windows security

Microsoft’s security tracker now shows CVE-2026-21236 as an elevation-of-privilege issue in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (AFD.sys), a kernel‑mode driver that sits at the heart of Windows’ networking stack; the vendor entry and multiple community trackers confirm the CVE but...

Microsoft’s security index now records CVE-2026-21242 as a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) elevation-of-privilege (EoP) vulnerability; the public vendor entry is intentionally terse, and Microsoft’s published confidence annotation makes clear that technical detail is limited while fixes and...

Microsoft’s Security Response Center has recorded CVE-2026-21235 as an Elevation of Privilege (EoP) vulnerability in the Windows Graphics Component, a class of bugs that routinely offers attackers a powerful local escalation primitive; the vendor entry exists in the MSRC “Update Guide” but — as...

Microsoft’s advisory for CVE-2026-21517 confirms a local Elevation of Privilege (EoP) vulnerability in the Windows App (macOS-targeted) installer components that can allow a low‑privilege user or process to obtain administrative or SYSTEM‑equivalent rights on a vulnerable host. The vendor record...

Microsoft's latest security play for Windows is a two‑pronged nudge: an operating‑system level Baseline Security Mode that moves runtime integrity safeguards toward “on by default,” and a flatter, more persistent set of User Transparency and Consent prompts that treat desktop apps more like...

Microsoft has quietly moved a crucial piece of Windows' defensive plumbing into a more aggressive, easier-to-manage posture — shipping both refreshed Microsoft Defender security intelligence for installation images and a usability update to Smart App Control that lets administrators and users...

Microsoft’s latest security push for Windows 11 marks a deliberate turn toward a consent-first, secure‑by‑default desktop: the company has announced Windows Baseline Security Mode (BSM) and User Transparency and Consent, a pair of features that together limit runtime execution to verified...

Microsoft’s latest security push for Windows tries to square two long-standing demands from the ecosystem: make the platform secure by default while preserving its openness and flexibility — and do it with a “consent-first” model that gives users and IT administrators clearer control and...

ROG Ally owners are reporting that ASUS Armoury Crate and its supporting services are being blocked by Windows 11's Smart App Control (SAC), leaving handheld gaming features, firmware pathways, and per‑game performance profiles unusable until the security feature is disabled or other workarounds...

A critical local privilege–escalation flaw has been disclosed in Mitsubishi Electric’s UPS shutdown utility, FREQSHIP-mini for Windows (CVE-2025-10314), affecting versions 8.0.0 through 8.0.2 and allowing a low‑privileged local user to gain SYSTEM privileges by replacing service executables or...

Microsoft’s latest round of security hardening is not subtle: it changes core authentication flows, removes long‑standing legacy protocols, and tightens boot and installer behavior in ways that are already breaking devices, apps, and fleet workflows in the wild. These updates are deliberate and...

Microsoft’s decision to ship future Windows releases in a “Kerberos‑first” posture — effectively disabling network NTLM authentication by default — is one of the most consequential platform security changes in years, and it arrives with a deliberate, multi‑phase runway designed to give...

Microsoft's decision to ship Windows in a "secure-by-default" state by disabling NTLM (NT LAN Manager) authentication by default marks one of the most consequential shifts in Windows security policy in decades, and it will force enterprises to confront years of legacy dependencies or accelerate...

Microsoft has declared an end of the road for NTLM as a secure default: network NTLM authentication will be blocked by default in upcoming Windows client and server releases, replaced by Kerberos-first behavior and a multi-year migration plan that delivers auditing, compatibility tooling, and...

Set NTFS Permissions the Right Way: Secure a Folder Without Breaking Inheritance Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 15 minutes NTFS permissions are one of Windows’ best security features—but they’re also one of the easiest ways to accidentally lock yourself out or create a messy “why...

Microsoft’s move to flip NTLM off by default in preview builds is the latest signal that the long, gradual retirement of a three‑decade‑old authentication relic is now an operational priority — and it will force IT teams to confront years of technical debt, compatibility traps, and process gaps...

Microsoft is preparing to ship Windows in a “secure‑by‑default” state that blocks network NTLM authentication unless an administrator explicitly allows it — a staged, multi‑phase program that replaces default NTLM fallbacks with a Kerberos‑first approach while shipping new Kerberos capabilities...

Microsoft has confirmed that the shutdown-and-hibernation regression triggered by January’s Patch Tuesday affects a broader set of enterprise-grade configurations than originally disclosed: an out-of-band fix addressed many Secure Launch cases, but systems using Virtual Secure Mode (VSM) remain...

Microsoft is moving Windows toward a “Kerberos-first” default by phasing out New Technology LAN Manager (NTLM) as the out‑of‑the‑box network authentication option and shipping new Kerberos capabilities and telemetry to give administrators time to discover and remediate legacy dependencies before...

Microsoft is preparing to ship Windows in a "secure-by-default" state that blocks network NTLM authentication unless an organization explicitly allows it — a phased, multi-year shift that replaces legacy NTLM with Kerberos-first authentication and introduces new Kerberos capabilities (IAKerb and...