All news with #microsoft tag

🖥️ Microsoft has released Windows 11, version 26H1, but the distribution is limited to new ARM-based devices such as those using Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors and possibly other upcoming ARM chips. This build is a platform-specific release and will not be broadly delivered through Windows Update to existing PCs. Microsoft says organizations should continue to purchase, deploy, and manage devices on broadly released versions like 24H2 and 25H2. The company also reiterated its annual update cadence, with 26H2 expected later in the year.

🔒 Microsoft’s February 2026 Patch Tuesday delivers 60 fixes, including six vulnerabilities the vendor says are actively exploited. Three are security feature bypass flaws in Windows Shell, MSHTML and Office OLE mitigations; two permit local elevation to System, and one enables local denial-of-service. Experts note patches are straightforward and require no post-patch configuration, but prioritization of the bypasses and cloud-related issues is urgent.

🔔 Microsoft released its February 2026 security updates addressing 59 vulnerabilities across Windows and cloud products, including two Critical issues in ACI Confidential Containers. Several vulnerabilities are reported as actively exploited and others have been publicly disclosed, impacting components such as Windows Shell, MSHTML, Office, Azure, Hyper-V, and GitHub Copilot. Talos is publishing a new Snort ruleset to detect exploitation attempts; administrators should apply Microsoft patches and update intrusion detection signatures promptly.

🔒 Microsoft released February 2026 Patch Tuesday updates addressing more than 50 vulnerabilities, including six actively exploited zero-days. Patches cover security feature bypasses in Windows Shell, MSHTML and Word, elevation-of-privilege flaws in Remote Desktop Services and Desktop Window Manager, and a denial-of-service risk in the Remote Access Connection Manager. Administrators and developers are urged to prioritize testing and deployment, maintain recent backups, and apply least-privilege controls to limit exposure, particularly for AI-assisted development workflows.

🔒 Microsoft released the Windows 10 KB5075912 extended security update for ESU-enrolled systems and Enterprise LTSC installations to address February 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes, including six actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities. After installation, affected systems are updated to build 19045.6937 (or 19044.6937 for LTSC 2021). The update also continues a phased rollout of replacement Secure Boot certificates and resolves a Secure Launch-related shutdown/hibernation issue.

🔒 Microsoft released its February 2026 Patch Tuesday security update addressing 58 flaws, including six actively exploited zero-days and three that were publicly disclosed. The release fixes five Critical bugs and numerous elevation-of-privilege, remote code execution, and information disclosure issues across Windows and Office components. Microsoft also began a phased rollout of updated Secure Boot certificates to replace expiring 2011 certificates and has integrated built-in Sysmon functionality into Windows 11 insider builds.

🔒 Microsoft released Windows 11 cumulative updates KB5077181 (for 25H2/24H2) and KB5075941 (for 23H2) delivering the February 2026 Patch Tuesday security fixes, bug fixes, and feature improvements. The updates move systems to 26200.7840 (25H2), 26100.7840 (24H2), and 226x1.6050 (23H2). Notable additions include Cross‑Device Resume expansion, an inbox Windows MIDI Services implementation, enhanced Windows Hello peripheral fingerprint support, and a user toggle for Smart App Control. Install via Settings > Windows Update or download from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

🔐 Microsoft has begun rolling out updated Secure Boot certificates through regular monthly Windows updates to replace the original 2011 certificates that will expire in late June 2026. The automatic refresh targets devices with Microsoft-managed updates; many PCs shipped since 2024 and most built in 2025 already include the new certificates. Some systems may still require separate OEM firmware updates before the new certs can be installed. Administrators can also deploy the new certificates via registry keys, Group Policy, or the Windows Configuration System to ensure Windows Boot Manager and Secure Boot protections remain in place.

⚡Microsoft is evaluating high-temperature superconductors (HTS) to improve datacenter power delivery, reduce transmission losses, and increase capacity within compact footprints. HTS cables, when maintained at cryogenic temperatures, carry electricity with near-zero resistance, enabling smaller, lighter cabling that generates negligible heat and avoids voltage drops. By partnering with manufacturers and system integrators, Microsoft plans pilots of rack-level HTS architectures and aims to rethink traditional power designs to support AI-era workloads.

⚠️ Microsoft is investigating an outage that prevents some administrators with business or enterprise subscriptions from accessing the Microsoft 365 admin center in North America and Canada. The company is tracking the issue on its service health page and is collecting telemetry, with an early focus on CPU utilization and user HTTP Archive (HAR) files to identify a root cause. Impacted users report slow or unavailable admin portal access, degraded functionality, and potential inability to open the M365 app or raise support tickets.

🔒 Microsoft Defender researchers describe a growing practice they call AI Recommendation Poisoning, where hidden instructions in pre-filled prompts and “Summarize with AI” links attempt to inject persistent memory commands into assistants. The study identified more than 50 unique prompts from 31 companies across 14 industries targeting assistants such as Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude. Freely available tools and plugins make the technique trivial to deploy, enabling subtly biased recommendations on topics like health, finance, and security. Microsoft reports mitigations are in place and provides hunting queries and guidance for defenders.

