Microsoft

For many organizations, Microsoft 365 has become their default service for email. But for attackers this makes it attractive as a point of compromise.

New research from cloud and email security specialist Avanan shows that the missed phishing rate for Microsoft Defender is 18.8 percent. A previous analysis in 2020 showed 10.8 percent of phishing emails reaching inboxes, so Defender's missed phishing rates have increased by 74 percent.

Since Microsoft acknowledged the existence of two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Exchange Server, security experts were quick to point out that the company was providing bad advice in response.

The URL blocking recommended by Microsoft was found to be sadly lacking, and hackers could easily bypass it. Now Microsoft has provided updated mitigation advice, as well as providing automated protection options.

If you have an HDR monitor connected to your Windows 11 PC, Microsoft has a new app to help you out.

The company has just released the Windows HDR Calibration app to simplify the process of optimizing an HDR display. It's an app that was announced a number of months ago, but it has only just seen the light of day.

If you have upgraded to Windows 11 2022 Update and found that you are having issues connecting to Remote Desktop, you will be pleased to hear that Microsoft is aware of the problems and is currently investigating.

There has been no official acknowledgement that Windows 11 22H2 is the cause of Remote Desktop issues, but a Microsoft employee has noted the issue and is interacting with affected users in the company's Community forums.

When Microsoft released Windows 11 2022 Update late last month, it was merely the start of a staged rollout. Now the company is ramping up deployment -- but if you're looking for tabs in Explorer you'll still have to sign up for the Windows Insider program.

Windows 11 22H2 is now being made available to all eligible devices; users just need to check for updates. But the much-widened availability still does not necessarily mean that you will be able to get hold of the latest version of Windows 11 as there are still safeguard holds in place for some known issues.

A year ago we reported on the demise of Microsoft Silverlight and how OpenSilver offered an alternative for those still wanting to run Silverlight apps.

The OpenSilver developers haven't been idle in the meantime and today sees the launch of version 1.1. This allows 99.99 percent reuse of the Silverlight codebase and also guarantees an almost pixel perfect migration.

When Microsoft started the rollout of Windows 11 2022 Update (Windows 11 22H2) recently, there was disappointment that some of the promised features -- such as tabs in Explorer -- were missing. Now the company is starting to push some additional features out to users who are running the Release Preview version of Windows 11.

So, what can you expect from this feature push? Tabs! File Explorer now has tabs, plus some other enhancements, and there's a new taskbar overflow menu. There's more too.

It is only a few days since we learned that Microsoft is working on a great new PowerToys utility called File LockSmith. This particular tool is not quite ready yet but in the meantime we have PowerToys v0.63 to enjoy.

For the v0.63 release cycle, the PowerToys development team says that it is "focused on stability and improvement". While this may not sound overly enticing, the release of PowerToys v0.63 is an important one. In addition to introducing a large number of fixes, this latest update not only makes steps towards eliminating the UAC prompt during installation, but also greatly reduces the size of the installer.

Late last week, Microsoft confirmed the existence of two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Exchange Server. Tracked as CVE-2022-41082 and CVE-2022-41040, both security flaws are worrying as they are known to be actively exploited.

While it works on a fix, Microsoft offered up instructions to mitigate the vulnerabilities. But it turns out that it is incredibly easy to bypass, with security experts warning that the method used is too specific, rendering it ineffective.

If you have noticed the appearance of the Spotify app on your computer but you don't recall installing it, you are not alone. There are multiple reports -- or complaints, even -- from users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 that the app has installed itself without permission.

It is certainly not unknown for Microsoft to forcibly install apps on computers, but on previous occasions when apps have been foisted onto people, there has been some sort of announcement or notification. This has not happened this time around, so it is not quite clear what is going on. One thing is undeniable though: people are not happy.

Ahead of the upcoming Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5017389 update for Windows 11.

KB5017389 is a cumulative update for Windows 11 2022 Update -- or Windows 11 22H2, if you prefer. It is a non-security update, but addresses a lengthy list of issues that have been discovered.

Brace yourself for a new PowerToys utility. Microsoft's developers are busy working away on a new tool called File Locksmith which will be welcomed by anyone who has ever been greeted by a message informing them that a file cannot be deleted because it is being used.

File Locksmith will add a new entry to the context menu in Windows 11 -- "What's using this file?". The tool will then reveal which processes are using the file in question.

Microsoft has issued a security notice about two zero-day vulnerabilities with its own Microsoft Exchange Server. Versions 2013, 2016 and 2019 of the software are affected.

One vulnerability (CVE-2022-41082) allows for remote code execution when an attacker has access to PowerShell; the second (CVE-2022-41040) is a Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability. Both vulnerabilities are being exploited in the wild.

It may only be a little over a week since Microsoft released Windows 11 2022 Update, but the problems it is causing are coming thick and fast.

The most recent issue involves printer drivers, and it has caused the company to place a compatibility block on some people upgrading to the latest version of Windows 11. The good news is that there is a relatively simple workaround in the meantime.

Microsoft has released a rare out-of-band update for Windows 11. Although the KB5019311 update does not include any security fixes, it was deemed important enough to release ahead of the next Patch Tuesday.

In addition to upgrading the Windows 11 servicing stack to build 22621.378, the KB5019311 update also addresses a problem affecting Windows 11 setup.