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Tag: Microsoft

  • Microsoft reveals Windows 10 source code leaks online

    Microsoft has established that parts of its Windows 10 source code leaked online recently, according to media reports.

    “Our review confirms that these files are actually a portion of the source code from the Shared Source Initiative and is used by OEMs and partners,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge.

    Microsoft said the leaked code includes files related to Microsoft’s USB, Wi-FI drivers, storage as well as Windows 10 Mobile Adaption Kit and Creators Update builds, which was posted on to Beta Archive’s FTT.

    Beta Archive owner, Andrew Whyman, confirmed to The Verge that the source code was later removed.

    Two men were earlier arrested in the UK for alleged unauthorised access to a computer belonging to Microsoft’s network and computer misuse offences, according to an Indian Express report.

    However, “It’s not clear if the arrests are directly linked to the source code leak, but Microsoft is evidently concerned about some potential intrusions into its networks by Windows enthusiasts,” The Verge reported.

    Another media source reported that the leaked code was 32TB in size, compressed to 8TB before uploading on Beta Archive.

    Further, copies of officially released versions and secret builds of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 have been leaked as well, according to The Register.

    The Register reports that this includes the 64-bit ARM flavours of Windows, which is yet to be rolled out for public use, and Windows 10 Redstone builds.

    “Meanwhile, vulnerability to ransomware in Windows 10 S operating system (OS), has been discovered by Matthew Hickey, who is the co-founder of cybersecurity firm Hacker House.

    “Windows 10 S was released in May, and Microsoft says the OS is more secure when compared to the previous ones as it doesn’t allow users to run apps outside of the Windows Store,” reports Indian Express.

     

  • Microsoft launches Modern Keyboard with fingerprint scanner

    Microsoft on Thursday silently unveiled a new keyboard, called the Microsoft Modern Keyboard.

    Priced at $129.99, the new Modern Keyboard is listed as “coming soon” on the company’s US website with no word when the accessory will go on sale.

    The highlight of the keyboard is that it comes with a fingerprint scanner that just looks like any other key on the keyboard.

    “Our vision was to blend the Fingerprint reader into a keyboard, so it would appear to be any other key.

    “We iterated relentlessly to improve each layer, making sure they came together to create a flawless typing experience that felt like any other key,” Microsoft says on the product page of the Modern Keyboard.

    The keyboard comes with aluminium frame and Microsoft claims it sports “highest quality” and is “virtually indestructible”.

    The Modern Keyboard will allow Windows 10 users to enable Windows Hello fingerprint authentication on their devices.

    The fingerprint scanner has been placed on the second Windows key on the right side of the keyboard, and can be used for signing in to the system or any website using Windows Hello.

    The Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint Scanner will work with Windows 8 and above devices, macOS 10.10.5 and above devices, Android 4.2 and above, and iOS 8 and iOS 9.

    Users need to make sure that the device should support Bluetooth 4.0 or higher for the Microsoft Modern Keyboard to work.

    Microsoft will also let users choose between using the Modern Keyboard with wireless or wired interface.

    It comes with dimensions 420.9×112.6×19.3mm and weighs roughly 420 grams.

    The wireless Microsoft Modern Keyboard runs on two AAA alkaline rechargeable batteries.

    Microsoft claims a battery life of up to 2 months on full charge.

    The Redmond giant will be offering one-year limited warranty on the keyboard.

     

  • Cyberattacks: Microsoft releases new Windows XP security patches

    Microsoft issued a “highly unusual” patch for Windows XP last month to help prevent the spread of the massive WannaCry malware. At least 75,000 computers in 99 countries were affected by the malware which encrypts a computer and demands a $300 ransom before unlocking it. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP in April 2014, but the software giant is now taking the unprecedented move of including it in the company’s Patch Tuesday round of security updates today.

    “In reviewing the updates for this month, some vulnerabilities were identified that pose elevated risk of cyberattacks by government organizations, sometimes referred to as nation-state actors, or other copycat organizations,” says Adrienne Hall, general manager of crisis management at Microsoft. “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.”

