Security News

Microsoft Defender for Business, a new endpoint security solution specially built for small and medium-sized businesses, is now rolling out in preview worldwide.Microsoft first announced Defender for Business last month and released it in response to the 300% increase in ransomware attacks in the previous year, with over 50% of them directly impacting SMBs, according to US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Microsoft has added the Windows Subsystem for Linux as a separate app to the Microsoft Store with the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22518 to the Dev Channel. The WSL store app for Windows 11 machines was announced in October when it was also first added as a preview.

Microsoft says the first Secured-core certified Windows Server and Microsoft Azure Stack HCI devices are now available to protect customers' networks from security threats, including ransomware attacks. The newly certified Secured-core servers use Secure boot and the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 to ensure that only trusted will be able to load on boot.

NASA has upgraded its near-Earth asteroid monitoring algorithm to model hazardous space rocks more accurately after nearly two decades, it announced on Tuesday. Astronomers working at the space agency's Center for Near Earth Object Studies can now automatically calculate thermal influences that nudge an asteroid's orbit, potentially sending it hurtling towards our home planet.

Microsoft has started rolling out the new and wholly redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. "First, you will notice a completely updated UI that aligns with the new visual design of Windows 11, including rounded corners, Mica, and more," said today Dave Grochocki, Microsoft's Principal Program Manager Lead for Windows Inbox Apps.

Microsoft has revealed its Digital Crimes Unit won court approval to take control of websites a Chinese gang was using to attack targets across the world - often by exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. A post attributed to Microsoft's corporate veep for customer security & trust, Tom Burt, states the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has granted Microsoft to take control of malicious websites operated by a group called Nickel that has been around since at least 2016.

Microsoft on Monday announced the seizure of 42 domains used by a China-based cyber espionage group that set its sights on organizations in the U.S. and 28 other countries pursuant to a legal warrant issued by a federal court in the U.S. state of Virginia. "Nickel has targeted organizations in both the private and public sectors, including diplomatic organizations and ministries of foreign affairs in North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa," Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Customer Security and Trust, Tom Burt, said.

Microsoft seized today dozens of malicious sites used by the Nickel China-based hacking group to target organizations in the US and 28 other countries worldwide. "Nickel has targeted organizations in both the private and public sectors, including diplomatic organizations and ministries of foreign affairs in North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa," said Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President for Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft.

Microsoft is offering discounts of up to 50% on Microsoft 365 subscriptions to those using pirated versions of Microsoft Office willing to switch to a genuine version. The message displayed is a call to action for those likely using a pirate copy of Microsoft Office: "GET UP TO 50% OFF. For a limited time, save up to 50% on a genuine Microsoft 365 subscription."

A persuasive and ongoing series of phishing attacks are using fake Office 365 notifications asking the recipients to review blocked spam messages, with the end goal of stealing their Microsoft credentials. Instead of reaching the Office 365 portal when clicking the 'Review' button, they are sent to a phishing landing page that will ask them to enter their Microsoft credentials to access the quarantined spam messages.