Microsoft warns that Iran is using cyber operations to influence the US 2024 election, just like China and Russia
Every country in the world has a vested interest in the outcome of the US election in November. The choice of either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will have huge impact around the globe, and there are some countries that are actively engaged in trying to sway voters and influence 2024 US election.
That the likes of Russia and China are engaged in targeting the result of the poll is unsurprising, but Microsoft has issued a warning that Iran is also planning to influence this year's US presidential election. A report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center highlights evidence of Iranian cyber-influence operations which have already been running for months.
Azure outages should spark new urgency for a multi-cloud approach
July 19th 2024 will go down as a tough day for many IT teams, and the day started even worse for businesses using Microsoft Azure and its supported services. In addition to the widely publicized global outage caused by a CrowdStrike update, Microsoft Azure's Central US Region was down for five hours due to an unrelated failure, impacting millions of business users worldwide.
As if that wasn't enough, less than two weeks later, Microsoft Azure experienced another global outage lasting more than six hours. According to the company's service status page, it was Microsoft's 8th service status-related incident.
Security firm warns that 'design weaknesses' in Windows Smart App Control mean it can be easily bypassed
Smart App Control is just one of various security features Microsoft has built into Windows 11. But while many users place faith in the tool to block malicious apps, Elastic Security Labs warns that it is fundamentally flawed.
The company says that Windows Smart App Control and its predecessor SmartScreen "have several design weaknesses that allow attackers to gain initial access with no security warnings or popups". In an investigatory report, Elastic Security Labs details numerous types of attack that can be used to bypass Windows Smart Control as well as revealing a bug in the handling of .lnk files which can be used to get around security.
Watch Windows XP running on Apple Vision Pro
For years, Apple famously prevented emulators from appearing in the App Store, but recently it has begun allowing them there. If you’ve ever wanted to play classic games on an iPhone, well, now you can.
Although most people will want to use emulators to play games it’s also possible to use them to run operating systems for one computer inside another.
Forget Microsoft Windows 11, Nitrux 3.6.0 should be your next OS
Nitrux Linux 3.6.0 is the perfect open-source option for those looking to transition from Windows 11 (or any version of Windows, for that matter). The “ie” in its name stands for improved efficiency, with adjustments to the TLP power management tool to optimize energy use when plugged in and conserve battery when not.
Nitrux 3.6.0 includes the latest Linux kernel 6.9.12-1 Liquorix, offering a modern user experience and enhanced hardware support. The OS release comes with numerous updates, bug fixes, and enhancements aimed at improving overall performance, as well as battery life.
Transform Microsoft Windows 11 into Windows 10
Windows 11 is a decent operating system, but for many people, it’s a step down from Windows 10. If you’ve ever wished that Windows 11 could be more like its predecessor, we have the answer.
RevertSV is a Windows mod that changes Windows 11 features like the Start menu, taskbar, and search into their Windows 10 counterparts. It also changes Notepad, Paint, and UWP apps. It’s worth noting that while the apps will be the Windows 10 versions, some will revert to the Windows 11 ones if they get updated.
Microsoft releases the new Outlook for Windows for anyone who wants it, including commercial customers
After a lengthy period of testing, Microsoft has announced that the oddly named "new Outlook for Windows" has hit general availability. This means that commercial users, as well as those with personal accounts, are now able to take advantage of the latest version of Microsoft's email client.
As was the case with the previous stage of the rollout, full-scale general availability sees the new Outlook for Windows remaining an opt-in experience -- although this will change. There is, of course, a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your view...) dose of AI sprinkled throughout, but there is much more to this update.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-six in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Years after Windows 11's initial release, Microsoft is still adding features to it that it removed from the operating system. It is now working on restoring two axed settings for the mouse, which promise more pointer precision.
Hell freezes over as Microsoft announces it is pulling ads from Skype
Skype is one of those apps that has found numerous ways to irritate users over the years. But in something of a surprise move, Microsoft has announced a change that will instead delight.
Considering that this is a company that has faced complaints and criticism for stuffing ads into its Windows and Office products, the announcement feels very out of character. But the killing off of ads is not the only change in Skype.
How to add an End Task option to the Taskbar in Windows 11
Troublesome apps can be terminated using Task Manager, but this feels like an unnecessarily lengthy process to simply kill something. How about a way to achieve the same in just a couple of clicks?
Despite the inherent usefulness of being able to kill tasks using Taskbar icons, Microsoft has seen fit to hide this option away to the extent that it's not apparent that it exist at all. But it does. Here's how you can add an End Task option to the Windows 11 Taskbar.
Microsoft's latest SNAFU sees July security update throwing Windows users into BitLocker recovery mode
Microsoft has managed to do it yet again. With the security update released earlier this month for Windows, the company has delivered a buggy patch which is causing problems for a lot of users.
The problem has hit users of not only Windows 10 and Windows 11, but also various editions of Windows Server. As the update in question is a security update, it was automatically installed on a large number of systems; the unwanted payload is being dumped into a BitLocker recovery screen. Microsoft says that it is aware of the issue but does not currently have a fix.
Windows 11 users are finally getting back more control over mouse settings
For some strange reason, Microsoft made Windows 11 less useful in various ways. One such backwards step was removing some of the settings relating to mouse controls, specifically the option to reverse scroll wheel direction, and enhance pointer precision.
Quite why it was deemed sensible to remove the options from Settings is anyone's guess, particularly as it remained possible to tweak the registry to implement them. Now Microsoft has seen the error of its ways and is placing control back in the hands of Windows 11 users.
Best Windows apps this week
Six-hundred-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft confirmed a new issue this week that affects Windows 10 and 11 PCs that have the July security updates installed. These may boot into BitLocker Recovery where the BitLocker Recovery Key needs to be provided to proceed.
Microsoft-owned GitHub is haunted by ghost accounts spreading malware
Check Point Research has uncovered a network of GitHub accounts, dubbed the "Stargazers Ghost Network," that distributes malware via phishing repositories. This sophisticated operation, tracked under the name "Stargazer Goblin," acts as a Distribution as a Service (DaaS) model, allowing threat actors to share malicious links and software.
The network consists of over 3,000 active accounts that perform activities such as starring, forking, and subscribing to malicious repositories to make them appear legitimate. This tactic helps lure victims into downloading malware. The types of malware distributed include Atlantida Stealer, Rhadamanthys, RisePro, Lumma Stealer, and RedLine.
If you're sticking with Windows 10, use this trick to make it look a bit more like Windows 11 for free
For many people a new version of Windows is about little more than a slightly updated look and feel. With the average user hardly scratching the surface of the operating system's features, looks can be one of the most important things.
You may be one of the many people who see little reason to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, or it may be that hardware requirements make it impossible. Whatever your reason for continuing to use Windows 10, you can treat your eyes to some of the Windows 11 aesthetics using a neat trick.
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