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How much a Windows zero-day exploit that affects all versions of Windows operating system costs on the black market? It's $95,000, at least, for the one recently spotted by security researchers. Researchers from Trustwave's SpiderLabs team have uncovered a zero-day exploit on Russian underground malware forum exploit.in, affecting all versions of Microsoft Windows OS from Windows 2000 all the way up to a fully patched version of Windows 10. The zero-day exploit for the previously unknown vulnerability in " every version " of Windows is openly sold for $90,000 ( over £62,000 ). The security team originally discovered the zero-day exploit last month when the firm saw its ad on a Russian hacking forum for $95,000. However, the price has now been dropped to $90,000. The zero-day vulnerability in question claims to be a Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) bug in Windows that offers admin access to run malicious code on a victim's PC and is less dangerous th

If you are a Microsoft's Windows user, you may have encountered the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) . The Blue Screen of Death generally appears when Windows encounters any critical error due to software or hardware issues, displaying a sad face and no information other than "Your PC ran into a problem." However, now the company is apparently giving its infamous Blue Screen of Death a makeover. With the Microsoft's Anniversary Update, the company is making the Blue Screen of Death a little helpful for its users. Microsoft is adding QR code to its Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 10 that will make it easier for users to identify potential issues with their devices. The new QR codes are featured in the Redmond's latest Windows 10 Preview, Build 14316, which will debut this summer as the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Must Read:   Step-by-Step Tutorial to Run Ubuntu on latest Windows 10 Preview Build . Now, when your operating

Super Low RPO with Continuous Data Protection: Dial Back to Just Seconds Before an Attack Zerto , a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, can help you detect and recover from ransomware in near real-time. This solution leverages continuous data protection (CDP) to ensure all workloads have the lowest recovery point objective (RPO) possible. The most valuable thing about CDP is that it does not use snapshots, agents, or any other periodic data protection methodology. Zerto has no impact on production workloads and can achieve RPOs in the region of 5-15 seconds across thousands of virtual machines simultaneously. For example, the environment in the image below has nearly 1,000 VMs being protected with an average RPO of just six seconds! Application-Centric Protection: Group Your VMs to Gain Application-Level Control   You can protect your VMs with the Zerto application-centric approach using Virtual Protection Groups (VPGs). This logical grouping of VMs ensures that your whole applica

As reported last week, Microsoft will launch an 'Anniversary Update' for Windows 10 that will bring Ubuntu file system, allowing you to use Bash to run command-line Linux applications without a virtual machine. However, you do not have to wait until this summer to run Bash ( Bourne Again Shell ) on your Windows 10 OS, as Microsoft has released the first preview build of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to the members of its Insider program. Don't expect it to run Ubuntu directly on Windows 10, as this is basically Ubuntu user-space packages running natively on Windows 10 by the company coming up with real-time translation of Linux system calls into Windows system calls. This new Bash Shell support features a full Ubuntu user space complete with support for tools including ssh, apt, rsync, find, grep, awk, sed, sort, xargs, md5sum, gpg, curl, wget, apache, mysql, python, perl, ruby, php, vim, emacs and more. Windows 10 build 14316's biggest addition is

'Microsoft loves Linux' so much that now the company is bringing the popular Bash shell , alongside the entire Linux command environment, to its newest Windows 10 OS in the upcoming 'Anniversary Update,' Redstone. The rumours before the Microsoft's Build 2016 developer conference were true. Microsoft has just confirmed that it is going to enable its users to run Bash (Bourne Again Shell) natively on Windows 10. Also Read: Microsoft Drops a Cloud Data Center Under the Ocean . Microsoft has partnered with Ubuntu's parent company Canonical to ensure the Bash experience for users is just as good in Windows OS as it's in variants of Linux. Although the Goal of the partnership, in the end, is to bring Ubuntu on Windows 10, don't expect it to run Ubuntu directly on Windows 10. Users will be able to download Bash from the Windows Store. BASH or Bourne Again Shell is capable of handling advanced command line functionalities that are not a c

China is very strict about censorship, which makes it difficult for companies to launch their products in the country. But companies like Microsoft are playing smartly to target the largest market in the world. Microsoft has found a way to enter into the banned Chinese Market, but this time with official support for Chinese Government through a new custom and exclusive Windows 10 version for China. It sounds like Microsoft has no issues like Apple, which strongly refused the court order to create a special 'GovtOS' version to help the Feds with unlocking iPhone. Microsoft's CEO for the Greater China region Ralph Haupter has confirmed that the company has built a Chinese government-approved version of Windows 10 OS that includes " more management and security controls " and less bloatware ( pre-installed apps ). Specialized Windows 10 'Zhuangongban' for China In a joint venture with a state-run technology and defense company, CETC ( China Electronic Technology Gr

Myth: By disabling all privacy compromising and telemetry features on Windows 10 will stop Microsoft to track your activities. Fact: Even after all telemetry features disabled, Windows 10 is phoning home more than you could ever think of. Ever since the launch of Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 10 is believed to be spying on its users. I wrote a number of articles to raise concern about Windows 10 privacy issues , including its controversial data mining features  and privacy invasion features . The only solution believed to cope up with these issues is to disable all the telemetry features or use an automated tool to disable all privacy-infringing features in just one click. But unfortunately, all these efforts got wasted because Microsoft still tracks you, even after you tighten your Windows 10 privacy to an extreme level, claims the recent analysis conducted by a Voat user CheesusCrust. Traffic Analysis Reveals Extent of Windows 10 Spying

