Hotpatch readiness is no longer an optional optimization for modern Windows fleets — it’s a foundational capability for any organization that values continuous uptime, rapid security response, and simplified update logistics. Enabling Virtualization‑based Security (VBS) at scale is the single...
Microsoft has quietly issued a set of emergency, out‑of‑band patches to fix a serious regression introduced by the August 2025 security updates that broke Windows’ built‑in recovery tools — including the widely used Reset this PC workflow — and caused some upgrade attempts to fail with error...
0x8007007f
intune
it admin
kb5066187
kb5066188
kb5066189
latest cumulative update
mdm
out-of-band
patchmanagement
recovery
remotewipe csp
reset this pc
servicing stack update
windows
windows 10
windows 11
Microsoft’s August Patch Tuesday has gone from a routine security maintenance window to an operational headache for administrators and home users alike, as the August 12, 2025 rollups introduced a pair of serious regressions — first a storage regression that could make some SSDs disappear under...
august 2025 patch tuesday
data protection risk
enterprise patching
firmware updates
it administration
kb5063709
kb5063875
kb5063878
kb5066189
nvme drives disappearing
out-of-band update
patchmanagement
recovery and wipe failures
release health
remotewipe csp
reset this pc regression
ssd storage regression
windows 10 ltsc
windows 11 24h2
Microsoft released an out‑of‑band (OOB) non‑security update on August 19, 2025 — KB5066189 for Windows 11 (OS Builds 22621.5771 and 22631.5771) — to repair a regression introduced by August’s cumulative updates that can block device reset and recovery operations, and to deliver a servicing stack...
CISA’s August 19 advisory batch once again put industrial control systems at the center of urgent cybersecurity attention, flagging four distinct advisories that collectively underscore persistent weaknesses in building management, identity federation, solar-edge gateways, and distributed...
Siemens’ published advisory on the Desigo CC product family and SENTRON powermanager centers on a privilege-escalation flaw in the bundled WIBU CodeMeter runtime that can let a local, unprivileged user elevate rights immediately after installation — a condition Siemens and Wibu have patched but...
Microsoft’s decision to place three new Microsoft 365 “companion” apps — People, File Search, and Calendar — directly into the Windows 11 taskbar is a clear bet on shaving everyday friction from the workday, but it also raises immediate questions about duplication, manageability, and enterprise...
Microsoft has quietly removed the long-standing option in the Microsoft Store to keep automatic app updates turned off indefinitely — the Store now forces a time-limited pause that resumes updates automatically after a selected window (commonly one to five weeks), aligning Store behavior with...
1-5 weeks pause
app updates
enterprise it
group policy
intune
mdm
metered connections
microsoft store
patchmanagement
pause model
release health
security updates
software management
staged rollout
update pause
user autonomy
ux consistency
windows 10
windows 11
windows update
CISA has formally added CVE-2025-54948 — a critical OS command injection in Trend Micro Apex One’s on‑premises Management Console — to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation and triggering accelerated remediation expectations for federal...
Three persistent beliefs about Windows security still shape decisions in 2025 — that you must pay for antivirus, that Microsoft Defender is a catch‑all shield, and that staying on Windows 10 is safe for years to come — and each is misleading in ways that matter for risk, cost, and practical...
bitlocker
byovd
edr
end of life
endpoint detection and response
extended security updates
free antivirus
mdr
mfa
microsoft defender antivirus
password manager
patchmanagement
phishing
smartscreen
social engineering
virtualization-based security
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 migration
windows sandbox
windows security
Microsoft has given Windows 10 users a one-year safety net — a broadly accessible Extended Security Updates (ESU) program that keeps crucial security patches flowing after the official end-of-support date, but the offer comes with strings attached and hard choices ahead for millions of PC...
consumer esu
cost analysis
data backup
end of support
enrollment options
enterprise esu
extended security updates
hardware compatibility
lifecycle
microsoft rewards
migration planning
onedrive sync
patchmanagement
privacy trade-offs
secure boot
security updates only
tpm 2.0
windows 10 esu
windows 11 upgrade
windows update
Microsoft’s recent policy updates around Office distribution have been widely misunderstood: the company is not locking Office into the Windows Store — it is effectively retiring the Microsoft Store installation type for Microsoft 365 (Office) apps and steering users toward Click-to-Run delivery...
ai features
appx
click-to-run
configuration manager
copilot
end of support
enterprise it
feature updates
intune
it admin
microsoft 365
microsoft store
migration plan
office 365
office deployment tool
office migration
patchmanagement
security updates
software deployment
windows store
The Colonial Pipeline blackout of May 2021 remains a cautionary touchstone: ransomware that began in corporate IT cascaded into physical shortages and public alarm, a stark demonstration that operational technology (OT) insecurity costs more than data — it can disrupt energy, water, food and...
A recently disclosed memory-safety flaw in Chromium’s Aura windowing component — tracked as CVE-2025-8882 — allows a remote attacker who can trick a user into specific UI gestures to trigger a use‑after‑free that may lead to heap corruption; the bug was patched upstream in Google Chrome...
Chromium security teams fixed a high‑risk out‑of‑bounds write in the ANGLE graphics translation layer (tracked as CVE‑2025‑8901), and users of Chromium‑based browsers — including Microsoft Edge after Microsoft ingests the Chromium update — must upgrade to the patched builds (Chrome...
A race condition in V8, tracked as CVE‑2025‑8880, was disclosed by the Chromium team and fixed upstream in Chrome Stable — the flaw could allow a remote attacker to execute code inside the browser sandbox via a crafted webpage, and Chromium-based browsers (including Microsoft Edge) are advised...
A newly recorded Chromium vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-8881, exposes a weakness in the browser’s File Picker implementation that can be coaxed into leaking cross‑origin data when a user is tricked into specific UI gestures on a crafted page; the bug affects Google Chrome builds prior to...
A lone California plaintiff has asked a San Diego court to stop Microsoft from cutting off free security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 — a lawsuit that reframes a routine product‑lifecycle decision as a high‑stakes legal, security and policy dispute with potential ripple effects for...
ai in windows
antitrust
consumer protection
copilot
copilot+
e-waste
esu
extended security updates
litigation
patchmanagement
san diego court
software lifecycle
windows 10
windows 11 migration
windows end of life
Microsoft’s August Patch Tuesday is one of the heavier maintenance cycles of the year: the company released patches addressing well over a hundred vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Exchange, SQL Server and Azure services, and security teams must triage a short list of immediate priorities...
Windows Security is a strong baseline for protecting Windows 11 devices, but it was never designed to be a human-proof, one-stop solution — there are modern threats that built-in tools cannot fully mitigate, and relying on default protection alone leaves significant gaps in phishing...