🔐 Microsoft will introduce smartphone-style permission prompts in Windows 11 to request user consent before apps access sensitive resources such as files, cameras, and microphones. The company is also launching a Windows Baseline Security Mode to enable runtime integrity safeguards by default while still permitting targeted overrides for specific apps. These changes are part of the Secure Future Initiative and will roll out in phases with developer, enterprise, and ecosystem feedback. Users and IT administrators will be able to view, grant, or revoke app permissions and will receive clearer prompts when apps attempt to install unwanted software or access protected data.

⚠️ CISA added six Microsoft-related vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog on February 10, 2026, citing evidence of active exploitation. The entries include CVE-2026-21510, CVE-2026-21513, CVE-2026-21514, CVE-2026-21519, CVE-2026-21525, and CVE-2026-21533, affecting Windows, MSHTML, and Office components. Federal agencies must remediate KEV entries under BOD 22-01, and CISA urges all organizations to prioritize patching to reduce exposure.

🚨 Microsoft’s February 2026 updates address 59 vulnerabilities, including six actively exploited zero-days and five Critical issues. CrowdStrike identified the Windows Remote Desktop elevation-of-privilege (CVE-2026-21533) and observed exploitation against U.S. and Canadian organizations; other zero-days affect MSHTML, Windows Shell, Microsoft Word, Desktop Window Manager and Remote Access Connection Manager. Three Critical Azure service flaws were remediated in-platform while two Critical issues in Azure confidential containers require customer patching. CrowdStrike recommends timely updates, compensating controls, expanded detection/hunting, and use of the Falcon Exposure Management dashboard to prioritize and mitigate risk.

📧 Microsoft is investigating an ongoing Exchange Online issue that is mistakenly marking legitimate email messages as phishing and quarantining them. The problem began on February 5 and continues to disrupt customers' ability to send and receive mail. Microsoft traced the fault to a newly introduced URL rule that incorrectly classifies certain links as malicious. The company is releasing quarantined messages and working to unblock legitimate URLs while it completes remediation.

🔐 CIAM platforms manage authentication, authorization, consent, and customer identity for public-facing applications. Analysts highlight six leading solutions — IBM Security Verify, LoginRadius, Microsoft Entra, Okta/Auth0, OneLogin, and Ping Identity — each balancing usability, extensibility, and security differently. Offerings range from turnkey, no-code deployments to developer-led, API-first systems and vary in native fraud analytics, FIDO2 support, consent-management capabilities, and integrations with BI/CRM ecosystems. Organizations should weigh marketing data needs, privacy compliance, and fraud protection when choosing a CIAM.

🕵️‍♂️ Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 reports a state-sponsored threat actor tracked as TGR-STA-1030/UNC6619 has run global-scale "Shadow Campaigns," compromising at least 70 government and critical infrastructure organizations across 37 countries and conducting reconnaissance tied to 155 countries. The actor has been active since at least January 2024 and is assessed to operate from Asia. Initial access combined tailored phishing lures hosted on Mega.nz with exploitation of known flaws in SAP Solution Manager, Microsoft Exchange, D-Link, and Windows to deploy loaders such as Diaoyu. Victim environments were instrumented with Cobalt Strike, webshells, tunneling tools, and a bespoke Linux eBPF rootkit named ShadowGuard to hide activity and evade detection.

🔔 Microsoft will retire the Exchange Web Services (EWS) API for Exchange Online on April 1, 2027, after nearly 20 years. Beginning October 1, 2026, Microsoft will block EWS by default; administrators can temporarily preserve access via tenant application allowlists if configured by the end of August 2026, and Microsoft will pre-populate allowlists for tenants that do not create their own. The retirement applies only to cloud-hosted Exchange; Microsoft recommends migrating integrations to the Microsoft Graph API, which now offers near feature parity for most scenarios.

🤖 Claude Opus 4.6 is now available in Microsoft Foundry on Azure, delivering Anthropic’s advanced reasoning and agent capabilities to enterprise workflows. The model supports a beta 1M-token context window, up to 128K output tokens, and new API controls including Adaptive Thinking and Context Compaction. Integrated with Foundry IQ and Azure governance, Opus 4.6 targets coding, knowledge work, finance, legal, cybersecurity, and multi-tool agent automation—helping teams move from experimentation to production while preserving compliance and operational control.

🔒 Microsoft is supporting Operation Winter SHIELD, a nine-week FBI-led effort beginning February 2, 2026, that shifts focus from guidance to practical implementation so organizations can operationalize controls that actually reduce risk. Microsoft will provide technical resources and platform-backed guardrails — including Baseline Security Mode — to enforce phish-resistant MFA, block legacy authentication, and surface unsupported systems. The initiative emphasizes secure-by-default configurations and automation to turn recommendations into enforceable protections and narrow the execution gap attackers exploit.