Note: below is a long-form, technically focused feature article about CVE-2025-53804. I drew on Microsoft’s official entry for this CVE and on Microsoft documentation and guidance about kernel-mode drivers and driver blocklists to explain the risk, likely exploitation paths, detection and...
Epic Games’ Easy Anti‑Cheat (EAC) is finally landing on ARM platforms — a technical and ecosystem milestone that removes one of the largest obstacles keeping multiplayer PC games off Snapdragon‑powered Copilot+ laptops and Linux ARM devices. The company shipped updated Epic Online Services (EOS)...
anti-cheat vendors
arm
arm gaming
arm64ec
auto sr
driver signing
easy anti-cheat
eos sdk
epic online services
fortnite arm
game development
game portability
kerneldrivers
linux
prism
proton
snapdragon
steam deck
windows on arm
windows security
Epic’s Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) has finally been made compatible with Windows on Arm, removing a major technical barrier that has kept many multiplayer PC games—including Fortnite—off Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ laptops and other Snapdragon X Series machines; Epic delivered the compatibility through...
anti-cheat compatibility
arm gaming
arm hardware
arm laptop
arm software
arm64
arm64ec
easy anti-cheat
eos sdk
epic games
epic online services
fortnite
gaming on arm
kerneldrivers
pc gaming on arm
prism
snapdragon x
windows on arm
windows on arm compatibility
Epic Games has started closing a long-standing gap for Arm-based Windows gaming by making its Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) system compatible with Windows 11 on Arm devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X family — a change that paves the way for Fortnite and other EAC-protected multiplayer titles to...
arm devices
arm gaming
arm64ec
copilot+
developer tooling
eac
easy anti-cheat
emulation performance
eos sdk
epic games
fortnite
game development
kerneldrivers
multiplayer gaming
prism emulator
qualcomm
snapdragon x
windows 11 on arm
windows on arm
windows updates
A use‑after‑free bug in the Windows kernel has been reported under the identifier CVE‑2025‑49761 and is described by Microsoft as an elevation‑of‑privilege vulnerability that can allow a local, authorized attacker to gain SYSTEM privileges; administrators should treat the advisory as urgent and...
Security software is supposed to defend your PC — but when it’s outdated, duplicated, or packed with extras, it can quietly turn into the single biggest cause of a “slow but not ancient” Windows machine.
Background
Modern antivirus products have evolved far beyond a single malware scanner. What...
For months, gamers and enterprise users alike faced an unexpected roadblock: upgrading to Windows 11 24H2 threatened to trigger a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) if the wildly popular battle royale Fortnite—or any title using Easy Anti-Cheat—was installed. The issue was especially nefarious because...
24h2 update
bsod
driver reinstall
easy anti-cheat
enterprise hardware
fortnite
gaming performance
gpu drivers
intel alder lake
kerneldrivers
memory management
microsoft epic collaboration
patch tuesday
pc gaming
system stability
vpro
windows 11
windows compatibility
windows security
windows update
For months, a lingering roadblock stood between countless gamers and the latest innovations in Windows 11, sparking worry corners of the PC community haven’t seen since the days of Windows driver woes past. Microsoft’s decision to pause the Windows 11 24H2 update roll-out for a specific set of...
anti-cheat systems
bsod
device drivers
driver compatibility
driver patching
eac drivers
easy anti-cheat
game security
game updates
gaming pc
kerneldrivers
memory management error
microsoft safeguard id
pc gaming
system stability
windows 11
windows 11 24h2
windows compatibility
windows kernel
windows update
With the upcoming release of Windows 11 version 25H2, Microsoft is set to make a subtle yet significant shift in how drivers are vetted and approved for the world’s most widely used desktop operating system. While driver updates and optimizations have been ongoing throughout the Windows 11...
blue screen of death
codeql analysis
device drivers
driver certification
driver development
driver security
driver security standards
driver updates
driver verification
hardware compatibility
hardware vendors
kerneldrivers
microsoft update
os stability
system reliability
system stability
windows 11
windows 11 25h2
windows ecosystem
windows update
Microsoft’s continued evolution of Windows 11 reaches a significant milestone with the upcoming 25H2 update, especially in how the company approaches hardware driver quality and security. While most users focus on surface-level changes like the user interface or new features, some of the most...
Microsoft Defender Antivirus has long been at the forefront of protecting Windows users from an ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats, but even well-intentioned drivers can harbor latent risks. One recent security event—flagged as VulnerableDriver:WinNT/Winring0—highlights how trusted system...
In a sudden but decisive move, Microsoft has released an out-of-band (OOB) update to resolve a critical installation error that has recently tripped up administrators managing Windows 11 environments, particularly in enterprise and virtualized settings. The update comes in response to widespread...
acpi.sys
azure virtual machines
boot error
citrix
enterprise it
hyper-v
it administration
kb5062170
kerneldrivers
microsoft
out-of-band update
patch management
security update
system recovery
troubleshooting
virtual desktop infrastructure
virtualization
windows 11
windows security
windows update
Here's a summary of the latest issue following the May Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 (KB5058405), as well as key details and recommended actions:
What Happened?
