All news with #microsoft tag

🔧 Microsoft released the final non-security preview update for Windows 10 22H2 (KB5066198), delivering fixes for the out-of-box experience and SMBv1 connectivity over NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). This optional cumulative update lets administrators test improvements before they roll into the next month’s Patch Tuesday and raises systems to build 19045.6396. KB5066198 also resolves an Autopilot Enrollment Status Page (ESP) OOBE loading issue and includes prior fixes for unexpected UAC prompts and NDI streaming performance regressions. Install via Windows Update by choosing 'Download and install' for optional updates or obtain the package from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

🚀 The reimagined Microsoft Marketplace is a unified destination to find, try, buy and deploy cloud solutions, AI apps and agents, combining Azure Marketplace and Microsoft AppSource. It lists tens of thousands of offerings and more than 3,000 AI apps and agents with rapid provisioning into Microsoft environments using Model Context Protocol (MCP). Integrations with CSPs and channel partners support private offers, a resale-enabled preview and governance for enterprise deployment.

🛡️ Microsoft will provide no-cost Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10 consumer users across the European Economic Area (EEA). The company adjusted enrollment so consumers can access critical patches without tying updates to Windows Backup or Microsoft Rewards, following pressure from Euroconsumers. Microsoft says the change aims to support customers transitioning to Windows 11 before Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025.

⚖️ A year after Google Cloud filed a formal complaint with the European Commission, restrictive cloud licensing by Microsoft remains entrenched and, according to recent disclosures, appears to be intensifying. Microsoft has described efforts to drive customers to Azure as a core growth pillar, while new licensing changes due at the end of September further restrict managed service providers from hosting workloads on competing clouds. Regulators such as the U.K.'s CMA have found these policies harm customers, competition, innovation, and cybersecurity, and multiple global authorities are now scrutinizing the practices.

🔐 Chinese state-linked actors deployed a custom Linux/BSD backdoor called BRICKSTORM on network edge appliances to maintain persistent access into U.S. legal, technology, SaaS and outsourcing firms. These implants averaged 393 days of undetected dwell time and were used to pivot to VMware vCenter/ESXi hosts, Windows systems, and Microsoft 365 mailboxes. Mandiant and Google TAG attribute the activity to UNC5221 and have released a scanner and hunting guidance to locate affected appliances.

🔍 A single Microsoft Defender alert triggered an investigation that uncovered a persistent cyberthreat against retail customers. Attackers exploited unpatched SharePoint flaws CVE-2025-49706 and CVE-2025-49704 using obfuscated ASPX web shells while also compromising identities through self-service password reset abuse and Microsoft Entra ID reconnaissance. DART swiftly contained the intrusions—removing web shells, isolating Entra ID, deprivileging accounts, and recommending Zero Trust measures, MFA enforcement, timely patching, and EDR deployment.

🔧 Microsoft outlined a set of agentic AI tools to speed migration and modernization across applications and data. GitHub Copilot now automates Java and .NET upgrades and end-to-end app modernization flows, while Azure Migrate adds AI-driven guidance, connected Copilot workflows, and broader application-awareness. The Azure Accelerate program pairs expert deployment support and funding to reduce friction and help teams move projects faster.

🔧 Microsoft removed a compatibility hold that prevented devices with integrated cameras from installing Windows 11, version 24H2 after fixing a face/object detection bug that could cause the Camera app, Windows Hello facial sign-in, and other camera-using apps to freeze. The safeguard (ID 53340062) has been lifted; eligible devices with no other holds should be offered the update via Windows Update within 48 hours, and restarting may speed the offer. Microsoft recommends installing the latest security update, which includes the fix.

🎬 Microsoft confirmed a known issue that prevents some apps from playing DRM-protected video content or from displaying and recording live TV on Windows 11 24H2 systems after installing the August non-security preview update (KB5064081) or later. Applications using Enhanced Video Renderer with HDCP enforcement or DRM for digital audio may encounter copyright protection errors, frequent playback interruptions, freezing, or black screens. The vendor is working on a fix that will be delivered in a future Windows update.

🔍Three major cybersecurity vendors — Microsoft, SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks — have declined to participate in the 2025 MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations: Enterprise, citing a need to prioritize product development and innovation. Their exits, after strong 2024 performances, have sparked debate over the tests' scope and whether they encourage PR-driven preparation. MITRE says it will revive a vendor forum for 2026 to improve engagement.

