Security News

People in Russia can no longer download Windows 10 and Windows 11 ISOs and installation tools from Microsoft, with no reason for the block provided by the company. Using a VPN server located in Russia, BleepingComputer has confirmed that attempting to download the Windows 10 Update Assistant, the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, and the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, Russian users are shown a message stating, "404 - File or Directory not found."

Microsoft has released Windows 10 KB5014699 and KB5014692 cumulative updates for versions 21H2, version 21H1, version 20H2, and 1809 to fix security vulnerabilities and resolve bugs. Like every Patch Tuesday, this Windows 10 cumulative update is mandatory and can be installed by going to Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and selecting 'Check for Updates.

Microsoft has released optional cumulative update previews for Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2, fixing slow file copying and applications crashing due to Direct3D issues. Today's KB5014023 update is part of Microsoft's scheduled May 2022 monthly "C" updates which allow Windows customers to test bug fixes and performance improvements before the general release on June 15 during Patch Tuesday.

Microsoft has released out-of-band updates on Thursday evening to address a newly acknowledged issue impacting Microsoft Store apps. This known issue affects devices running Windows 10 where users have installed the KB5011831 optional preview cumulative update or other updates released since April 25th. "After installing KB5011831 or later updates, you might receive an error code: 0xC002001B when attempting to install from the Microsoft Store," Microsoft explained on the Windows health dashboard.

Microsoft says multiple editions of Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 have reached their end of service on this month's Patch Tuesday, on May 10, 2022. This announcement comes after multiple reminders, including those issued this year in February and April, prompting customers to upgrade since Windows 10 20H2 will reach EOS for Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations users.

Microsoft has released Windows 10 KB5013945 and KB5013942 cumulative updates for versions 21H2, version 21H1, version 20H2, and 1909 to fix security vulnerabilities and resolve bugs. This update is not available for May 2020 Update if you use the consumer edition, but the same update will be offered on devices using enterprise or education SKUs.

Fake Windows 10 updates are being used to distribute the Magniber ransomware in a massive campaign that started earlier this month. While researching the campaign, we discovered a topic in our forums where readers report becoming infected by the Magniber ransomware after installing what is believed to be Windows 10 cumulative or security update.

Microsoft has released the optional KB5011831 Preview cumulative update for Windows 10 20H2, Windows 10 21H1, and Windows 10 21H2 that fixes 26 bugs. This update includes many bug fixes, including those for Microsoft OneDrive, Remote Desktop, News and Interest, Azure Active Directory, and delays in booting Windows 10.

Microsoft has released the optional KB5012636 cumulative update preview for Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019, with fixes for system freezing issues affecting client and server systems. This update is part of Microsoft's scheduled April 2022 monthly "C" updates, and it allows Windows 10 users to test the fixes released on May 10th as part of next month's Patch Tuesday.

Microsoft says Windows 10, version 21H2 is now designated for broad deployment, making it available to everyone via Windows Update. The Windows 10 21H2 rollout started in November 2021, but Microsoft only began offering it to all those checking for updates via Windows Update beginning on Friday, April 15, 2022.