Tag: Microsoft

Microsoft Drops Groove Music Pass Sending Customers To Spotify

Groove Music has had a short, troubled life.

It started out as Zune Music, but Microsoft bought it in 2012, promptly rebranding it as Xbox Music before changing its name again to Groove. Now, the company has decided to get out of the music business altogether, and is sending all of its paying customers over to Spotify.

The idea behind Groove music was a pretty solid one. When Windows 10 was rolled out, it included a new music player called Groove, and the music service was to tie into this new platform, allowing users to play either locally stored music files or subscribe to a streaming service, switching between the two seamlessly.

Groove Music Pass was the name given to the subscription service that allowed users to stream music via desktops, mobile devices and gaming consoles.

Although no detailed explanation was given, it seems clear that the service didn’t turn out to be the financial boon that Microsoft first imagined it to be. So, as part of the company’s next Patch Tuesday rollout, all Groove Music Pass customers will receive a notification and instructions on how to move their music collection over to Spotify.

Note, however, that the Groove music player itself lives on, and you’ll still be able to use it to play locally stored music files.

The bottom line is that if you’re a Groove Music Pass user, this may actually be good news. Spotify is an excellent service with a broader selection than that which was available on Microsoft’s service. They’ve been in the business longer and are obviously committed to remaining one of the industry’s top players, so the opportunity to switch, while it does carry some initial overhead and annoyance, is almost certain to be well worth it in the long run.

Update: WiFi Security Issue That Could Impact Most Routers, Smartphones

Recently, we wrote an urgent article about a serious security flaw in the current WiFi standard that could impact almost every wireless router and smartphone on the planet.

Dubbed the “Krack Attack,” this flaw allows a hacker to make a carbon copy of your WPA2-encrypted network, spoof its MAC address, change the WiFi channel and reroute all network traffic through the clone that they control.

This, of course, allows them to spy on all network traffic and execute a wide range of “man in the middle” attacks against any traffic passing through, which opens the door to tremendous damage.

Microsoft has been quick to respond to the latest threat and has already released a patch which addresses the issue for Windows-based PCs. If you’re running Windows 8 and above and automatically getting security updates, then you should already have the patch, and you are protected.

That’s good news, given how large a footprint Windows has, but sadly, it does not completely solve the problem.

That’s because Android and Linux-based systems are even more at risk. In those cases, a second flaw makes the problem worse. They do not demand a unique encryption key, which makes it easier, by far, for hackers deploying the Krack Attack to abuse devices running those operating systems.

There’s been no word on an ETA for a Linux fix, but Google has announced that an updated planned for release on November 6 will resolve the issue on that front. For Apple’s part, the company reports that the flaw has been addressed in beta versions of MacOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. They are anticipating rolling out live versions of these fixes later this month, although a specific release date has not been announced at this point.

All that to say, regardless of which platform you’re using, hang tight. Help is on the way, and kudos to Microsoft for being the first tech giant out the gate with a solution.

New Malware Can Infect Computers, Even With Windows Defender

Researchers at the security firm CyberArk have discovered a new attack vector they’ve dubbed “Illusion Gap.” While it’s somewhat tricky for a hacker to implement, when it works, it can be devastatingly effective, completely bypassing Windows Defender, which is security software that comes pre-loaded on all Windows-based computers.

To successfully execute the attack, the hacker relies on a combination of social engineering tricks and the use of a rogue SMB server. Thanks to the way Windows Defender scans files stored on an SMB share, if he can convince a user to execute a poisoned file hosted on a malicious server, then Windows Defender can be bypassed completely.

This is actually not as difficult as it may first appear. Often, simply presenting the user with a shortcut to the poisoned file is sufficient, and the moment that a user double clicks the shortcut, the damage is done.

Windows Defender does try, because before the file is executed, it requests a copy for scanning purposes, but the hackers can simply substitute a clean copy of the file to hand off to Windows Defender, tricking it into thinking that there’s no problem. That done, the poisoned file executes and can inject whatever code the hacker likes into the target system.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not view this as a security issue at all. CyberArk contacted Microsoft when they discovered the flaw, and received the following as a response from the company:

“Thanks for your email. Based on your report, successful attack requires a user to run/trust content from an untrusted SMB share backed by a custom server that can change its behavior depending on the access pattern. This doesn’t seem to be a security issue but a feature request which I have forwarded to the engineering group.

Thanks again for reporting security issues to Microsoft responsibly and we appreciate your effort in doing so.”

All that is to say, where Illusion Gap is concerned, you’re on your own, at least for the time being. Be very careful when you click on any file hosted on an SMB server, or any shortcuts to them.

Firefox Will End Support For XP, and Vista Users In 2018

<img class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-6998″ src=”https://www.securepc-wi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Firefox.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”225″ />Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP and Vista quite some time ago., Butbut so far, Firefox has been hanging tough, continuing to provide updates to their browser’s users on both platforms, doing at least something to extend their useful life a bit longer.

That’s soon coming to an endgoing to change soon. Mozilla recently announced that as of June 2018, their support for both XP and Vista would be coming to an end.

