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New ransomware discovered, currently undecryptable A new ransomware family has been discovered, dubbed CryptoJoker after the .crjoker string that it adds at the end of each encrypted file. CryptoJoker is relatively new on the malware market, and according to security researchers from MalwareHunterTeam and Bleeping Computer, it is not actively being distributed at this moment. The ransomware infects users via weaponized PDF files, so the most obvious infection scenarios would be via spam and spear phishing campaigns. CryptoJoker's modus operandi is quite similar to what we've seen from all modern ransomware families, infecting computers, encrypting files us…
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Windows 10 Now Active on over 200 Million Devices
by Guest Yusuf Mehdi- 0 replies
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Welcome to 2016! In the year ahead, we’re excited to bring you more Windows innovations, more incredible devices, and great new Windows apps and games that will deliver more productivity and entertainment experiences across the broadest range of devices. As we start the new year, I want to provide an update on Windows 10 and Windows 10 devices. We continue to be excited – and humbled – by the incredible response to Windows 10. First, a few updates on how we’re tracking toward our goal of seeing Windows 10 active on more than one billion devices. As of today, there are more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10. And Window…
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Acer updates the Aspire V Nitro Black Edition notebook with the latest Intel RealSense...
by Guest The Windows Team- 0 replies
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Ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, Acer announced that they introduced the latest Intel RealSense short range camera to their top-of-the-line Aspire V Nitro “Black Edition”notebooks and a new Windows 10 Smartphone, the Liquid Jade Primo. With the latest Intel RealSense short range camera and Windows 10, users can login to their Aspire V Nitro notebook with Windows Hello and 3D scan objects for 3D printing. The new Liquid Jade Primo Smartphone, is a 5.5-inch premium smartphone running Windows 10 Mobile and allows users to take advantage of Windows 10 features like Continuum. Both are great devices for those seeking a blend of style and performan…
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Now that 2015 has officially ended let's take a retrospective look over what happened during the past year when it comes to critical or highly critical security vulnerabilities. During the past 365 days, independent security researchers, cyber-security firms, and even the makers of various software themselves have reported security vulnerabilities, and when necessary, have asked for a CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifier. These CVE numbers are used to track security flaws across products and time, and if you hang around infosec circles long enough, you understand how crucial they can be to a security researcher's work. Apple - the company with th…
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The Top 10 Deals in the Countdown to 2016 in the Windows Store
by Guest The Windows Team- 0 replies
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Last week we announced a new round of deals in the Windows Store called Countdown to 2016 for our Windows 10 fans. Over the past week, we’ve been offering deals up to 50% off on everything from purchasing blockbuster movies like Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, to 30% off 17 of The Beatles’ albums, to top apps and games, like KVAD Photo+ PRO and Minecraft: Story Mode. Today we’ve rounded up a list of the top 10 deals in the Windows Store that are a part of our Countdown to 2016 promotion. These offers are valid through tomorrow 12/31. MUSIC The Beatles – stream for free or purchase the albums at 30% off The Fab Four are here! You can now stream for fr…
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Even if some malware families never get to cause worldwide damage, it's sometimes interesting to read about new techniques that certain malware authors employ to create their threats. One of the most recent cases is a malware family that targets Android devices in China, discovered by Symantec and named Android.Spywaller. The uniqueness of this threat is the fact that, during infection, the malware looks for Qihoo 360, a popular security app among Chinese Android users. Android.Spywaller uses a firewall to block Qihoo 360 internal communications The malware searches and registers on the device with the same UID (unique identifier) used by the Qihoo 360 app, an…
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A new version of Radamant Ransomware Kit has been released after Fabian Wosar of Emsisoft released a decryptor for the previous two versions. The first version of Radamant encrypted data files with a RDM extension , the second version used a RRK extension, and rumors of a third version that we have not seen yet. For the first two releases, Fabian was able to create a decryptor that could recover a victim's files for free. Due to this, it appears that the developer of the Radamant ransomware is not too happy with Fabian and Emsisoft for interfering with their business. This displeasure is being shown in embedded strings in the ransomware malware executables and the…
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Microsoft has been secretly saving hard-drive encryption keys to its servers for all new Windows devices. Fortunately, for people who like their privacy, there's a way around this issue. First of all, we need to distinguish between device encryption and BitLocker. Beginning with Windows 8, Microsoft started offering standard, free device encryption on all devices that were equipped with a tamper-resistant chip (TPM - Trusted Platform Module). If running Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 Home Edition, this is included by default. For Microsoft's other Windows versions, Pro and Enterprise, device encryption is also included, but so is BitLocker. Technically, there's no differe…
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Emsisoft is spoiling ransomware victims this Christmas, as their researcher, Fabian Wosar, has released yet another tool capable of decrypting files locked by ransomware, this time by the Radamant Ransomware Kit (Radamant, in some cases referred to as Ramadant due to incorrect spelling). The tool, called DecryptRadamant, is available via EmsiSoft's website and works exactly like the tools Mr. Wosar released for victims that had their files encrypted by the DecryptorMax and the Gomasom ransomware families. Unlike previous decryption tools, the one for Radamant does not need to analyze and compare an encrypted file with an unencrypted version to extract the decryption…
