security hardening

  1. Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview: Enablement Package and Enterprise Changes

    Microsoft has moved the next annual Windows 11 update — Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) — into the Release Preview testing ring, opening the final validation window for Insiders and commercial pilots ahead of a broader public rollout later this calendar year. The update is not a full...
  2. Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview: Lightweight eKB Enables Secure, Low-Impact Rollouts

    Microsoft has quietly pushed Windows 11, version 25H2 (preview Build 26200.5074) into the Release Preview Channel and is delivering it as a lightweight enablement package (eKB) that flips features already staged on 24H2 systems — a move that prioritizes security, manageability and low-impact...
  3. Windows 11 25H2: Enablement Package Focuses on Stability, Removes PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC

    Microsoft’s 2025 Windows 11 update arrives as a quiet, operational pivot: Windows 11, version 25H2 is being shipped as a small enablement package that flips on features already staged in the 24H2 servicing stream, contains no headline-grabbing consumer features at launch, and explicitly removes...
  4. Windows 11 24H2 Network Breakage: DHCP, WPAD, and WcmSvc Mitigations

    A serious compatibility change in Windows 11’s recent updates has left many IT teams scrambling — and, according to recent reporting, a Microsoft staffer appears to have indicated the behavior may not be reverted. The issue touches DHCP, WinHTTP/WPAD behavior and a surprising dependency that can...
  5. Windows 11 25H2 Arrives as a Lightweight Enablement Package (eKB) in Release Preview

    Microsoft has quietly pushed Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) into the Release Preview channel — and unlike many headline OS releases, this one arrives as a lightweight enablement package (eKB) that flips features already staged on devices rather than replacing the whole...
  6. Audit and Lock Down App Permissions & Privacy Settings in Windows 10/11

    Audit and Lock Down App Permissions & Privacy Settings in Windows 10/11 Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 15 minutes Introduction Apps asking for access to your camera, microphone, location, files, and other data can be convenient — but they’re also a privacy and security risk if left...
  7. Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview: Enablement Package & Legacy Removals

    Microsoft has pushed Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) into the Release Preview channel, delivering this year's annual feature update as a lightweight enablement package (eKB) that activates features already staged on devices running 24H2 — and in the process, Microsoft is quietly...
  8. Windows 11 25H2 Release Preview: Enablement Package for Fast, Low-Impact Upgrades

    Windows 11’s next annual feature update is now moving from staged preview into its final validation ring: Microsoft has made Windows 11, version 25H2 available to Release Preview Insiders and commercial customers for targeted testing, delivered as an enablement package on top of the 24H2...
  9. Strong Certificate Mappings on Windows DCs: Prepare for Sept 2025 Deadline

    Microsoft will remove support for the StrongCertificateBindingEnforcement registry key on Windows domain controllers on September 10, 2025, forcing a permanent switch to stricter, strong certificate-to-account mappings that will break legacy certificate-based authentication setups unless...
  10. Windows Server 2025: Automation, Hotpatching, and the KB5044284 Lesson

    Microsoft’s latest move to automate and AI‑assist Windows Server 2025 upgrades promises to cut the friction and risk that have long dogged enterprise patch cycles, but the effort is also a reminder that automation without clear metadata and robust controls can make things worse as quickly as it...
  11. CIQ Rocky Linux Hardened (RLC-H) Now on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Marketplaces

    CIQ’s hardened variant of Rocky Linux has taken a decisive step into the hyperscaler world: Rocky Linux from CIQ – Hardened (RLC‑H) is now offered through the major cloud marketplaces, giving enterprises a pre‑configured, supply‑chain‑validated Enterprise Linux image designed to reduce manual...
  12. Windows Server 2019 EOL: ESU to 2029 and Migration Paths

    Windows Server 2019 has entered a new phase of its lifecycle: mainstream support ended on January 9, 2024, and Microsoft will provide security-only updates during the extended support period through January 9, 2029. After that date the product reaches full end of life (EOL) and will no longer...
  13. Cloud-Managed Remote Mailboxes: A Step Toward Retiring the Last Exchange Server

    Microsoft’s Exchange team has taken a decisive step toward finally letting organizations retire the last Exchange server in hybrid environments by adding cloud-managed remote mailbox support — a per-mailbox “flip-the-switch” that transfers Exchange attribute authority to Exchange Online while...
  14. Migrate to the Dedicated Exchange Hybrid App: Urgent Guide

    Microsoft’s Exchange team has given hybrid administrators a clear-but-urgent migration mandate: switch to the dedicated Exchange hybrid app and update on‑prem servers now, or face temporary disruptions in September and October followed by a permanent enforcement that will stop rich coexistence...
  15. TrustedTech pivots to Microsoft-first services: Copilot, migrations, security

    TrustedTech’s pivot from a licensing-focused reseller to a full-service Microsoft-first systems integrator is more than a new logo — it is a deliberate repositioning into the fast-growing market for Microsoft Copilot enablement, Azure tenant migrations, managed security, and onshore certified...
  16. TrustedTech Rebrands as Microsoft-First Cloud and AI Services Partner

    TrustedTech’s decision to rebrand and recast itself as a Microsoft-first cloud and AI systems integrator marks a deliberate pivot from transactional licensing to outcome-driven services aimed squarely at Copilot deployments, Azure migrations, and managed security — a move the company unveiled in...
  17. August 2025: Dedicated Hybrid App for Skype for Business Hybrid - Act by Oct 15

    Microsoft’s August 2025 hotfixes for Skype for Business Server introduce a security-first change that will force organizations with hybrid deployments to act quickly: a new, customer-managed Dedicated Hybrid Application model replaces the long-standing Microsoft-managed shared service principal...
  18. TrustedTech pivots to Microsoft cloud, Copilot, and AI services

    TrustedTech’s move from a licensing-focused reseller to a full-spectrum Microsoft cloud and AI services partner marks a deliberate pivot into higher‑value professional services, signalling ambitions to capture demand for Copilot deployments, Azure migrations, and enterprise managed security—an...
  19. CVE-2025-7973: Privilege Escalation in FactoryTalk ViewPoint 14.x

    A critical local privilege‑escalation flaw has been disclosed in Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk ViewPoint (versions 14.00 and prior) that allows an attacker with local access to escalate to SYSTEM by abusing Windows MSI repair behavior — the issue is tracked as CVE‑2025‑7973 and has been...
  20. Netlogon Hardening in 2025 Updates: AD DC Security vs Samba Compatibility

    Microsoft has quietly but decisively reworked how Active Directory domain controllers answer certain Netlogon RPC calls — a change rolled into the July and August 2025 cumulative updates that hardens the Microsoft RPC Netlogon protocol, closes an unauthenticated resource‑exhaustion vector...