Microsoft Support & Discussions

As happened recently with WannaCrypt, we again face a malicious attack in the form of ransomware, Petya. In early reports, there was a lot of conflicting information reported on the attacks, including conflation of unrelated and misleading pieces of data, so Microsoft teams mobilized to investigate and analyze, enabling our Malware Protection team to release signatures to detect and protect against the malware. Based on our investigation, the malware was initially delivered via a Ukrainian company’s (M.E.doc) update service for their finance application, which is popular in Ukraine and Russia. Once the initial compromise took hold, the ransomware used multiple tools in…

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are excited to release Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16232 for PC to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring! We are also releasing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 15228 to Insiders in the Fast ring. Earlier this week, we announced new end-to-end security features coming with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and this build for PC includes some of those new security features. A note about app updates In order to provide Windows customers with the highest quality inbox apps possible, we will pause testing new versions of our inbox apps with Windows Insiders. This means that Insiders will not receive app updates from the Wi…

As happened recently with WannaCrypt, we again face a malicious attack in the form of ransomware, Petya. In early reports, there was a lot of conflicting information reported on the attacks, including conflation of unrelated and misleading pieces of data, so Microsoft teams mobilized to investigate and analyze, enabling our Malware Protection team to release signatures to detect and protect against the malware.

Hello Windows Insiders, If you are in the Slow ring, we’ve released KB4022716 to keep you up to date with the latest Windows 10 Creators Update fixes as we prepare to release a new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update build in the coming weeks. As a result of receiving this update, your PC will be required to reboot to complete the update. With the forth coming release of a new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update build to the Slow ring, we are testing a new update targeting framework and will be delivering the build in staggered phases. This will simulate the rollout process we use when we release major Windows 10 feature updates to retail customers. When we release a new…

A number of firms around the world are reporting that they have been impacted by a major cyber attack which the UK's cyber security agency is describing as a "global ransomware incident." Many of the initial reports of organisations affected came from Ukraine, including banks, energy companies and even Kiev's main airport. But since then more incidents have been reported across Europe, indicating the incident is affecting more organisations more widely. The National Bank of Ukraine said it has been hit by an "unknown virus" and is having difficulty providing customer services and banking operations as a result, while Kiev's Boryspil International airport is also u…

Check out Jeff Woosley’s blog post to learn more about the free webinar Migrating to a hybrid cloud environment: An insider’s walkthrough of 3 key methods. Read Jeff’s post on the Hybrid Cloud blog! Continue reading...

Choose from endless options to make your PC yours, including hundreds of wallpapers, sound options, and custom accent colors. Themes include plants and flowers, landscapes, animals, natural wonders, cityscapes – anything to suit your style. The photography, art, and illustrations you see come from creators across the globe. Windows 10 is all about letting you express yourself and create, and customizing your PC is a great way to jump into the Creators Update. Here’s how to find themes in Windows 10: If you have the Creators Update, you can open Settings, select Personalization, Themes, and then the “Get more themes in the store” link – or, click here to go righ…

Latest version of the mobile malware can steal login credentials from at least 40 banking, retail and social media apps. A sophisticated banking trojan has once again develop new techniques in order to trick Android users into downloading the malware. It's the latest variant of Marcher Android malware and this time it's posing as an Adobe Flash Player Update. Having first appeared on Russian-speaking undeground forums in late 2013, previous incarnations of Marcher have posed as a security update a Super Mario mobile game and more. Uncovered by researchers at Zscaler Threatlabz, this version of the banking trojan is using new lure techniques to spread infect…

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode of This Week on Windows! Check out our Windows 10 Tip on how to watch 360° videos with the Windows 10 Creators Update, catch up on all the Xbox news out of our E3 Briefing, learn more about the launch of Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, head over here for six things you need to know about Windows 10 S, or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows Store. In case you missed it: There has never been a better time to buy a Surface If you’ve been waiting to purchase your new Surface, there’s never been a better time. We announced last week that at all physical Microsoft Stores in the US or Canada, when you trade in an old…

