Microsoft Support & Discussions
Free PC Help Forum microsoft products support and discussions. If you need help with Microsoft Windows, Windows Server software, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure or any other Microsoft product you can post here. If you want to discuss Microsoft and their line of products you can do that here also.
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Would you jailbreak your iPhone if you could, and if it were easy to do? Would you pay a bit extra for a second-hand device that had been jailbroken for you? Jailbreaking is where you exploit bugs in Apple’s software to remove the restrictions imposed on your device by the operating system itself. Jailbreaking liberates your iPhone from Apple’s “walled garden,” by which you are forced to shop at the App Store only. That frees you up to run a whole range of apps that you can’t get via the official App Store, including apps with features that Apple won’t allow in the App Store at all. Ironically, one example of a prohibited feature that requires a jailbroken …
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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The UK’s electronic communications watchdog has just clamped down on a company accused of mass spamming. Intelligent Lending Limited has been fined £130,000 (about $170,000) over the matter of close to 8 million unsolicited SMSes that it sent over a six month period in 2015. The messages looked like this: According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the spammers claimed that they’d complied with the letter and the spirit of the rules by buying in a list of mobile phone numbers for consumers who had already consented to receive SMS ads. The ICO disagreed, arguing that consent couldn’t be that vague: Consent within the meaning of [the relevant…
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Enabling Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V virtualization based security features on other...
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
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This post was authored by Mike Schutz, General Manager, Cloud Platform. Security is a top-of-mind topic for every organization. This is why Microsoft is investing deeply to provide advanced security across our technology portfolio. With the launch of Windows Server 2016 this week, we introduced new advanced multi-layer security capabilities to provide additional ways to safeguard infrastructure. Windows Server 2016 helps prevent attacks and detect suspicious activity with new features to control privileged access, help protect virtual machines, and harden the platform against emerging threats. Some of the notable advancements include: Protect administrator crede…
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Android.Lockscreen uses pseudo-random PIN codes to lock users out of their devices and request large sums of money A previously unsophisticated Android ransomware that locks an Android device's screen has received new updates that make it impossible for security researchers to help victims unlock their devices. Android.Lockscreen was a simplistic Android ransomware that appeared in March 2015. For a long period of time, this threat operated by setting a custom PIN code and showing a message on the user's screen, asking them to call a number for technical support. Users calling this number would be tricked into paying for expensive "technical support" and woul…
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The New York Times has published a story quoting unnamed Yahoo insiders, and it doesn't paint a pretty picture of the firm's security priorities. There's lot to ponder in the article, but one thing that sprung out to me was a section which described how CEO Marissa Mayer clashed with Yahoo CISO Alex Stamos (who left to become Facebook's security chief in mid-2015, in a move widely applauded by the infosec community). But when it came time to commit meaningful dollars to improve Yahoo’s security infrastructure, Ms. Mayer repeatedly clashed with Mr. Stamos, according to the current and former employees. She denied Yahoo’s security team financial resources and put off …
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V large-scale VM performance for in-memory transaction processing
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
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This post was authored by Liang Yang, Principal Performance Engineer on the Hyper-V team and Jos de Bruijn, Senior Program Manager on the SQL Server team. With Windows Server 2016, Microsoft has significantly bumped up the Hyper-V Virtual Machine (VM) scale limit to embrace new scenarios such as running e-commerce large in-memory databases for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) and Data Warehousing (DW) purposes. In this post, we highlight the performance of in-memory transaction processing at scale using SQL Server 2016 running in a Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V VM. The result: 343,000 transactions per second using an order processing workload with a 4 terabyte in-…
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Update to the Microsoft Edge Web Platform on Windows Insider Preview Bug Bounty Program terms
by Guest MSRC Team- 0 replies
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On August 4, 2016 we launched a bounty program that targets Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge on the Windows Insider Preview Slow (WIP slow). Today, we will be making additions to this bounty program. Since security is a continuous effort and not a destination, we prioritize acquiring different types of vulnerabilities in different points of time. Currently, we are focusing on vulnerabilities that lead to violation of W3C standards that compromise privacy and integrity of important user data, and RCEs. This program now includes: Same Origin Policy bypass vulnerabilities (example: UXSS) Referer Spoofing vulnerabilities Remote Code Executio…
