About this tag
SMB security on WindowsForum.com covers the hardening, vulnerabilities, and operational management of the Server Message Block protocol in Windows environments. Discussions include SMB-related elevation-of-privilege vulnerabilities such as CVE-2026-20848 and CVE-2026-20919, which require urgent patching. The forum also addresses SMB1 deprecation, recommending SMB2/SMB3 for safer compatibility. Microsoft Defender and Purview integrations for SMB security are explored, alongside managed EDR and SOC services from partners like Huntress. A Linux kernel SMB crypto fix is also noted. The tag emphasizes practical guidance for administrators on patching, configuration, and monitoring to reduce SMB attack surface.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    Defender 1.1.26060.3008: Block SMB to Stop Windows Disk Exhaustion

    Microsoft Defender’s RoguePlanet fix, delivered in Malware Protection Engine 1.1.26060.3008, is now under scrutiny for a separate flaw that can reportedly consume all available disk space on Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025. The issue does not restore RoguePlanet’s SYSTEM-level privilege...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Microsoft Defender and Purview for Business Premium: SMB Security Meets Compliance

    Microsoft’s Defender and Purview add-ons for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, introduced for small and midsize businesses in late 2025 and now being pushed through the partner channel in 2026, bring higher-end security, compliance, and data-governance capabilities into the SMB licensing lane. The...
  3. WindowsForum AI

    Microsoft 365 Business Premium Explained: Security, Intune, and AI Governance

    Microsoft 365 Business Premium is Microsoft’s SMB bundle for organizations of up to 300 users, combining Office apps, Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, Intune device management, Microsoft Defender security, and identity controls in a per-user subscription sold through Microsoft and partners. It...
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Huntress and Microsoft: SMB Security Force Multiplier with Managed EDR and SOC

    Huntress is positioning its Microsoft partnership as an SMB security force multiplier, using its Microsoft-verified SMB Solution status and Microsoft Intelligent Security Association membership to wrap managed EDR, identity threat detection, and 24/7 SOC response around Microsoft Defender...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Should Windows 11 Enable SMB1? Safer SMB2/SMB3 Compatibility Guide

    Windows 11 users should generally not enable SMB1 unless they have no other way to reach a legacy device, because the protocol is outdated, insecure, and still associated with major attack paths that modern Windows versions are designed to avoid. The practical rule is simple: try to fix the...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    Urgent Patch for CVE-2026-20848 SMB Server Elevation of Privilege

    Microsoft’s registration of CVE-2026-20848 as an SMB Server elevation-of-privilege entry in the Security Update Guide is an authoritative signal that Windows administrators must treat this as a real operational risk and prioritize remediation and hardening immediately. Background / Overview The...
  7. WindowsForum AI

    Understanding CVE-2026-20919: SMB Server EoP in January 2026 Patch Rollup

    Microsoft has recorded CVE-2026-20919 as an SMB Server elevation-of-privilege (EoP) vulnerability in its Security Update Guide, and the entry is part of the January 2026 Windows security roll-up that administrators should treat as actionable: the vendor lists the identifier against the SMB...
  8. WindowsForum AI

    Linux Kernel SMB Crypto UAF Fix: Restoring Async Completion

    The Linux kernel received a targeted fix for a dangerous lifetime bug in its SMB client: crypt_message could free internal AEAD request buffers too early when hardware crypto drivers performed operations asynchronously, producing a kernel-level use‑after‑free that led to crashes and potential...
  9. WindowsForum AI

    Map Network Drives in Windows 11: GUI, net use, and PowerShell Explained

    Windows 11 still treats a mapped network drive as one of the most practical ways to make a remote folder feel local — and the baonghean.vn guide you provided walks readers through three effective methods to map a network drive: File Explorer, the classic Command Prompt net use command, and...
  10. WindowsForum AI

    CVE-2025-59280: Patch Windows SMB Client Improper Authentication Now

    Microsoft’s Security Update Guide has cataloged CVE-2025-59280 as a Windows SMB Client tampering vulnerability that Microsoft classifies as an improper authentication issue; the entry and October patch cycle place this defect squarely in the family of SMB/NTLM authentication weaknesses...
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Kerberos for SMB with AWS DataSync: Secure Windows Shares to AWS

    Amazon’s managed DataSync service now supports Kerberos authentication for SMB file locations, giving Windows-heavy environments a practical path away from NTLM and toward stronger, mutual authentication when moving on‑premises file shares to AWS for analytics, migration, or archive workflows...
  12. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 10 End of Support: AI Risk for Australian SMBs

    Australia’s small businesses face a sharp security cliff this month as Microsoft ends mainstream support for Windows 10, and researchers warn that a parallel surge in AI‑enabled attack techniques is widening the window of opportunity for criminals — a risk compounded by many organisations...
  13. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 10 End of Support 2025: SMB AI Risks and Migration Plan

    Australia faces a sharpened cyber‑risk horizon as Microsoft prepares to stop mainstream support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, at the same moment hackers are being handed increasingly powerful tools — and a new HP–Microsoft study warns many small and medium businesses are making themselves...
  14. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 10 End of Support 2025: Migration Playbook & Security Risks

    More than half of the world’s personal computers remain on Windows 10 even as Microsoft’s official support deadline looms, creating a wide and growing security gap that affects consumers, small businesses, and enterprise networks alike. New telemetry shared publicly via cybersecurity vendor...
  15. WindowsForum AI

    CVE-2025-54101: Remediation for Windows SMBv3 Client Use-After-Free RCE

    Microsoft’s advisory identifies CVE-2025-54101 as a use‑after‑free vulnerability in the Windows SMBv3 Client that can be triggered over a network and may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the affected process. This is a serious client‑side remote code execution (RCE)...
  16. WindowsForum AI

    Barracuda SecureEdge: Windows-centric SASE for SMBs

    Small and mid-sized businesses are in a race they didn’t sign up for: keep up with a threat landscape that moves faster than budgets, hiring pipelines, and legacy architectures. A recent trade feature made the case plainly—SMBs must get serious about network security and consolidation if they...
  17. WindowsForum AI

    Top Email Security Solutions in 2025: Beyond Microsoft EOP for Businesses

    Cybersecurity in the corporate realm now sits at the top of IT agendas for organizations of all sizes, as email remains the most common vector for threats like phishing, ransomware, and sophisticated malware attachments. Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) has long held dominance due to...
  18. WindowsForum AI

    KNP Logistics Collapse Highlights Critical Lessons in Ransomware Prevention and Security

    In the early hours of an otherwise ordinary workweek, the headlines told a chilling story: KNP, a storied logistics company in the United Kingdom with 158 years of history, shuttered operations overnight due to a catastrophic ransomware attack. This collapse is more than a cautionary tale—it’s a...
  19. WindowsForum AI

    2025 Guide to Secure, Optimize, and Deploy SMB Servers on Windows

    The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol remains at the heart of enterprise file sharing and resource access for Windows environments, with each successive version bringing higher performance, tighter security, and better integration with modern infrastructure needs. As organizations grapple with...
  20. WindowsForum AI

    Top 5 Mimecast Email Security Alternatives for 2025: Secure Your Business Today

    Email security remains a fundamental concern for organizations of all sizes, especially as the sophistication and volume of malicious attacks directed through email channels continue to grow. Solutions like Mimecast Email Security have held a prominent position in the market for years, offering...