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are excited to release Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16226 for PC to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring! What’s New in Build 16226 For PC New features in Microsoft Edge Giving you more control over closing tabs: Building on our work in Build 16199, we’ve updated Microsoft Edge to ensure the X in the tab band is always available to close a tab, even when a JavaScript (i.e. alert, prompt, etc.) dialog is showing within Microsoft Edge. Additionally, closing the Edge window always remains an available option. You can also access many browser capabilities (i.e. favorites bar, settings, etc.) while a dialog is showing. Making …

Over the past ten months we have paid out over $200,000 USD in bounties. This collaboration with the research community has resulted in significant improvements in Edge security and has allowed us to offer more proactive security for our customers. Keeping in line with our philosophy of protecting customers and proactively partnering with researchers, today we are changing the Edge on Windows Insider Preview (WIP) bounty program from a time bound to a sustained bounty program. Since 2013, we have launched three browser bounties to uncover specific vulnerabilities. As security is a continuous effort and not a destination, we prioritize identifying different types of vul…

Hello Windows Insiders! We have released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 15226 to in the Fast ring. Changes, improvements, and fixes for Mobile This build also includes all the improvements from KB4022725. We fixed an issue where some apps could not subscribe to SMS receive notifications. We fixed an issue for Windows Insiders where some binaries stopped working when transitioning from Insider Preview builds to officially released builds. We fixed an audio issue with Bluetooth headphones after Cortana reads an incoming SMS message to the user. Known issues for Mobile In some cases, the WeChat app may crash on launch. Keep hustling team, D…

Over the past ten months we have paid out over $200,000 USD in bounties. This collaboration with the research community has resulted in significant improvements in Edge security and has allowed us to offer more proactive security for our customers. Keeping in line with our philosophy of protecting customers and proactively partnering with researchers, today we are changing the Edge on Windows Insider Preview (WIP) bounty program from a time bound to a sustained bounty program.

Spotify for Windows 10 is now available to download in the Windows Store. We’re excited to announce that Spotify for Windows 10 is now available to download in the Windows Store*. We first announced our partnership with Spotify in early May and are thrilled to bring the Spotify app to Windows 10 and Windows 10 S customers following on the heels of the release of Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S last week. The Spotify app is available today in all 60 countries where Spotify is available and offers the same familiar experiences as the Win32 application**. With Spotify on Windows 10, you can enjoy, discover and share millions of songs wherever and whenever you want. M…

Is this thing still on? It’s been a while since we’ve posted to this blog and we think it’s time to start posting deep technical content about Security Research & Defense (SRD) again. For readers who are new or may have forgotten, this blog is the home of the MSRC Vulnerabilities & Mitigations engineering team.

With the Creators Update, the Movies & TV app* expands your viewing horizon from 2D video to 360° video. You can explore new immersive 360° video content from partners like GoPro, Baobab Studios, LIFE VR, NextVR, Littlstar and more. Go skydiving with a bombsquad, see a rocket launch from up close, visit Portugal, watch the NBA games from the best seats courtside, or even climb Mount Everest; a few of the many immersive experiences featured in the app. Stay tuned as content refreshes frequently. Want to create your own stories? Windows 10 supports a variety of 360° cameras for capturing your own content, so now you can also watch your personal 360° video creations in t…

Have you heard about our new option to get more frequent feature updates for Windows Server? This new model provides customers who are innovating quickly an opportunity to take advantage of new operating system capabilities at a faster pace, both in applications – particularly those built on containers and microservices – as well as in the software-defined datacenter. To learn more, please see the blog post “Delivering continuous innovation with Windows Server.” Regular previews will begin soon on the Windows Insider Program. To get ready now, you can take the following steps: Register for the Windows Insider Program. Register a Windows 10 device with the Windows …

