Microsoft now lets admins choose pre-installed Store apps to uninstall
Microsoft has updated a Windows 11 in-box app removal policy introduced in October to include a dynamic list that lets IT admins choose which preinstalled Store apps to uninstall. The updated RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages policy enables admins to remove any preinstalled MSIX/APPX app by referencing its Package Family Name (PFN) using Group Policy Object (GPO) or a custom OMA-URI […]
Windows 11 KB5083631 update released with 34 changes and fixes
Microsoft has released the KB5083631 optional cumulative update for Windows 11, which includes 34 changes, such as a new Xbox mode for Windows PCs, enhanced security and performance for batch files, and performance improvements for launching startup apps. KB5083631 is a preview update that lets admins test Windows bug fixes, improvements, and new features, before they’re generally available […]
US ransomware negotiators get 4 years in prison over BlackCat attacks
Two former employees of cybersecurity incident response companies Sygnia and DigitalMint were sentenced to four years in prison each for targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks. 40-year-old Ryan Clifford Goldberg (a former Sygnia incident response manager) and 36-year-old Kevin Tyler Martin (a DigitalMint ransomware negotiator) were charged in November and pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to […]
New Bluekit phishing service includes an AI assistant, 40 templates
A new phishing kit named Bluekit offers more than 40 templates targeting popular services and includes basic AI features for generating campaign drafts. Available templates can be used to target email accounts (Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, ProtonMail), cloud services (iCloud), developer platforms (GitHub), and cryptocurrency services (Ledger). What makes the kit stand out is the […]
Romanian leader of online swatting ring gets 4 years in prison
A Romanian national who led an online swatting ring that targeted more than 75 public officials, multiple journalists, and four religious institutions was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison. Swatting is a dangerous criminal harassment tactic involving making false reports to emergency responders of an ongoing violent threat at a target’s address to provoke an […]
FBI links cybercriminals to sharp surge in cargo theft attacks
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned the transportation and logistics industry of a sharp rise in cyber-enabled cargo theft, with estimated losses in the United States and Canada reaching nearly $725 million in 2025. This represents a 60% surge in losses compared to the previous year, fueled by criminals increasingly using hacking and […]
April KB5083769 Windows 11 update causes backup software failures
The April 2026 KB5083769 security update breaks third-party backup applications from multiple vendors on systems running Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. According to user reports, first spotted by Microsoft MVP Susan Bradley, this issue affects software using VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) snapshots and causes failures due to a VSS service timeout. Microsoft VSS was introduced in Windows […]
New Linux âCopy Failâ flaw gives hackers root on major distros
An exploit has been published for a local privilege escalation vulnerability dubbed âCopy Failâ that impacts Linux kernels released since 2017, allowing an unprivileged local attacker to gain root permissions. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-31431 and was discovered by the offensive security company Theori, using its AI-driven pentesting platform Xint Code after scaning the […]
Critical cPanel and WHM bug exploited as a zero-day, PoC now available
The critical CVE-2026-41940 authentication bypass vulnerability in cPanel, WHM, and WP Squared is being actively exploited in the wild and has been leveraged in attempts since late February. It is unclear when exploitation started, but KnownHost, a hosting provider that uses cPanel, said the day the vulnerability was disclosed that “successful exploits have been seen […]
Police dismantles 9 crypto scam centers, arrests 276 suspects
A joint international operation involving U.S. and Chinese authorities arrested at least 276 suspects and shut down nine cryptocurrency investment fraud centers. The crackdown was led by Dubai Police under the UAE Ministry of Interior and targeted crime networks running so-called pig-butchering schemes (also known as romance baiting), a form of fraud in which scammers […]