Last reply by starbuck, -
Announcing what the Microsoft Casual Games team will build next
by Guest Kevin Lambert- 0 replies
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It’s time for the Microsoft Casual Games team to build our next game. And while we are passionate about many game options, ultimately, we care most about what our players and fans want us to make. Over the past few weeks, we asked our Microsoft Casual Games players which of five game concepts they would like us to create next. We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for their favorite casual games. We tallied up the votes and it was *extremely* close but, in the end, the game that was voted for most, and the game we will build next is Microsoft Ultimate Word Games! If you are interested in contributing to the direction of Microsoft Ultimate Word…
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Stream The Beatles’ Music on Microsoft Groove
by Guest Christina Calio- 0 replies
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Today we’ve got a momentous holiday surprise for music lovers around the world: The Beatles have arrived on Microsoft Groove, courtesy of Apple Corps and Universal Music Group! This marks a historical moment for the music industry, and digital music – this is the first time that The Beatles’ music has been made available for streaming and Microsoft is honored to be a part of it. Beginning on December 24 at 12:01 AM local time in your country, you will be able to stream 17 of The Beatles’ albums on Microsoft Groove with a Groove Music Pass, even purchase the albums if you wish from the Windows Store. And for a limited time you will be able to buy the albums for 30% of…
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Users who had the misfortune of getting infected with the Gomasom ransomware can now start sending Christmas gifts to Fabian Wosar, security researcher at Emsisoft, who has managed to create a tool for decrypting files locked by this ransomware. Compared to other ransomware families, Gomasom is a relatively new face on the malware market, having reared its ugly head only in the last few weeks. Gomasom, named after "GOogle MAil ranSOM," works by infecting users and then encrypting files, leaving a Gmail address in each file's name, and adding the .crypt file extension at the end. Mr. Wosar created a tool that users can take advantage of to analyze encrypted files …
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I once worked helpdesk tech support for a security software company and my main job was to assist customers in dealing with malware/adware infections on their systems. Some of those sessions required that I remote connect to the customers desktop in order to help begin clearing things up but these adware/ad injection infections would not even allow the user to browse to the right website to download a small remote connection tool. Instead, the infection would redirect them to a screen that looked a lot like the destination I was sending them to but in reality it was not. Instead they would land on a page with fake downloads, likely including malware infected payload…
Last reply by allheart55 Cindy E, -
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Celebrate the countdown to 2016 with great deals in the Windows Store
by Guest Todd Brix- 0 replies
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We’re counting down to 2016 with another round of deals in the Windows Store for our Windows 10 fans. Beginning this week through December 31, 2015 we’ll have Windows 10 deals up to 50% off in the Windows Store on everything from blockbuster movies, to top apps and games, including Minecraft: Story Mode, Lara Croft GO and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation*. Here’s a preview of some of the deals we’ll be offering: Games Minecraft: Story Mode – 25% off the Season Pass (Episodes 2-5) Laura Croft GO – on sale for just $1.99 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 50% off Movies & TV Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – 50% off The Lord…
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Microsoft acquires Metanautix to help customers connect data for business insights
by Guest Joseph Sirosh- 0 replies
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Today I’m pleased to announce that Microsoft has acquired Metanautix, an innovative company that is helping solve one of the biggest challenges in the world of data analytics: How can a company bring all of its data together for analytics to gain powerful insights, discover new opportunities and drive growth through intelligent automation? Companies continue to generate enormous volumes of information and aspire to be more data-driven in their strategies and operations. But many struggle to bring together their various sources and siloes of data, and only analyze and use a fraction of all the available information. Metanautix’ technology breaks these boundaries to conn…
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Kids get latest high-tech Santa tracking, Bing empowers U.S. voters, Microsoft doubles down...
by Guest Jennifer Warnick- 0 replies
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This week brought a little something for every reader, whether it was kids tracking Santa in all kinds of new old-fashioned ways from Bing to Cortana or Kinect-enhanced electro pop. Before we delve into what was a deeply important and meaningful week, may we take a moment to discuss politics? Wait! Please don’t leave! I wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t important. After months of political back-and-forth it’s hard to believe there’s still nearly a year of campaigning ahead for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Bing is here to help by giving voters more information about candidates and the voting process through its comprehensive election experience. Now more than e…
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Tech Shopping Made Easy — 5 Things to Know
by Guest The Windows Team- 0 replies
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Technology has become a big part of our lives; we love its convenience and we often take it for granted. This is why shopping for new devices — something most of us only do every few years — can often be a daunting task. Between complicated specs, endless reviews and technical jargon, finding the perfect laptop, tablet or 2-in-1 can sometimes be a full-time job. Whether you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift, a new laptop for work, or to update your family entertainment room, here is a simplified approach to help you find the right device. To get started, just answer a few simple questions: Who will be using the device, where, and for what? Students: Fast I…
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Celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with apps, games, movies and more in...