Originally, Mozilla planned to discontinue support to both XP and Vista in December 2016. That date came and went, and the company announced that they’d provide a revised date for ending their support no later than September 2017. They’ve now settled on a final date, and odds are that the two platforms won’t get another extension beyond this.

If you’re still using either XP or Vista, it’s well past time to migrate or upgrade. Unfortunately, tens of millions of users around the world are still clinging to these systems, because the legacy software running on them simply isn’t compatible with more modern operating systems.

The danger, though, is that sans security patches, these systems are growing increasingly vulnerable to hacking attacks as time passes. New security flaws and exploits are being discovered all the time, and they’re not getting patched, making these old systems little more than ticking time bombs on your company’s network.

All that to say, if you’re still struggling to upgrade your legacy systems so you can finally move away from Windows Vista and XP, it’s more important than ever. No matter how important those legacy systems are to your company, the hard truth is that the longer those old systems remain connected to your network, the more danger your company is in. It’s not a question of if a hacker will exploit that system, it’s a matter of when.

The clock is ticking.

Microsoft Edge Browser Coming To Android And IOS

Since ditching its beleaguered Internet Explorer browser, Microsoft’s latest offering, Edge, which is bundled with Windows 10, has been struggling to gain a foothold in the market.

Yes, it comes preloaded on Windows 10 machines, and that fact alone has prompted significant use. However, the browser has its share of weaknesses and limitations, one of the largest being that it has, until now, completely lacked a cross-platform, multiple device experience.

That has changed. Users can now install the Edge browser on iOS and Android devices, which makes it easier to surf the web seamlessly across multiple devices.

It should be noted, however, that “smartphone Edge” is Microsoft Edge in name only. The variants created for iOS and Android devices have little in common with Microsoft Edge for the PC, other than the name, and a similar look and feel.

In the case of the iOS version, this is because Apple doesn’t allow the development of third-party browsers, so iOS Edge is essentially the Safari browser, wrapped in a different skin.

Google’s Android platform doesn’t have rules quite as restrictive, and as such, Edge for the Android platform is built around Chromium, which is an open source Chrome variant.

Even with these limitations, though, the multi-platform, multi-device Edge does get the job done, allowing for basic tab syncing across devices.

This development, while encouraging, is likely to do little to change the equation much. Most users are pretty happy with whatever browser they’re currently using, and unless there’s a truly compelling reason to switch, they simply won’t.

This development, while certainly a nice addition, is not something most people are likely to find compelling enough to switch browsers for. However, it may have some impact at the Enterprise level, if and where there are applications and web portals that have been optimized for use with Edge. If your company has one of these, then this is welcomed news indeed.

Microsoft Officially Pulls Plug On Windows Phone

The Windows phone is officially dead, with the announcement from Joe Belfiore that there would be no new feature updates and no further development.

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, with Microsoft gutting its phone division and laying off thousands of employees. But until Belfiore’s announcement, the company hadn’t made it official.

Microsoft was very slow to recognize how big a footprint smartphones would ultimately have in the market, and as such, paid little attention to them when they were first introduced.

Their first serious effort to try and gain a foothold in the market was with the introduction of Windows CE, a “lite” version of Windows that was plagued with problems almost from the start.

The company tried again with Windows 8, which was redesigned with apps specifically in mind.

Unfortunately, it represented too much of a change and was introduced too quickly. The new OS was not well-received.

Windows 10 essentially represented a “do-over”, and to the company’s credit, it was much more well-received than its predecessor. However, by the time the company hit upon something that may have worked, the market was already too mature, and the big players were already too well-entrenched for the company to have a realistic shot at gaining significant ground.

They struggled to get a sufficient number of developers interested in writing apps for their phone, and even if they had, their app store was plagued with problems. Thus, the company’s decision to pull the plug was not terribly surprising.

Mr. Belfiore stressed that the company would continue to support the platform, providing bug fixes and security patches to all those who wish to continue using them, but as the already small user base continues to shrink, it will eventually reach a point where it’s simply no longer financially viable to do even that.

Look And Feel May Change In Future Windows 10 Update

Microsoft is experimenting with a new feature that may change the look and feel of Windows 10 in some future update.

The new approach is referred to as “Sets,” which borrows from the playbook of modern web browsers and groups related applications into tabbed sets, with the groupings defined by project type. The applications you need to make use of on any given project will be grouped together, even if the last time you used a given app was several weeks prior.

Essentially, this approach is a combination of the Windows Explorer “Task View,” “Pick up where you left off” and “timeline.” They are wrapped into a single-window experience complete with an “application history” feature, which works a lot like a web browser’s history, so you won’t have to remember which application you were using a few weeks earlier to work on your current project.

It’s a good idea in theory, and it should streamline the user experience. If, for example, you need to use your email, Microsoft Word, Photoshop and Excel to complete a given project, all of these will be organized as tabs across a single window.

While there’s been no word from Microsoft on exactly when we can expect to see the new feature, if the past is any guide, it will first be available to Windows Insiders for an initial evaluation. In the meantime, Microsoft will be seeking support for the new concept from a wide range of third party developers.