The KB5058405 update, released on May 13, 2025, is causing Windows 11 virtual machines (VMs) to fail to boot. This critical...
acpi.sys
azure virtual desktop
azure virtual machines
azure vms
boot failure
boot failures
boot repair
citrix
enterprise it
enterprise security
error 0xc0000098
hyper-v
it administration
it administrators
it management
kb5058405
kernel driver
kerneldrivers
microsoft fix
microsoft patch
microsoft security update
microsoft update issues
out-of-band update
patch management
patch tuesday
security update
security updates
system file error
system recovery
system reliability
system repair
troubleshooting
update rollback
virtual environments
virtual machine recovery
virtual machine troubleshooting
virtual machines
virtualization
virtualization issues
virtualization security
vm boot failure
vm crashes
vm repair
vmware
windows 11
windows 11 bugs
windows patch
windows server
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows update problems
The recent wave of critical Windows 11 boot failures has exposed a significant vulnerability in the enterprise deployment landscape, highlighting the intricate balance between routine security updates and the stability of virtualized environments. Following the May 13, 2025, Patch Tuesday...
In a move emblematic of the evolving relationship between Microsoft and the open-source community, Fedora Linux has officially joined the array of distributions available through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Windows. This noteworthy milestone, widely reported and confirmed by trusted...
azure linux workloads
build 2025
build conference
build event
coding and programming
command line
community contribution
community contributions
containerization
cross-platform development
cross-platform tools
cross-platform workflows
customization
developer community
developer tools
development environment
devops
devops tools
dnf
enterprise development
enterprise it
fedora 42
fedora community
fedora enterprise support
fedora fedora project
fedora linux
fedora linux update
fedora on windows
fedora on wsl
fedora project
fedora repositories
fedora repository
fedora security
fedora update pipeline
fedora wsl support
file sharing windows linux
github
github projects
gpu acceleration
gpu support
graphical linux apps
gvim windows
hybrid development
hybrid development environment
hybrid workflows
it security
kernelkernel customization
kernel development
kerneldrivers
linux
linux compatibility
linux desktop integration
linux development
linux development environment
linux distributions
linux gui applications
linux kernel
linux kernel in wsl
linux on windows
linux support
microsoft
microsoft build 2025
microsoft fedora partnership
microsoft innovation
microsoft open source
microsoft store
microsoft visual studio code
microsoft wsl
open source
open source collaboration
open source community
open source ecosystem
open source initiative
open source license
open source licensing
open source linux
open source movement
open source security
open source software
open-source collaboration
open-source software
operating systems
power users
rpm package manager
security
security auditing
software collaboration
software development
system emulation
system integration
systemd support
tech industry
tech innovation
tech news
technology innovation
virtualization
windows
windows and linux integration
windows desktop
windows developer ecosystem
windows developer tools
windows features
windows linux compatibility
windows linux integration
windows open source
windows subsystem
windows subsystem for linux
windows/linux integration
winlinux integration
wsl
wsl 2
wsl architecture
wsl development
wsl open source
wsl performance
wsl2
wslg
wslg graphical support
Hi.
Windows 7 Ultimate x86
It was on my original 1TB Western Digital HDD. After several consecutive PC crashes it doesn't boot anymore. After the BIOS POST there appears a blinking underscore in the top left corner, and it stays in that state forever. (I don't want to perform a clean Windows...
bcd
black screen
boot issues
chkdsk
cloning
disk issues
error logs
hal
hdd
kerneldrivers
mbr
non-bootable
operating system
paragon
pc crashes
repair
sfc
startup repair
system recovery
windows 7
The latest monthly roll up update KB4041693 for Windows 8.1 has been released and the changelog is below
To access the update history of the monthly roll up for Windows 8.1 go here:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4009470windows-8-1-windows-server-2012-r2-update-history
application exception
file information
graphics component
internet explorer
kb4041693
kerneldrivers
known issues
memory corruption
microsoft update catalog
microsoft windows
october 2017
rollup update
security
support
updates
user focus
webview control
windows 8.1
windows search
windows update
As my career in security response has grown over the years, I am often reminded of the words of Italian author Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa, who stated, “If we want everything to remain as it is, it will be necessary for everything to change.” There are some things that we wish to...
advisory
bulletin
deployment
exploitation
guidance
internet explorer
kerneldrivers
march 2013
microsoft
physical access
privacy
protection
remote code execution
security
silverlight
threats
trustworthy computing
updates
vulnerabilities
windows store
Severity Rating: Critical
Revision Note: V1.0 (December 11, 2012): Bulletin published.
Summary: This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and one privately reported vulnerability in Windows. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow...
Resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted font file (such as a .fon file) in a network share, a UNC or WebDAV location, or an e-mail attachment.
More...