by Guest The Windows Team- 0 replies
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We’ve rounded up a collection of Star Wars themed free apps, games like Angry Birds Star Wars, the entire Star Wars Digital Movie Collection and music from the movies to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens today. You can even pre-order Star Wars: The Force Awakens + Bonus right now from the Windows Store! Movies Pre-order Star Wars: The Force Awakens + Bonus ($14.95) Pre-order Star Wars: The Force Awakens today and enjoy Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Legacy” Featurette instantly. Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection + Bonus ($89.99) Need to get caught up or have your memory refreshed before seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens?…
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Microsoft’s affordable access initiatives — partnering for impact
by Guest Paul Garnett- 0 replies
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In rural southern Virginia, Microsoft and Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities are partnering to extend existing connectivity at schools to every unconnected house in the school district, so that thousands of school kids to get Internet access at home, eliminating “the homework gap” that currently exists for students without access. Microsoft launched last month a new fund to help cultivate companies with solutions that bring affordable Internet access to underserved markets. The fund is part of Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative, which invests in new last-mile access technologies, cloud-based services and applications, and business models that can reduce the cos…
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Minecraft: Story Mode Arrives on Windows 10
by Guest The Minecraft Team- 0 replies
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From Mojang and Telltale Games comes 2015’s blockiest episodic adventure: Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode One, available now on Windows 10 for $4.99! This five-episode journey from the creators of Minecraft and The Walking Dead will bring Windows players into the folds of the mystery surrounding the Order of the Stone, and features an all-star cast of Patton Oswalt, Catherine Taber, Ashley Johnson, Brian Posehn, and many more. Episode Four – Wither Storm Finale debuts next Tuesday, Dec. 22 on most platforms; check out the spiffy new trailer . Stay tuned to the Windows Experience Blog, Xbox Wire and the Telltale Games Blog for information on Minecraft: Story Mode…
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Announcing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10586.36
by Guest Gabe Aul- 0 replies
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Hi everyone, We have another Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10586 which we’re releasing today to Windows Insiders in the Fast and Slow ring. This build continues to address feedback we’ve received from Windows Insiders as well as customers using our brand new Windows 10 phones like the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. As with the previous release, this Cumulative Update continues to use the minor version for differentiating between each version – so this build will appear as 10586.36. Windows Insiders have provided great feedback on the upgrade experience from Windows Phone 8.1. We continue to use the feedback we get from Windows Insider…
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Bringing Windows 10 to Public Sector Customers in China
by Guest Yusuf Mehdi- 0 replies
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From the beginning, Windows 10 has been designed as a global service – available in 190 markets around the world. In China, hundreds of millions of PCs operate Windows today and we’ve focused on delivering a great Windows 10 upgrade experience through partnerships with Tencent, a leading social networking and gaming service in the world; Qihoo 360, a leading internet security company in China; and Lenovo, one of the world’s leading PC manufacturers. We recently announced a partnership with Baidu, one of the most frequently used Internet gateways in China, to make it easy for their customers to upgrade to Windows 10 while providing local browsing and search experiences, an…
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Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082
by Guest Gabe Aul- 0 replies
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Hi everyone, Today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. With this build, you won’t see big noticeable changes or new features just yet. Right now, the team is focused on product improvements based on the feedback we’re hearing on the November update to Windows 10. This includes the changes that have also been going out as cumulative updates through Windows Update on your PCs running the Windows 10 November Update as well as on phones running Windows 10 too. We’re also working on some structural improvements to OneCore, which is the shared core of Windows across devices. Essentially, OneCore is the heart of Win…
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Pandora for Windows 10 now available
by Guest Katherine Kornas- 0 replies
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I’m excited to announce that Pandora is now available as a free app for Windows 10 PCs and tablets. As a Group Product Manager at Pandora, I partnered closely with our design and engineering teams to define the features users would experience as well as the overall look and feel of the new app. Now with easier access and support for Live Tiles, Pandora provides Windows 10 users an improved personalized entertainment experience. Designing our app on the Universal Windows Platform was a great experience for our team. We believe in the power of simplicity – particularly the ability to get to your favorite music as fast as possible. Windows 10 has a similar emphasis on…
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Netflix Launches New Universal App for Windows 10 as Windows Store Reaches 2.5 Billion Visits
by Guest Yusuf Mehdi- 0 replies
- 149 views
As we wrap up 2015, I’d like to provide you with an update on Windows 10. We’ve seen significant growth since our last announcement of 110 million active devices running Windows 10 and look forward to sharing an update on our overall progress soon. We’re seeing billions and billions of hours spent on Windows 10 each month already, with people browsing the Web, playing games, getting work done, and enjoying thousands of apps. The new Netflix app features a more seamless Browse experience Today, I’d like to focus on some great new partners bringing universal apps to the Windows Store. We recently hit an important milestone, with 2.5 billion visits to the Windows Sto…