Security News

Microsoft fixes known issue causing Outlook freezes, slow starts
2023-10-17 14:02

Microsoft has fixed a known issue affecting Outlook for Microsoft 365 users since June and causing slow starts and freezes as if Offline Outlook Data Files were syncing right after launch. Error messages appeared, stating, "Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened. The attempt to log on to Microsoft Exchange has failed."

Microsoft announces AI bug bounty program
2023-10-16 12:16

Microsoft is offering up to $15,000 to bug hunters that pinpoint vulnerabilities of Critical or Important severity in its AI-powered "Bing experience"."The new Microsoft AI bounty program comes as a result of key investments and learnings over the last few months, including an AI security research challenge and an update to Microsoft's vulnerability severity classification for AI systems," says Lynn Miyashita, a technical program manager with the Microsoft Security Response Center.

Microsoft fixes Windows 10 security update installation issue
2023-10-16 11:53

Microsoft has resolved a known issue that caused Windows 10 security updates released during this month's Patch Tuesday to fail with 0x8007000d errors. For systems impacted by this issue, specifically Windows 10 21H2 and Windows 10 22H2, the KB5031356 security update would fail despite displaying initial progress during deployment.

Microsoft to Phase Out NTLM in Favor of Kerberos for Stronger Authentication
2023-10-14 06:29

Microsoft has announced that it plans to eliminate NT LAN Manager (NTLM) in Windows 11 in the future, as it pivots to alternative methods for authentication and bolster security. "The focus is on...

Microsoft: October Windows 10 security updates fail to install
2023-10-13 19:56

Microsoft says Windows 10 security updates released during this month's Patch Tuesday may fail to install with 0x8007000d errors, although initially displaying progress. On systems affected by this known issue running client platforms, the KB5031356 security update will fail to complete installation.

Microsoft plans to kill off NTLM authentication in Windows 11
2023-10-13 16:46

Microsoft announced earlier this week that the NTLM authentication protocol will be killed off in Windows 11 in the future. [...]

New Microsoft bug bounty program focuses on AI-powered Bing
2023-10-12 17:29

Microsoft announced a new AI bounty program focused on the AI-driven Bing experience, with rewards reaching $15,000. AI-powered Bing experiences on bing.com in Browser AI-powered Bing integration in Microsoft Edge, including Bing Chat for Enterprise.

Microsoft Defender can automatically contain compromised user accounts
2023-10-12 12:23

The feature aims to help organizations disrupt human-operated attacks like ransomware, business email compromise and adversary-in-the-middle, which start - more often than not - with compromised user accounts. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is Microsoft's enterprise extended detection and response solution that detects threats on networks and systems and allows organizations' security staff to investigate and respond to attacks.

Microsoft Defender Thwarts Large-Scale Akira Ransomware Attack
2023-10-12 10:29

Microsoft on Wednesday said that a user containment feature in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helped thwart a "large-scale remote encryption attempt" made by Akira ransomware actors targeting an...

Microsoft Defender now auto-isolates compromised accounts
2023-10-11 18:37

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint now uses automatic attack disruption to isolate compromised user accounts and block lateral movement in hands-on-keyboard attacks with the help of a new 'contain user' capability in public preview.According to Microsoft, Defender for Endpoint now prevents attackers' lateral movement attempts within victims' on-premises or cloud IT infrastructure by temporarily isolating the compromised user accounts they might exploit to achieve their objectives.