windows
Microsoft: New Windows scheduled task will launch Office apps faster
In May, Microsoft plans to roll out a new Windows scheduled task that launches automatically to help Microsoft Office apps load faster. The company says the “Startup Boost” task will launch in the background on logon, with the roll-out to start in mid-May and worldwide general availability to be reached by late May 2025. On systems […]
Mozilla warns Windows users of critical Firefox sandbox escape flaw
Mozilla has released Firefox 136.0.4 to patch a critical security vulnerability that can let attackers escape the web browser’s sandbox on Windows systems. Tracked as CVE-2025-2857, this flaw is described as an “incorrect handle could lead to sandbox escapes” and was reported by Mozilla developer Andrew McCreight. The vulnerability impacts the latest Firefox standard and extended […]
Windows 11 update breaks Veeam recovery, causes connection errors
Microsoft and Veeam are investigating a known issue that triggers connection errors on Windows 11 24H2 systems when restoring from Veeam Recovery Media. These recovery problems affect users trying to restore data from media created on devices running Windows 11 24H2 (build 26100.3194) or higher. While the root cause behind the issue is unknown, Veeam says that the […]
Broadcom warns of authentication bypass in VMware Windows Tools
Broadcom released security updates today to fix a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in VMware Tools for Windows. VMware Tools is a suite of drivers and utilities designed to improve performance, graphics, and overall system integration for guest operating systems running in VMware virtual machines. The vulnerability (CVE-2025-22230) is caused by an improper access control weakness […]
New Windows zero-day leaks NTLM hashes, gets unofficial patch
Free unofficial patches are available for a new Windows zero-day vulnerability that can let remote attackers steal NTLM credentials by tricking targets into viewing malicious files in Windows Explorer. NTLM has been widely exploited in NTLM relay attacks (where threat actors force vulnerable network devices to authenticate to attacker-controlled servers) and pass-the-hash attacks (where they exploit vulnerabilities to steal […]
EncryptHub linked to MMC zero-day attacks on Windows systems
A threat actor known as EncryptHub has been linked to Windows zero-day attacks exploiting a Microsoft Management Console vulnerability patched this month. Uncovered by Trend Micro staff researcher Aliakbar Zahravi, this security feature bypass (dubbed ‘MSC EvilTwin’ and now tracked as CVE-2025-26633) resides in how MSC files are handled on vulnerable devices. Attackers can leverage the […]
Critical Cisco Smart Licensing Utility flaws now exploited in attacks
Attackers have started targeting Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU) instances unpatched against a vulnerability exposing a built-in backdoor admin account. The CSLU Windows application allows admins to manage licenses and linked products on-premises without connecting them to Cisco’s cloud-based Smart Software Manager solution. Cisco patched this security flaw (tracked as CVE-2024-20439) in September, describing it as “an […]
Microsoft lifts Windows 11 upgrade block after Asphalt 8 crash fix
Microsoft has lifted an upgrade block that prevented Asphalt 8: Airborne players from upgrading their systems to Windows 11 24H2 due to compatibility issues. According to its Microsoft Store entry, the game has over 322,000 ratings and 470 million players across all supported platforms. As the company explained when it first acknowledged this known issue in October, the game was […]
New Windows zero-day exploited by 11 state hacking groups since 2017
At least 11 state-backed hacking groups from North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China have been exploiting a new Windows vulnerability in data theft and cyber espionage zero-day attacks since 2017. However, as security researchers Peter Girnus and Aliakbar Zahravi with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) reported today, Microsoft tagged it as “not meeting the […]
Microsoft: March Windows updates mistakenly uninstall Copilot
Microsoft says the March 2025 Windows cumulative updates automatically and mistakenly remove the AI-powered Copilot digital assistant from some Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. The warning was added to updated support documents days after Redmond released this month’s Patch Tuesday security updates. As Microsoft explains, the update applies to all users who install the KB5053598 (Windows […]