Tag Archives: Microsoft

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows Possibly Removing Option To Use Outdated Wifi Connections

If you haven’t already installed the 1903 Windows 10 update released in May, be advised.

When you install it, you’ll start seeing warning popup boxes any time you connect to a WiFi network that is using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) or WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) to encrypt and secure those connections.

The particulars of the message the popup box contains will vary depending on the situation, but in general, you’ll see one of two things. Either you will get a recommendation to upgrade your connection to a more modern WiFi authentication protocol (like WPA3 if you’re on a home network) or you’ll get a recommendation to disconnect from the WiFi connection and use something more secure if you’re away from home.

In tandem with this change, the company announced that their long term plan is to remove support for the two older protocols altogether, although no specific timeframe for that move was given. tThe company simply said that in some future release, any connection to WiFi networks that utilized these old ciphers would simply be disallowed.

On balance, this is a good move and a smart decision.  The various security issues surrounding WEP and TKIP have been known for years, and better connection options are now widely available.  Upgrading your equipment on this front is probably something you’ve already done, and if you haven’t yet, it’s well past time.

Start making plans now so you’re not caught off guard when Microsoft sends them off into the sunset and stops allowing those types of connections to be made at all.  The last thing you want is to find yourself in a situation where your business comes to a sudden, grinding halt just because you’re using an older WiFi security protocol, especially when it’s so easy to avoid.

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Latest Windows 7 Update Could Cause AntiVirus Program Issues

If you’re still using Windows 7, you probably already know that Microsoft recently threw users of some of it’s older operating systems a bone when they issued a rare, emergency security patch designed to better protect their systems. Unfortunately, there’s a problem. According to the UK security firm Sophos, and backed up by sporadic user reports, installing the new patch creates conflicts on startup with a number of antivirus programs.

This is causing some systems to freeze on restart, getting stuck  at about 30 percent into the configuration process.

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue in a bulletin, which expands on Sophos’ findings. The bulletin revealed that what the company is describing as a “glitch” also impacts Windows Server 2008 R2 users and the patch causes problems for users who have McAfee Endpoint Security Threat Prevention 10.x, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.8, and McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention 8.0.

Sophos reports that they’re working with Microsoft to resolve the issue, but to this point, no time frame for resolution has been given. Although at present, the company has not listed the problem as a known issue on their site.

This puts Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 users in a tricky spot.  The recent security patch is critical. It closes the door on a wide range of high severity security issues, making it much more difficult for hackers to gain unauthorized access.  On the other hand, if it doesn’t work with the antivirus programs you’re using, installing it might give you pause.

Microsoft has offered no guidance on this point, so each business owner and department manager will have to weigh the risks and proceed accordingly.  Just know that the company is actively working to resolve the issue, and when they do, you’ll have at least a bit more protection. Although again, if you haven’t already begun making plans to migrate away from your older operating system, the time is now.

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows Update Is Installing Files Two Times On PC

Microsoft continues to struggle where releasing smooth Windows 10 updates are concerned.

This latest OS update doesn’t contain file deleting problems, and it won’t give you the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.

It  it may however cause confusion, as some users are reporting that the update file is downloading twice.

The build in question is KB4494441. As with every other update to this point, everything you need is contained within this singular file, so the presence of two files is causing some head scratching.  If you download the latest and you happen to wind up with two copies, just delete one of them and proceed with the update normally.

As updates go, this one is fairly important and should be high on your acquisition list. It includes a fix for a serious, zero-day flaw in Windows 10, along with providing some protections for a newly discovered CPU side-channel flaw that could allow hackers to launch an MDS attack against you.  In addition to that, of course, you’ll find a raft of non-security-related improvements and fixes designed to further improve the overall Windows 10 experience.

It should be noted that if you happen to install both copies of the update file, no users to this point have reported any issues arising as a result, so you’re likely to be fine on that front. You will be out nothing more than the time it took to install the update for the second time.  Even so, it’s worth making sure your IT people are aware of it.

For their part, Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and indicated that it only seems to be occurring for a small minority of the OS’s installed base.  There has been no word from the company yet on what caused the issue, or what is being done to make sure it doesn’t happen in future releases.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Unexpected Support Updates For Older Systems Released By Microsoft

Users of Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 7 and Server 2008 got an unexpected benefit from Microsoft recently.

All of the OS’s mentioned above have reached the end of their support lives and the company hasn’t been issuing new security updates for them. However, they made a rare exception in the case of patching CVE-2019-0708.

CVE-2019-0708 is a critical security flaw that allows hackers to exploit the Remote Desktop Service and gain access to a target system without any authentication.

Windows 8 and later versions are unaffected by this flaw, but there are millions of vulnerable users still on the older operating systems we named above who are vulnerable.  Microsoft threw them a lifeline releasing the patch that addressed this issue, along with 79 other security flaws.

Last year, the malware strain known as Wannacry swept across the globe, infecting hundreds of thousands of systems, most of which were running older OS’s.  Fearing that something similar could happen this year, the company took the extraordinary step of issuing an unexpected security patch.

While the smart money says that you should already be well into making plans to migrate away from these older operating systems with little to no support, that may not be possible for everyone.  At the very least then, be sure you grab the latest security patch from Microsoft, which will undoubtedly buy you at least a bit more time.

Honestly though, at this point, the only safe move is to migrate to a more modern OS with all possible speed, even if it means some short-term discomfort.  Wannacry devastated thousands of businesses of all shapes and sizes. Microsoft isn’t going to continue making heroic efforts to save a user base unwilling to migrate forever.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Microsoft Seeks To Replace Text Passwords With Biometrics

For almost as long as computers have existed, various companies have promised that passwords would eventually be a thing of the past.

Over the years, a variety of different technologies have been introduced that promised to kill the humble and ubiquitous password.  Everything from biometric sensors to facial recognition have been attempted.

To date, none of those technologies have delivered on their promise.

True, most of these new technologies have found niches in the market and have been embraced by a growing percentage of the population. However, invariably, these other technologies are used in tandem with text-based passwords rather than replacing them.  If Microsoft has anything to say about the matter, that may finally change.

The most recent Windows 10 update makes it easier than ever to log into devices and a variety of online services without having to worry about passwords at all.  The secret to the company’s success lies in the fact that Windows Hello has just received FIDO2 certification, which means that Hello PINs and biometric signatures are now seen as secure authenticators.

The official press release from the FIDO Alliance, reads, in part, as follows:

“FIDO2 is a set of standards that enables easy and secure logins to websites and applications via biometrics, mobile devices and/or FIDO Security Keys. FIDO2’s simpler login experiences are backed by strong cryptographic security that is far superior to passwords, protecting users from phishing, all forms of password theft and replay attacks.”

In an accompanying statement release by Microsoft, the company observed that “no one likes passwords (except hackers).”

While all of that is true, it remains to be seen whether this latest attempt to dethrone the text-based password will succeed or not.  Even if it does, if the past is any sort of guide at all, it’s only a matter of time before clever hackers find the chinks in the armor of this new paradigm.

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