    Microsoft says it is releasing updates for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and all other more recent unsupported and supported versions of Windows due to an “elevated risk” of attacks that are similar to the WannaCry malware. The patches will be made available on Microsoft’s Download Center or Windows Update. Microsoft says this move to release security updates for platforms not in extended support “should not be viewed as a departure from our standard servicing policies,” and that this is an exception based on intelligence that led it to believe government organizations may use these new vulnerabilities to attack Windows systems.

    Microsoft isn’t explaining who or what has tipped the company off to these potential new attacks. March’s security patches included fixes for hacking tools that were leaked from the NSA, and Microsoft didn’t acknowledge the source of the security flaw reports then either. There has been speculation that The Shadow Brokers, a group that leaked the NSA exploits, tipped Microsoft in advance to the previous exploits. Microsoft also mysteriously delayed its Patch Tuesday release in February by a month in an unprecedented move, blaming a “last minute issue”.

    If you’re still running Windows XP then these new patches should be installed immediately, even though Windows XP wasn’t as badly affected by the first WannaCry attacks. While almost all WannaCry victims were running Windows 7 without the latest security updates, it’s not clear if these new attacks might target Windows XP more aggressively this time around.

     

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  • Kaspersky files antitrust complaints against Microsoft

    Kaspersky files antitrust complaints against Microsoft

    Russian security software maker Kaspersky Lab has filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft with the European Commission and the German federal cartel office, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

    Kaspersky contends that Microsoft is abusing its market dominance to crowd out independent anti-virus software makers, pushing Windows 10 users towards its own Windows Defender software, and creating obstacles to others entering the market.

    “These actions by Microsoft lead to a lower level of protection for users, a limitation on their right to choose, and financial losses both for users and security solutions manufacturers,” Kaspersky said.

    The European Commission said it had received Kaspersky’s complaint without giving further details.

    Microsoft was not available for immediate comment.

     

  • Paris Accord: US tech firms dare President Trump again, ‘go unusual’

    Paris Accord: US tech firms dare President Trump again, ‘go unusual’

    Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google are among hundreds of US businesses joining an effort to support the Paris climate agreement as part of a public campaign announced Monday.

    Dubbed “We Are Still In,” the launch of the initiative comes just days after President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw from the international accord, stunning much of the world and breaking with a broad host of industry executives who supported the deal.

    The campaign’s participants, who also include hundreds of investors, universities, local officials and state governments, have pledged to support the Paris accord and “pursue ambitious climate goals,” according to an open letter the campaign released.

    The group also took aim at Trump, saying his decision “damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change.” The business leaders and officials described Trump’s move as “out of step with what is happening in the United States.”

    The campaign on climate is the latest example of some of the biggest players in Silicon Valley opposing Trump’s key policies. The president’s travel ban and ongoing litigation surrounding his immigration orders have also sparked widespread condemnation from the tech industry.

    After the president revealed last week that he intends to exit the agreement, several high-profile business leaders said they would end their advisory roles with Trump, in protest. Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and Disney chief executive Robert Iger said last week that they would no longer serve on the president’s economic advisory council. Executives from Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Google also swiftly criticised Trump’s decision after his announcement.

    Dozens of states last week said they would forge ahead with their climate policies and their aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to the president’s move. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, D, also unveiled the largest renewable energy investment by any state, a $1.65 billion plan to support renewable energy and energy efficiency.

     

  • London terror attack: Facebook wants ‘hostility’ against terrorists

    London terror attack: Facebook wants ‘hostility’ against terrorists

    Facebook says it wants to make its platform “hostile” to terrorists after an attack in London left at least seven people dead this weekend.

    Simon Milner, the company’s director of policy, issued a widely reported statement Sunday that said the social media platform works “aggressively” to remove terrorist content.

    “We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists,” he said.