🔒 Microsoft has patched a critical token validation failure in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), tracked as CVE-2025-55241 and assigned a CVSS score of 10.0. The flaw combined misused service-to-service (S2S) actor tokens issued by the Access Control Service (ACS) with a validation gap in the legacy Azure AD Graph API that enabled cross-tenant impersonation, including Global Administrators. Microsoft released a fix on July 17, 2025 and said no customer action is required; there is no indication the issue was exploited in the wild. Security firms warned the vulnerability could bypass MFA, Conditional Access and logging, potentially enabling full tenant compromise.

🎮 Microsoft has begun a beta rollout of Gaming Copilot to Windows 11 PCs for users aged 18 and older outside mainland China. Integrated into the Game Bar via the Xbox PC app (Win+G), the assistant offers a Voice Mode for in‑game help, game recommendations, achievement checks and play‑history insights. Microsoft plans to push the feature to the Xbox mobile app on iOS and Android in October. Users can remove the widget from the Game Bar via Settings if they prefer.

🚀 Microsoft unveiled Fairwater, a purpose-built AI datacenter in Wisconsin and sister sites in Norway and the UK, designed to operate as a single, global-scale supercomputer. The facility deploys interconnected racks of NVIDIA GB200 servers (72 GPUs per rack) and claims 10× the performance of the world’s fastest supercomputer. It combines closed-loop liquid cooling, exabyte-scale storage and an AI WAN to enable distributed training and large-scale inference across Azure.

🔷 Microsoft was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global Industrial IIoT Platforms, highlighting its industrial cloud portfolio. Azure’s adaptive cloud—anchored by Azure IoT, Azure Arc, Azure Digital Twins, and Microsoft Fabric—is positioned to unify cloud-to-edge data, enable real‑time intelligence, and scale AI-driven operations. The platform emphasizes security with Microsoft Defender for IoT, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsoft Entra, while enabling brownfield integration and partner-led solutions to accelerate industrial modernization.

🔒 Microsoft 365 has become the central nervous system of modern business, and its market dominance has turned the platform into a lucrative target for attackers. With over 400 million paid seats and tightly integrated apps like Outlook, SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive, a single compromise can cascade across services. Organizations must close backup gaps, adopt zero trust, enforce MFA and deploy cross-application threat detection to reduce catastrophic exposure.

📝 Microsoft is adding free AI-powered text features to Notepad on Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, rolling out now to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels on Notepad version 11.2508.28.0. The new Summarize, Write, and Rewrite tools were previously part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions but are available without an extra subscription on Copilot+ devices. Features support English only; subscribers can switch between local and cloud models while unsigned users use the local model. Users may disable the AI options in settings or uninstall the updated Notepad to use classic notepad.exe. Paint and Snipping Tool also received recent updates.

🛡️ Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit has seized 338 domains to dismantle the Phishing‑as‑a‑Service platform RaccoonO365, which enabled low‑skilled actors to deploy convincing Microsoft login pages. The DCU reports the service compromised more than 5,000 accounts across 94 countries since July 2024 and could bypass MFA to maintain persistent access. Operators marketed AI enhancements to scale attacks and collected at least $100,000 in cryptocurrency, prompting legal action to disrupt the infrastructure and seize control of the platform.

🔔Microsoft reminded customers that Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach the end of extended support on 14 October 2025. Organizations using Visio 2016/2019, Project 2016/2019, and related apps are urged to upgrade to avoid security, compliance, and performance issues because no further updates or fixes will be provided. Microsoft recommends migrating to Microsoft 365 Apps or selecting a perpetual release such as Office 2024 or Office LTSC 2024 depending on licensing and connectivity needs.

🔒 Microsoft and Cloudflare coordinated a disruption of the RaccoonO365 Phishing-as-a-Service operation in early September 2025, seizing 338 malicious websites and Cloudflare Worker accounts. The service is linked to at least 5,000 stolen Microsoft 365 credentials from 94 countries since July 2024 and was used in large campaigns, including a tax-themed sweep that targeted over 2,300 U.S. organizations. Kits bundled CAPTCHA and anti-bot evasion, were sold via a private Telegram channel, and investigators identified a suspected leader, prompting a criminal referral.

🔒 Microsoft and Cloudflare executed a coordinated takedown of RaccoonO365, a Nigerian-run phishing-as-a-service platform tracked by Microsoft as Storm-2246. The joint effort seized 338 domains and dismantled infrastructure that reportedly generated hundreds of millions of malicious messages and could bypass some MFA protections. Cloudflare removed intermediary Cloudflare Workers shields and deployed phish warning pages, while Microsoft pursued legal action and criminal referrals. The disruption exposed risks to healthcare providers and highlighted cross-border enforcement limits.