It’s been an action-packed week between announcing Xbox One X and showing 42 new titles at E3, and the availability of the new Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and Windows 10 S. Head over here to catch up on all the Xbox news out of our E3 Briefing, check out the new gaming devices announced at E3 by ORIGIN PC and Alienware and Dell – or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows Store! Our This Week on Windows video team is all down at E3 this week, and we’ll be back with a new episode of the show next week! In case you missed it: All about E3 2017: Heading into a Firefight with Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare Earlier this year the we saw the return…

Our mission with Windows is to build a platform that inspires creativity in each of us. This is the North Star that guides our team in all we do. With Windows, not only do we want to build a platform that inspires creativity in each of us – we also want customers to have choice around the best Windows for their needs. Back in May, we introduced a new set of educational products and services, including the introduction of Windows 10 S. Windows 10 S is the next step of our Windows journey by offering customers a familiar Windows 10 experience, streamlined for security and performance. By exclusively using apps from the Windows Store, Windows 10 S is ideal for students, educ…

Launched at Ignite in September 2016, the Microsoft Tech Community grew to more than 50,000 members in its first six months, and that growth continues to accelerate. In this six-minute video, Anna Chu of the Microsoft Community team gives “a lightning tour” of the Microsoft Tech Community’s bells and whistles. We have nearly 8,000 members in the Windows Server Tech Community, and the quantity and quality of the interactions have been amazing to watch. Online communities have come a long way since the days of forums. There has never been a richer, more dynamic way for all of us with an interest in Windows Server to engage with each other, sharing ideas and best practice…

Fifteen years ago, when Microsoft first launched Imagine Cup, the premise was simple – create a global innovation competition to inspire the brightest young minds in the world to bring their boldest ideas to life with technology In just a few short weeks, more than 50 teams of student developers will descend upon the Microsoft campus here in Redmond to show us their vision for the future and compete for more than $200,000 in prizes. Those prizes include $100,000 in cash, a $120,000 Azure Grant, a trip to next year’s Build developer conference and, best of all, a private mentoring session with our CEO, Satya Nadella. I’m honored to have a front row seat as a …

Hello Windows Insiders! We have released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 15223 to in the Fast ring. This build is just one builder newer than last week’s Mobile build and includes the following fixes and improvements: We fixed an issue where only the first VPN profile was being displayed in the VPN settings page via Settings > Network & wireless > VPN. We fixed an issue where a meeting Time Zone was garbled in Chinese or Japanese. Based on Insider feedback, we have changed “Phone Update” to “Windows Update” under Settings > Update & security. Known issues for Mobile In some cases, the WeChat app may crash on launch. Keep hustl…

On May 12, 2017, the WannaCrypt ransomware served as an all too real example of the danger of cyber attacks to individuals and businesses globally. In reviewing the updates for this month, some vulnerabilities were identified that pose elevated risk of cyber attacks by government organizations, sometimes referred to as nation-state actors or other copycat organizations. To address this risk, today we are providing additional security updates along with our regular Update Tuesday service. These security updates are being made available to all customers, including those using older versions of Windows. Due to the elevated risk for destructive cyber attacks at this time, …

Microsoft releases additional updates for older platforms to protect against potential nation-state activity Today, as part of our regular Update Tuesday schedule, we have taken action to provide additional critical security updates to address vulnerabilities that are at heighted risk of exploitation due to past nation-state activity and disclosures. Some of the releases today are new, and some are for older platforms under custom support agreements, that we are making publicly available today. Customers with automatic updates enabled are protected and there is no additional action required. For customers managing updates, or those on older platforms, we encourage them…

Hello Windows Insiders! At Build 2017, Joe Belfiore announced that the new OneDrive Files On-Demand feature will be delivered with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. And today, we are excited to announce that OneDrive Files On-Demand is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring who are on Build 16215. The updated OneDrive client will be rolling out over the next few days but can also be installed from here. With Files On-Demand, you can access all your files in the cloud without having to download them and use storage space on your device. All your files—even online-only files—can be seen in File Explorer and work just like every other file on your devi…