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Last week was pretty rough for Yahoo, which confirmed on Thursday that it suffered a major data breach affecting more than half a billion (yes, with a B) users. Now 500 million people with Yahoo accounts are trying to figure out what to do next… but they’re not the only ones. Courtrooms As you might imagine, Yahoo users are incredibly unhappy with the fact that their data was stolen en masse, and are even less happy with the way the company handled the disclosure. The first lawsuits against Yahoo were entered the day after the news broke, and now a pile of similar, related claims is starting to pile up. As USA Today and Bloomberg report, there are at least five c…
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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BIO-key’s Windows Hello fingerprint accessories now available at Microsoft Stores
by Guest Anca Ventura- 0 replies
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We’re excited to announce that BIO-key International, Inc. has launched three new compact USB fingerprint reader accessories, available at Microsoft Stores and microsoftstore.com. These devices enable you to login conveniently and securely to your Windows 10 PC with a simple swipe or touch. With Windows Hello* you can sign into your Windows devices in less than 2 seconds – that’s 3 times faster** than a password that you have to remember and type in; also, with Windows Hello and the Anniversary Update, you can now sign into compatible apps and Microsoft Edge websites***. BIO-key SideSwipe Mini Fingerprint Reader – $39.99 EcoID Fingerprint Reader – $39.99 …
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On August 4, 2016 we launched a bounty program that targets Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge on the Windows Insider Preview Slow (WIP slow). Today, we will be making additions to this bounty program. Since security is a continuous effort and not a destination, we prioritize acquiring different types of vulnerabilities in different points of time.
Last reply by PCHF Staff, -
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Security is a critical component in all our products at Microsoft. An emphasis on strong security starts at the beginning of all our work, including threat modelling as part of the design process and the consideration of Apple’s own security recommendations for our products on Apple’s platforms. As an example of this approach, I’d like to share some of the work we’re doing to help secure Mac Office 2016.
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Microsoft is thrilled to announce BlueHat IL 2017. This will mark the first time BlueHat is held in Tel Aviv and it will take place on January 24-25, 2017. Given its location, Israel further serves as a harness which draws in researchers from across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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A new strain of this two-year-old ransomware takes advantage of users syncing and sharing to spread infected files through their network. A new variant of Virlock ransomware is capable of stealthily spreading itself through cloud storage and collaboration applications, potentially enabling one infected user to inadvertently spread the file-locking malware across their enterprise network. The Virlock variant is yet another instance of cybercriminals deploying new techniques in order to make ransomware even more effective: it's expected to cost organisations a total of $1bn during 2016 alone. Virlock has been active for almost two years now, and security resea…
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Forza Horizon 3 Available Worldwide on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC
by Guest Brian Ekberg- 0 replies
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A new Australian automotive adventure has begun with the worldwide release of Forza Horizon 3, now available to play on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs in all Xbox regions (except Japan, where it will be available on Sept. 29). Since the launch of the Ultimate Edition of the game last week, it’s been amazing to see the excitement and acclaim the game has created with early adopters. Forza Horizon 3 brings the Horizon Festival to Australia – the most beautiful and diverse setting yet in the series. With gorgeous graphics and brand new ways to play, like four-player Campaign co-op and Xbox Play Anywhere, Forza Horizon 3 is the ultimate open-world racing game. The game i…
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A Verizon Wireless employee has pleaded guilty to violating federal law by selling customer phone records and location data to a private investigator, starting at a measly $50 a month. According to a plea agreement [PDF] filed last week in a federal court in Alabama, the defendant, Daniel Eugene Traeger, was employed as a network technician for Verizon. In 2009, a private investigator contacted Traeger, offering to pay him for customer information. Traeger allegedly accessed Verizon’s computer network to obtain call records and location data for the investigator, while being fully aware that he was not allowed to do so. In return, the P.I. paid him a monthly fee of …
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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Launch day has arrived!
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
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Be sure to check out our blog post today announcing the launch of Windows Server 2016. Continue reading...
