Speed up Windows 11 by disabling Virtualization-Based Security (VBS)
The roll-out of Windows 11 is now in full swing, and various problems are starting to emerge. There is a list of known issues that Microsoft acknowledges, but there have also been reports of problems with memory usage, performance issues with AMD processors, and reduced gaming performance.
Two of Windows 11's security features -- namely Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) security -- have been blamed for some of the performance issues. Here's how to disable VBS so you can see if you can earn yourself a speed boost..
Microsoft launches 20th Anniversary Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller
Want to feel really old? The original Xbox was released nearly 20 years ago! Yes, way back on November 15 of 2001, Microsoft officially joined the console wars, competing with companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Sega. While the Xbox consoles have not been a huge success in Asia, they are wildly popular in the USA. Many people doubted Microsoft could succeed with its gaming consoles, but the Windows 11-maker is still going strong two decades later.
To celebrate the upcoming anniversary of the Xbox brand, Microsoft is launching a very special product that is sure to be a hot commodity this Christmas shopping season -- the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller. This beautiful controller mixes nostalgic designs with modern hardware to create something truly special.
Workforce optimization in a new world of worker mobility
A recent BBC article highlighted the tidal surge of workers looking for new jobs in the post-pandemic world. Dubbed "The Great Resignation", the data paints a startling picture of people "leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves". A similar survey by Microsoft of more than 30,000 workers showed 41 percent were considering quitting or changing professions within twelve months. Meanwhile yet another study of British and Irish employees showed 38 percent planning to quit in the next six months to a year.
These alarming figures could make any employer break into a sweat, unless they were in the recruitment business. However, in sectors that struggle with high staff turnover even in normal times, the projected increase in labour mobility presents an existential threat. In the contact center industry, for example, where employee turnover is usually around 26 percent annually -- significantly higher than the national average of 10-15 percent -- mapping on the new churn multiplier might even mean total workforce loss.
The week of tech outages and leaks
History will treat Monday and Tuesday as days the tech world would love to forget.
Monday was Black Monday for those who rely on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. All of these Facebook-owned properties went down for around eight hours, leaving a lot of people confused and services such as Twitter booming with the extra traffic. This was a critical outage that even affected Facebook employees and their internal systems, making it impossible for many people at Facebook to use anything they needed to get their jobs done.
Fake lies matter: Brand impersonation attacks
While a great deal of news articles, white papers, and security solutions are focused on 0-days and vulnerabilities, the core vulnerability of all of our information technology is people. Our entire tech stack makes it easy for users to make mistakes because the fundamental problem is that there is no good way to authenticate anyone or anything online. In 1993, a comic in the New Yorker famously said, "On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog", and not much has changed in 28 years.
One of the key ways attackers get an initial foothold into organizations is by tricking users to compromise themselves, often using brand impersonation. A recent study stated that there were 88 instances where malicious mobile apps attempted to impersonate TikTok. The reason, people share TikTok videos, it’s immensely popular, and it has a trusted brand-name, so people feel safe.
How businesses can keep colleagues and customers close
While the past 18 months or so have focused on providing business continuity in the midst of a crisis, the next year is set to bring another shift. As organizations around the world gear up to return the office -- at least in a hybrid capacity -- businesses need to make a seminal decision: should they go back to old ways of working? Or can firms take this opportunity to fundamentally review their practices and reduce the inevitable complications that have arisen throughout the pandemic?
Given that firms have experienced some teething problems implementing new approaches, I would urge organizations to take the latter course. In a world where workplace communication between customers and colleagues is becoming increasingly frayed, now is the perfect time for businesses to rethink whether their chosen solutions fit their needs.
Regret installing Windows 11? Here's how to go back to Windows 10
Windows 11 is currently rolling out to users with compatible hardware, but if you don't want to wait you can jump the queue. You can even install it on PCs without the TPM 2.0 requirement using this hack. Although it’s early days, a number of users have reported problems with the OS, which is to be expected.
If you upgrade to Windows 11 and encounter problems -- or decide it’s simply not for you -- you might want to go back to Windows 10, and wait until the new OS is a bit less buggy. The process is straightforward enough, although there are some downsides to be aware of.
SMBs feel more secure despite increasing cyberattacks
A new survey of over 700 small and medium businesses shows that 80 percent say they feel more secure now than they did last year in spite of increasing levels of cyberattacks.
The study from network security specialist Untangle shows security budgets increasing over 2020 levels too.
Hybrid working has boosted Apple adoption in the enterprise
The switch to remote and hybrid working has seen 76 percent of enterprises report increased use of Apple devices, according to a new study from device management company Kandji.
Mac notebook computer use is up the most with a 63 percent reported increase. Additionally, over half (53 percent) of respondents report that requests for Apple devices have increased in the past two years, and far more report bigger increases in requests for Apple (42 percent) than any other device (11 percent).
Gartner cautions against speedy enterprise adoption of Windows 11
Research Vice President with analyst firm Gartner has said that Windows 11 could have been released as a feature update for Windows 10 rather than a whole new version of the operating system.
While Stephen Kleynhans praises the removal of Internet Explorer, the addition of Android support and welcomes what he describes as an "overdue facelift", he feels that releasing this as an upgrade rather than just an update is simple marketing by Microsoft. He also advises business and enterprise uses against rushing into adopting Windows 11 and predicts low usage numbers even by 2023.
Majority of AWS accounts are vulnerable to ransomware
As more data moves to the cloud, platforms like AWS are becoming an increasingly attractive target for ransomware operators.
A new study by cloud infrastructure company Ermetic finds that 70 percent of environments studied had machines that were publicly exposed to the internet and were linked to identities whose permissions could be exploited to allow the machines to perform ransomware.
New browser-based enterprise endpoint is designed for hybrid working
A browser-based endpoint solution created to address the unique threats imposed by the hybrid workforce and designed with employee experience in mind is being launched today by Talon Cyber Security.
TalonWork can be deployed across the organization in less than an hour, allowing security leaders to make the browser their first line of defense with minimum complexity, cost and without additional hardware.
How to get Windows 11 on your PC today
Windows 11 is here! Well, it is for some people. If you’re currently running Windows 10 and you navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, you’ll have already verified whether your PC meets the system requirements to receive the update.
Assuming it passes muster, Microsoft would like you to wait for the update to be offered to you. But what if you can’t wait, or want to use the opportunity to create a clean install of Windows 11? What options are available to you?
Patching is too complex and time consuming say IT pros
A new survey from automation platform Ivanti reveals that 71 percent of IT and security professionals find patching to be overly complex, cumbersome, and time consuming.
In addition 57 percent of respondents say that remote work has increased the complexity and scale of patch management.
Some users are seeing the Windows 10 taskbar and a broken Start menu in Windows 11
Reports are coming in about a strange bug in Windows 11 that results in the Windows 10 taskbar being displayed instead of the updated versions. The same issue was reported by Windows Insiders in the build up to the launch of Windows 11, and it seems that Microsoft has not been able to get things fixed.
In addition to problems with the old taskbar showing up, users are also reporting that the Start menu is not working. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge the problems, but workarounds have been uncovered.
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