ago, we covered the news that user log files from the VPN service UFO VPN had been exposed. A database of user data appeared online despite the company's claims of having a "strict no-logs policy".
But while security experts took steps to lock down the data and restrict access to it by the middle of this month, earlier this week it transpired that a second, newer UFO VPN database had appeared online, containing even more data. This time, however, hackers came to the rescue with a coordinated "Meow" attack.
Microsoft teases a new look for Office and Microsoft 365
Microsoft has given us a sneaky glimpse into the future, showing off some of the design changes that are coming to its Office apps. The company has revealed the updated UX that Microsoft 365 users can expect to see.
In addition to introducing a more muted color palette and fully embracing the Fluent Design language, Microsoft is also making some key changes to the ribbon. Part of this involves incorporating AI into the software so that a more flexible ribbon can contextually adapt to what you are doing.
Microsoft is bringing some important new features to Edge, including browsing history syncing
Since adopting the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge has been making great progress and gained a batch of new features that place it head and shoulders above its predecessor. Now in an update addressing the feedback received from people on the Edge Insider program, Microsoft has revealed some of the new features that are coming to the browser.
The company has also reiterated that Edge is coming to Linux, but it's the new additions that are of more interest at the moment. Setting out the timetable of features currently being worked on, Microsoft reveals that the option to synchronize browsing history between devices is on the horizon.
Microsoft releases KB4559003 and KB4559004 to fix problems with File Explorer, LTE connectivity and more
Microsoft has released a couple of updates that address range of problems in Windows 10 caused by previous updates.
Having already acknowledged that the KB4556799 update led to LTE connectivity issues for some people, the company has now released KB4559004 to fix this and other problems. This update also addresses issues with Magnifier and File Explorer, while another update, KB4559003, fixes a large number of other problems.
Windows 10 May 2020 Update may falsely report that there is no internet connection
Some people who have upgraded to Windows 10 version 2004 (or Windows 10 May 2020 Update) are experiencing a strange issue with their internet connections.
A problem has cropped up with the Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) that sits in the taskbar. Affected users complain that the icon indicate that there is no internet connection available, and Microsoft is at a loss to explain what is going on.
Windows 10 May 2020 Update is slowing down games and causing ESENT warnings
Numerous people who have upgraded to Windows 10 May 2020 Update are seeing ESENT warnings, as well as suffering problems with reduced performance.
Users looking at the Event Viewer see multiple ESENT warnings with the event ID 642. In addition to seeing these warnings, some people are complaining of reduce game performance in titles such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Microsoft issues another bug-fixing update for PowerToys for Windows 10
It's only a couple of weeks since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.19.0, and the company has now pushed out its second bug-fixing update to the collection of utilities.
Just last week, v0.19.1 addressed a range of issues with the Windows 10 tool collection, and now v0.19.2 has landed. Among the changes are fixes for PowerToys Run and FancyZone, and it also addresses an issue that caused high CPU usage.
Microsoft releases a fix for Outlook crashes after a problematic update causes issues for many users
Microsoft's track record with updates for Windows has been a little wobbly of late, with many updates introducing problems, or creating more issues than they fix. But it seems that it is not just the famous operating system that is jinxed -- Outlook is too.
Following reports from users that the Outlook desktop app was crashing with a 0xc0000005 error, Microsoft launched an investigation. While the company is now in the processing of pushing out a fix, a workaround has been shared online for those affected.
Twitter staff targeted by 'coordinated social engineering' attack as hackers hijack verified accounts in Bitcoin scam
Overnight, Twitter suffered a massive attack by hackers who tried to use the verified accounts of celebrities and high-profile users to execute a Bitcoin scam. The likes of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Kanye West had their accounts hijacked and message were posted promising that if people sent money to a Bitcoin wallet, they would get double the amount back.
Needless to say, it was a crypto scam, and Twitter took the extraordinary steps of preventing all users with a blue tick from tweeting. Twitter now has control of the situation and says that the attack came after staff fell victim to social engineering, enabling hackers to gain access to internal tools which were then used to take over key accounts.
VPN with 'strict no-logs policy' exposed millions of user log files including account passwords
An unprotected database belonging to the VPN service UFO VPN was exposed online for more than two weeks. Contained within the database were more than 20 million logs including user passwords stored in plain text.
User of both UFO VPN free and paid services are affected by the data breach which was discovered by the security research team at Comparitech. Despite the Hong Kong-based VPN provider claiming to have a "strict no-logs policy" and that any data collected is anonymized, Comparitech says that "based on the contents of the database, users' information does not appear to be anonymous at all".
A Windows 10 update is removing apps for some users
These days it is hardly uncommon to find that an update for Windows 10 ends up breaking something, but the latest problematic update is causing a strange issue by removing components of Windows itself.
Yesterday, Microsoft released KB4565503 to fix various bugs, including problems introduced by previous updates to the operating system. After installing this update, some users are reporting that the Notepad and Paint apps have been removed from their computers.
Fintech startup Revolut brings cryptocurrency trading to US customers
British fintech firm Revolut has partnered with New York-based Paxos to bring Bitcoin and Ethereum trading to customers in the US.
Having only launched in the United States in March this year, Revolut is gradually bringing the services it already offers in Europe to its American user base. Thanks to the new partnership, residents of 49 states can now indulge in some crypto trading.
Microsoft releases KB4565503 to fix problems caused by previous Windows 10 updates
On Patch Tuesday last month, Microsoft kept up its track record of problematic updates. Users who installed KB4557957 or KB4560960 found they were plagued by problems with the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) and forced restarts.
Now the company has pushed out a new update, KB4565503, to address these issues and more.
SIGRed: Microsoft releases patch for critical, wormable vulnerability in Windows DNS Server
As part of this month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has issued a fix for a 17-year-old Windows DNS Server vulnerability. Known as SIGRed and tracked as CVE-2020-1350, the flaw is a serious one that has been assigned a CVSS base score of 10.0.
The vulnerability affects all version of Windows Server and is a wormable remote code execution flaw that requires no user interaction. In addition to issuing a critical patch, Microsoft has also provided details of a workaround for anyone who is unable to deploy the fix immediately
Microsoft is bringing disposable email addresses to Office 365
Gmail and numerous other web-based email services have long supported the option of creating disposable email addresses using a +xxx suffix. Now Microsoft is catching up with the competition and is planning to bring this option to Office 365.
The company refers to the upcoming feature as Plus Addressing, and it's due to arrive at some point in the third quarter of this year.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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