    U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May had earlier called for closer regulation of the internet, saying Sunday that terrorists need to be denied the digital tools they use to communicate and plan attacks.

    “We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed,” May said. “Yet that is precisely what the internet and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide.”

    May also said that democratic governments must regulate cyberspace, adding that “we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.”

    Tech companies have increasingly come under pressure in Europe because of the way they handle threats and hate speech.

    And Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and many other services have created encrypted channels that may shield communications from law enforcement.

    Milner said Sunday that Facebook alerts authorities if it means preventing a terrorist attack from happening.

    “If we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone’s safety, we notify law enforcement,” he said in the statement.

    Nick Pickles, Twitter’s head of public policy in the U.K., also defended his company Sunday, telling CNNMoney in a statement that “terrorist content has no place on Twitter.”

    He added that the company will “never stop working” to prevent events like the London terror attack from happening again.

    At least seven people were killed and 48 were wounded Saturday night in London when three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge. They then went on a stabbing spree at nearby bars and restaurants.

    The attack happened less than two weeks after 22 people were killed in another attack linked to terrorism at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

     

     

    CNN

     

  • Social media firms have increased removal of Hate Speech, says EU

    Social media firms have increased removal of Hate Speech, says EU

    Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube have stepped up both the speed and number of removals of hate speech on their platforms in response to pressure from the European Union to do more to tackle the issue, according to the results of an EU evaluation.

    Facebook won particular praise for reviewing most complaints within a 24-hour target timeframe set down in a code of conduct agreed in December by the European Commission, Facebook, Microsoft , Twitter and YouTube.

    Calling the results “encouraging” for the Commission’s push for self-regulation, Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said the proportion of offending items taken down had doubled and action was being taken more quickly than when the EU checked six months ago.

    “This … shows that a self-regulatory approach can work, if all actors do their part. At the same time, companies … need to make further progress to deliver on all the commitments,” Jourova said in a statement, adding that firms should provide more feedback to people who brought abuses to their attention.

    Facebook scored highly on this, Twitter and YouTube less so.

    The voluntary code of conduct obliges firms to take action in Europe within 24 hours, following rising concerns about the proliferation of racist and xenophobic content on social media triggered by the refugee crisis and attacks in Western Europe.

    This included removing or disabling access to the content if necessary, better cooperation with civil society organizations and the promotion of “counter-narratives” to hate speech.

    Facebook assessed notifications of hateful content in less than 24 hours in 58 percent of cases, up from 50 percent in December, according to the report.

    Twitter also sped up its dealing with notifications, reviewing 39 percent of them in less than 24 hours, as opposed to 23.5 percent in December, when the Commission first reviewed the companies’ progress and warned them they were being too slow.

    YouTube, on the other hand, slowed down, reviewing 42.6 percent of notifications in less than 24 hours, down from 60.8 percent in December, the results showed.

    “IT companies have all been improving time and response to notifications on manifest illegal hate speech,” Jourova said at a meeting of the EU High Level Group on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance on Wednesday.

    “There are differences among the companies … but we can objectively say that all have improved.”

    All the companies significantly increased the number of removals. Overall, content was removed in 59.2 percent of cases, more than double the rate in December which was 28.2 percent.

    The proliferation of hate speech on social media has increased pressure on the companies to remove the content swiftly as they face the prospect of legislation at both EU and national level.

    Last week EU ministers approved plans to force social networks to take measures to block videos with hateful content while the German government approved a plan in April to fine companies up to EUR 50 million if they fail to remove hateful postings quickly.

    The most common ground of hate speech the Commission identified was xenophobia, including expressions of hatred against migrants and refugees, together with anti-Muslim hatred, followed by ethnic origin.

    The spread of fake news and racist content has taken on more urgency in Germany after the arrival of about a million migrants over the last two years.

  • Microsoft announces $5 million donation to United Nations Human Rights Fund

    Microsoft announces $5 million donation to United Nations Human Rights Fund

    Microsoft announced Tuesday that it intends to contribute $5 million over five years to the United Nations human Rights office, assistance the Geneva-based agency called a “landmark partnership” that could prod other big private-sector donors to follow suit.