Another clear sign that the company is committed to the new idea is that Stardock, a company which has provided some intriguing UI tweaks to Windows for several years now, has released a new product called “Groupy,” which reproduces some of the basic features planned for Sets.

So far, Microsoft hasn’t released a firm time table, so there’s no clear indication when we might be seeing the change. We’ll have more information on this topic as it becomes available.

Windows 10 Now Installed On Over 600M Machines

When Microsoft first released Windows 10, the company boasted that it would try to get its new OS running on a billion devices by 2018.

Time and circumstance have conspired to make that lofty goal unlikely, and the company has since retreated from it. However, according to statistics released at a recent shareholder’s meeting, there are now more than 600 million devices utilizing it, including PCs, tablets, HoloLens headsets, Surface Hubs and Xbox One consoles.

It’s an impressive number, but two things contributed to dramatically slowing the overall rate of adoption.

First and foremost, the company recently ended its free Windows 10 upgrade offer, which had been the driving force behind the rapid adoption since the initial release of the OS. Secondly, Microsoft gave up on the Windows Phone, making it unlikely in the extreme that smartphones will ever contribute in any significant way to the total number of installed devices.

Earlier this year, Microsoft found itself in hot water when it was discovered that the company was quietly pushing the new OS onto Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines. This move ate up a whopping six gigabytes of hard disk space and drew a considerable amount of fire from a variety of user and industry groups.

Some of the other tactics used by the company have also been found to be overly aggressive, and in some cases, downright coercive. The worst of these have since been abandoned, but not before considerable damage had been done to the company’s image.

As things stand now, Windows 10 is the second most widely used desktop OS, behind only Windows 7, which has a market share of 52.37 percent according to the latest statistics by Netmarketshare. Even if Microsoft never quite reaches its initial 1 billion-device goal, 600 million devices is nothing to sneeze at.

Look And Feel May Change In Future Windows 10 Update

Microsoft is experimenting with a new feature that may change the look and feel of Windows 10 in some future update.

The new approach is referred to as “Sets,” which borrows from the playbook of modern web browsers and groups related applications into tabbed sets, with the groupings defined by project type. The applications you need to make use of on any given project will be grouped together, even if the last time you used a given app was several weeks prior.

Essentially, this approach is a combination of the Windows Explorer “Task View,” “Pick up where you left off” and “timeline.” They are wrapped into a single-window experience complete with an “application history” feature, which works a lot like a web browser’s history, so you won’t have to remember which application you were using a few weeks earlier to work on your current project.

It’s a good idea in theory, and it should streamline the user experience. If, for example, you need to use your email, Microsoft Word, Photoshop and Excel to complete a given project, all of these will be organized as tabs across a single window.

While there’s been no word from Microsoft on exactly when we can expect to see the new feature, if the past is any guide, it will first be available to Windows Insiders for an initial evaluation. In the meantime, Microsoft will be seeking support for the new concept from a wide range of third party developers.

Another clear sign that the company is committed to the new idea is that Stardock, a company which has provided some intriguing UI tweaks to Windows for several years now, has released a new product called “Groupy,” which reproduces some of the basic features planned for Sets.

So far, Microsoft hasn’t released a firm time table, so there’s no clear indication when we might be seeing the change. We’ll have more information on this topic as it becomes available.

Windows 10 Gets New Set Of Recommended Security Standards

Microsoft has introduced a new set of standards designed to make computers running Windows 10 more secure.

Obviously, these standards are not industry requirements, and most of the off-the-shelf PCs you can buy will struggle to meet all of these requirements. In time, of course, that could change, but as things stand now, if you’re interested in making your computer as safe and secure as it possibly can be, this is a road you’ll have to go down on your own and make the necessary mods and additions to your existing equipment. Here’s the summary, in a nutshell:

• 7th generation AMD or Intel Processors, because these contain MBEC (Mode-Based Execution Control)
• 64-bit processor architecture to take advantage of VBS (Virtualization-Based Security)
• Support for AMD-Vi, Intel VT-d, or ARM64SMMUs (this, to take advantage of Input-Output Memory Management Unit device virtualization)
• Purchase a Trusted Platform Module, if one is not already built into your existing chipset
• Make use of Platform Boot Verification to prevent the loading of firmware that was not designed by the manufacturer of your system
• A minimum of 8GB of RAM
• Use a system that implements UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) 2.4 or above
• Systems should also support the Windows UEFI Firmware Capsule Update specification
• All drivers used should be Hypervisor-based Code Integrity compliant

At first blush, this list seems a bit daunting, but the cost requirements to better secure the Windows 10 PCs on your network are really not as bad as they first appear. In fact, it is possible to find a few off-the-shelf PCs that meet the newly published security standards, so if you’re ready to replace some of your network equipment, you do have at least a few options that don’t require you to custom build.

In any case, although it’s true that the new standards aren’t a magic bullet, they will certainly go a long way toward making your network as a whole more secure, making them a welcome addition indeed.