Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Microsoft releases 'one more fix' for the final build of Windows 10 May 2020 Update

Gold Microsoft sign

When build 19041.207 of Windows 10 May 2020 Update arrived, it was thought to be the final, completed build that would be made available to everyone -- but Microsoft has changed its mind, pushing out another minor update.

The latest build for Windows 10 May 2020 Update (or Windows 10 version 2004, or Windows 10 20H1 as it is also known) is now build 19041.208, and it fixes problems that have been found in the previous version.

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Zoom claims to have 300 million daily active users... and then backtracks on misleading statement

Angled Zoom logo

Much, if not most, of the recent attention on Zoom has been focused on its various privacy and security issues. Understandably keen to change the narrative, the company put out a statement last week in which it claims to have 300 million daily users. One problem: it isn't true.

Zoom may have been eager to get numbers out there that suggested greater popularity than the likes of Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, but the claim to have 300 million daily active users (DAUs) was misleading, and the company has been forced to retract its initial statement.

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Microsoft releases PowerToys v.0.17.0 bringing automatic updates and more to the Windows 10 tweaking tool

PowerToys reboot

It is a month since Microsoft released an interesting update to PowerToys, adding new features and tools. This was followed by a less interesting but no-less important bug-fixing update which also added telemetry.

Now the company has released PowerToys v.0.17.0 which adds the much-needed automatic update option. This release also brings important updates to FancyZones and more.

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Google Meet is now free for everyone, making it a viable alternative to Zoom

Google logo on white wood

It's only a few days since Facebook launched Messenger Room to serve as an alternative to video conferencing service Zoom. Now Google is getting in on the action, making is own video meeting tool available for free.

Google Meet has been opened up to everyone with a Google account -- previously only people with a paid-for G Suite account were able to start calls. From now until September meetings of any length involving up to 100 people are completely free, but at the end of September some restrictions will be introduced.

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macOS Image Capture bug can fill up hard drives with empty data

Apple Image Capture

A bug has been discovered in the Image Capture app that's part of macOS. The app is used to import photos and videos from other devices.

The bug kicks in when importing images from an iPhone or iPad, and it can result in a hard drive being filled up with empty data.

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Sophos pushes out emergency patch to fix XG Firewall zero-day vulnerability

Sophos

Following the discovery of an SQL injection vulnerability in its XG Firewall product, Sophos has released an emergency patch to protect users against hackers.

The vulnerability affects both physical and virtual XG Firewall units, and signs of attacks were first noticed last week. Attackers exploiting the vulnerability on unpatched firewalls would be able to access all local usernames and hashed passwords of any local user accounts, including local device admins, user portal accounts, and accounts used for remote access.

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Coronavirus pandemic means Apple will probably delay the next iPhone release

Angled Apple logo

It's only a matter of weeks since Apple revealed the 2020 iPhone SE, but many people are holding out for this year's flagship from the company -- the iPhone 12 range, some of which will be 5G devices.

But it seems like anyone waiting to get their hands on the handset will have to wait a little longer. The chaos caused by the spread of COVID-19 around the world is said to have forced Apple to delay the launch of the phone by a month.

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Microsoft patches Teams vulnerability that allowed for account takeover just by viewing a GIF

Microsoft Teams on mobile

A security flaw in Microsoft Teams made it possible for attackers to take over accounts just by getting a victim to view a GIF. The vulnerability stemmed from the way in which Teams handles images and could allow for account takeovers and data theft.

Security firm CyberArk discovered the issue over a month ago and then worked with the Microsoft Security Research Center under Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure to get the vulnerability fixed. With COVID-19 leading to a huge increase in the number of people working remotely and relying on the likes of Zoom and Teams, the prospect of such an easily exploitable vulnerability is concerning.

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Microsoft Edge ads appear in Windows 10 search

Microsoft Edge on laptop and smartphone

Microsoft's cross-promotion of its products is nothing new, and the company has used Windows 10 as an advertising platform numerous times already. The latest example of this sees ads for Microsoft Edge appearing in Windows Search in Windows 10.

Ads have started to pop up for people who are not currently using Chromium-based Edge as their default web browser, and it comes just after Microsoft started using Outlook.com to promote Edge to Chrome and Firefox users.

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Microsoft is bombarding Chrome-using Outlook.com visitors with ads for Edge

Chrome / Edge fade

Microsoft is no stranger to hitting its customers with ads for its products and services, and it seems that the company is so keen that people make the switch to the new Chromium-based version of Edge that it is now bombarding Outlook.com users with banner ads.

The ads are targeting people who visit the web-based version of Outlook using Google Chrome, and they see Microsoft extolling the speed and performance of its most recent web browser.

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Facebook launches Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Zoom

Facebook Messenger Rooms

While Zoom has been taking numerous steps to address various security and privacy concerns that have arisen in recent weeks, there are still plenty of people seeking alternatives to the video conferencing platform. Now Facebook is trying to make its Messenger tool a viable option.

With Facebook Messenger Rooms, the social media giant is giving people the option of conducting video chats with up to 50 people at a time. Unlike the free version of Zoom, there is no time limit on chats in Messenger Rooms, and as an added bonus there is no need to have a Facebook account to use it.

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ProtonMail and ProtonVPN apps are now open source across all platforms

open source

It is a little while since Proton Technologies announced that ProtonVPN was being open sourced to help build trust in the service. Now the company has done the same for the Android version of ProtonMail, and this means that all ProtonMail and ProtonVPN apps are now open source

Just as with ProtonVPN, the open sourcing of ProtonMail opens it up not only to the scrutiny of anyone who cares to trawl through the source code, but it has also been subjected to a third-party security audit.

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Another Windows 10 update is causing serious problems, reducing performance, crashing and deleting files

Windows 10 box with bugs

If you were hoping that a spate of problematic updates for Windows 10 might have caused Microsoft to up its game and improve quality control, think again; the KB4549951 update is just the latest to cause issues for users.

And this time around, the problems are pretty serious. In addition to BSoD crashes and connectivity issues, users are also reporting that their settings are being removed and files deleted.

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Zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS Mail are being actively exploited to target high-profile users

Old iPhone and new iPhone

Security firm ZecOps has published research about security vulnerabilities affecting iPhones and iPads. The critical flaws are yet to patched by Apple and are said to be actively used to target high-profile users such as journalists, employees of Fortune 500 companies and VIPs.

What's particularly worrying about the flaws is that they can be exploited by sending a message that appears to be blank. Opened in iOS Mail, the message can be used to run code and spy on activity without the need for any interaction from the victim. There is a suggestion that a nation-state could be involved.

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Zoom 5.0 is a major update with enhanced encryption and more security options

Zoom 5.0

Zoom Video Communications has announced details of Zoom 5.0, a major update to its video conferencing client which goes a long way to addressing many of the security and privacy issues that have been found in recent weeks.

With the upcoming release, users can benefit from the addition of AES 256-bit GCM encryption, as well as the ability to choose routing options for calls.

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