    The Redmond, Washington-based company plans to develop and use technology to help the UN rights office “predict, analyze and respond to critical human rights situations” at a time of arbitrary killings, rapes, detentions without trial and other abuses around the world.

    “As a global company that sees the problems of the world, we believe that we have a responsibility to help solve them,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said.

    The partnership, which launched last year, UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said reflects a commitment to using technology to promote human rights and recognition of the role the private sector can play in advancing that cause.

    An example of the technology being developed is an information dashboard, Rights View, to aggregate data on human rights violations by country and type in real time.

    Microsoft also pledged to support the UN’s human rights advocacy and outreach campaigns, including the development of corporate principles for tackling LGBT discrimination in the workplace.

    The announcement comes amid uncertainty about the rights office’s main funding source: countries and governments.

    The United States, traditionally a major donor, is considering cuts to its funding for UN institutions as part of Trump administration plans to trim the US State Department budget.

  • BEWARE! Europol warns of further attack as WannaCry victims reach over 200,000

    BEWARE! Europol warns of further attack as WannaCry victims reach over 200,000

    Europol has said on Sunday that the unprecedented WannaCry ransomware global cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in scores of countries, and warned that the situation could escalate when people return to work.

    The indiscriminate attack, which began Friday, struck banks, hospitals and government agencies in more than 150 countries, exploiting known vulnerabilities in old Microsoft computer operating systems.

    Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said the situation could worsen on Monday as workers return to their offices after the weekend and log on, according to a report by AFP.

    “We’ve never seen anything like this,” the head of the European Union’s policing agency told Britain’s ITV television, calling its reach “unprecedented”.

    “The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations.

    “We’re in the face of an escalating threat.

    “I’m worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn on their machines on Monday,” the police chief added.

    Images appear on victims’ screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin, saying: “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!”

    ImageFile: BEWARE! Europol warns of further attack, as WannaCry victims reach over 200,000
    Europol says WannaCry cyber attack may escalate on Monday

    Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the locked files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

    Bitcoin, the world’s most-used virtual currency, allows for anonymous transactions, which happen via heavily encrypted codes.

    Experts and governments alike warn against ceding to the demands and Wainwright said few victims so far have been paying up.

    US software firm Symantec said that part-way through Saturday, transactions totalling $28,600 had taken place through the five Bitcoin addresses used by the ransomware.

    “Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released,” the US Department of Homeland Security’s computer emergency response team said.

    “It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim’s money, and in some cases, their banking information,” it added.

    However, an international manhunt was well under way for the plotters behind the world’s biggest-ever computer ransom assault.

  • Renault shut several French factories after WannaCry ransomware cyberattack

    Renault shut several French factories after WannaCry ransomware cyberattack

    As the massive WannaCry ransomware attack spread to over 100 countries, French automaker, Renault has halted production in several of its factories on Saturday, according to the firm’s spokesperson.

    Speaking to Automotive News, the spokesperson confirmed that the company shut down production in its Sandouville factory, saying that “proactive measures have been put in place, including the temporarily suspension of industrial activity at some sites,” but declined to provide a full list of affected sites.

    Renault’s partner company Nissan was also affected: a UK spokesperson confirmed that files at its Sunderland factory were impacted on Friday night, but wouldn’t confirm reports that production was halted.

    A Renault spokesperson told Reuters that the company expects that “nearly all plants” will reopen on Monday.

    The WannaCry ransomware attack began on Friday, impacting computers at UK hospitals, utilities in Spain, and Russia’s interior ministry.

    The attack uses an exploit known as EternalBlue, which is thought to have been developed by the NSA to break through security on Windows computers.

    Yesterday, Microsoft took the unusual step of issuing a Windows XP patch to help prevent the attack, while a 22-year-old cybersecurity researcher seems to have defused the attack by registering a single web address.