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Windows 10 Tip: Enable the dark theme in Microsoft Edge
by Guest Elana Pidgeon- 0 replies
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Today’s Windows 10 tip is all about enabling the dark theme in Microsoft Edge. Earlier we shared how you can personalize your PC by enabling the dark theme, but did you know you can enable that theme in Microsoft Edge, too? You can switch Microsoft Edge from its default light theme to the dark theme – perfect for low-light conditions such as working at night. Here’s how to enable the dark theme in Microsoft Edge: To enable the dark theme in Microsoft Edge only, simply open Microsoft Edge, then go to the top right corner and click on the three dots. Scroll down to settings and, under “Choose a theme,” click “dark.” Have a great week! Continue reading..…
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New Windows 10 and Office 365 features for the secure productive enterprise
by Guest Yusuf Mehdi- 0 replies
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Today I am pleased to join Scott Guthrie and Satya Nadella at Ignite, the largest IT conference in the industry with more than 20,000 attendees. It’s an exciting time to be in IT, with the modern workplace creating a major shift in the way people work. Information is abundant, experiences and data must easily move across multiple devices, and collaboration is critical as the workforce becomes more mobile and more global. At the same time, security has never been more challenging as attacks have become more advanced and targeted, with the average data breach costing $12 million and costing an estimated $3 trillion in lost productivity by 2020. To help businesses take …
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As The Register reports, Yahoo is being sued after disclosing that hackers stole at least 500 million user records two years ago: Two Yahoo! users in San Diego, California, filed on Friday a class-action claim against the troubled web biz: Yahoo! is accused of failing to take due care of sensitive information under the Unfair Competition Act and the state's Consumer Legal Remedies Act, plus negligence for its poor security, and breaking the Federal Stored Communications Act. The stolen Yahoo! database includes people's names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers about their p…
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Normally upgrading the operating system on your iPhone doesn't just bring you a few new funky features, you also get to benefit from some security enhancements and fixes too. However, with iOS 10 it seems things might have taken something of a backward step - in at least the case of the security of any local iTunes backups you might be making. That's according to Russian firm ElcomSoft which makes software to help users gain access to password-protected data: When working on an iOS 10 update for Elcomsoft Phone Breaker, we discovered an alternative password verification mechanism added to iOS 10 backups. We looked into it, and found out that the new mechanism ski…
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Microsoft is revealing today that 400 million active machines are now running Windows 10. The latest update on usage comes just three months after the software maker revealed 350 million devices were running Windows 10 back in June. While Microsoft claims the adoption rate of Windows 10 is 115 percent faster than Windows 7, the company originally claimed it would have 1 billion devices running Windows 10 by 2018. Microsoft revised its timeline in July noting that "it will take longer than FY18 for us to reach our goal of 1 billion monthly active devices." Windows 10 usage growth slows as free upgrade expires Microsoft's latest stats show why it will take longer to h…
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The Boss Update & Add-Ons are coming to Minecraft Oct. 18
by Guest Jesse Merriam- 0 replies
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MINECON is here and we’re excited to bring you more details about the next big update for Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, Minecraft: Pocket Edition, and Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, releasing on Oct. 18. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the Boss Update is bringing boss battles to these versions of Minecraft for the first time. Also arriving in the Boss Update will be the first iteration of Add-Ons. With Add-Ons, you’ll be able to experiment with remixing components of entities or characters in the game. Worlds you create with Add-Ons can be shared with others directly or uploaded to your Realms and accessed anytime, anywhere. For even more details about Add-Ons …
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Yesterday, Yahoo confirmed a data breach affecting 500 million accounts, including logins, names, logins, birthdays, and security questions. The good news is that the passwords were encrypted with a strong hash algorithm, so they’re relatively protected for now. The bad news is, the breach happened in late 2014, so all that data has been kicking around for nearly two years. It’s too early to say exactly which users are in the dump, but the number is so large that if you are a Yahoo user — or even just a human being on Earth — the odds are pretty good that you’re in there somewhere. In case you are, here are a few quick things you can do to make sure nothing from the br…
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Cybercriminals are spreading malware via torrent distribution networks, using an automated tool to disguise the downloads as trending audio, video and other digital content in an attempt to infect more unsuspecting victims. Researchers at InfoArmor say they have uncovered a malicious torrent distribution network that relies on a tool called RAUM to infect computers with malware. The network begins with a torrent parser, which collects information about some of the most popular torrent files circulating around the web. Computer criminals then apply their RAUM tool to create a series of malicious files. Some are fake copies of those popular torrent files that in re…
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Don’t miss Windows Server sessions at Ignite
by Guest Microsoft Windows Server- 0 replies
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Heading to Atlanta for Ignite? Check out our handy Ignite session guide on the new Hybrid Cloud blog. Continue reading...