Microsoft has released 13 security bulletins, six of which are considered to be critical, resolving a total of 41 security vulnerabilities in its software this month. Every Windows version Affected: One of the critical vulnerabilities affects all supported version of Windows , including Microsoft's newest Windows 10 operating system, as well as Windows Server 2016 Tech Preview 4. The memory-corruption flaw ( MS16-013 ) could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code as the logged-in user by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted Journal file. This vulnerability would let the attacker run malicious programs on victim's machine, even delete data and create new accounts with full user rights. Administrator accounts are at the greatest risk than users with a fewer user rights account on the system. However, the good news is the vulnerability has not been spotted in the wild. List of All Critical Vulnerabilities Other Critical Secur

A Few Months Back, Microsoft impressed the world with ' Microsoft loves Linux ' announcements, including, development of a custom Linux-based OS for running Azure Cloud Switch and selecting Ubuntu as the operating system for its  Cloud-based Big Data services . Also Read:  Microsoft Drops a Cloud Data Center Under the Ocean . Now, a renowned Windows Hacker and computer expert, who goes by the name ' WalkingCat ', discovered that the latest version of Windows 10 may have a Linux subsystem secretly installed inside. According to his tweets, hacker spotted two mysterious files, LXss.sys and LXCore.sys, in the most latest Windows 10 Redstone Build 14251 , which are suspected to be part of Microsoft's Project Astoria . Project Astoria , also known as Windows Bridge for Android , is a toolkit that allows running Android apps on Windows 10 Mobile devices. The naming convention for latest discovered files is very similar to the Android Subsystem files from Proj

Yes, from today, Microsoft is ending the support for versions 8, 9 and 10 of its home-built browser Internet Explorer, thereby encouraging Windows users to switch on to Internet Explorer version 11 or its newest Edge browser . Microsoft is going to release one last patch update for IE8, IE9 and IE10 today, but this time along with an " End of Life " notice, meaning Microsoft will no longer support the older versions. So, if you want to receive continuous updates for your web browser and avoid being exposed to potential security risks after 12 January, you are advised to upgrade your browser to Internet Explorer 11, or its new Edge browser. End of Life of Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10  "Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10," Microsoft says . This move could be part of Microsoft's bigger

After several controversial data mining and privacy invasion features within Microsoft's newest operating system, Microsoft continued convincing its users that Windows 10 is not spying on anyone and that the company is not collecting more data than it needs. In addition, Microsoft also updated its privacy policy in order to clear how and when Windows 10 utilizes users' data. But wait, before you convinced yourself by this statement, just have a look on the milestones (listed below) that Microsoft recently announced, revealing that Windows 10 is now actively running on 200 Million devices . Also Read:   Microsoft WARNING — 'Use Windows 7 at Your Own Risk' Microsoft Tracks Your Every Move Here's the list of milestones that Microsoft just achieved: People spent over 11 Billion hours on Windows 10 in December 2015. More than 44.5 Billion minutes were spent in Microsoft Edge across Windows 10 devices in December alone. Windows 10 users aske

Someone is threatening Windows 7 users with a misleading warning. Guess who? Microsoft itself… Microsoft has just issued a clear warning saying Windows 7 users should remain on the aging operating system " at your own risk, at your own peril. " But why particularly Windows 7 Users? Since Windows 7 runs on 55 percent of all the computers on the planet, Microsoft is worried that its goal to reach 1 Billion Windows 10 installations by 2017 could be harder. During a recent interview with the Windows Weekly , Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Capossela warned about the risks of using Windows 7 and urged users that it's time to switch to the new Windows 10 operating system instead. Capossela also stressed that Windows 7 is apparently less secure than Windows 10, so it is "so incredibly important to try to end the fragmentation of the Windows install base" as well as to get them to a "safer place." Here the so-called saf

Windows 10 here, Windows 10 there, and it is everywhere. This is exactly what Microsoft dreamed of, and it seems like the company is actively working to reach its One Billion goal by the end of 2017 or mid-2018. Proudly announcing its first huge success, Microsoft reported that its newest Windows 10 operating system is now officially installed on more than 200 Million devices worldwide since its launch five months ago. Windows 10 is the latest as well as the greatest operating system from Microsoft that took less than six months to hit 200 Million milestone. The growth is really impressive, and Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Windows and Devices Yusuf Mehdi outlined other milestones for Windows 10 in a blog post on Monday. Here's the list: Windows 10's adoption is growing 140% faster than Windows 7 and over 400% faster than Windows 8. More than 40% of the new Windows 10 devices were activated since Black Friday. Over 11 Billion hours have b

Have you recently purchased a Windows computer? Congratulations! As your new Windows computer has inbuilt disk encryption feature that is turned on by default in order to protect your data in case your device is lost or stolen. Moreover, In case you lost your encryption keys then don't worry, Microsoft has a copy of your Recovery Key. But Wait! If Microsoft already has your Disk Encryption Keys then what's the use of using disk encryption feature? Doesn't Encryption mean Only you can unlock your disk ? Microsoft Probably Holds your Encryption Keys Since the launch of Windows 8.1, Microsoft is offering disk encryption as a built-in feature for Windows laptops, Windows phones and other devices. However, there is a little-known fact, highlighted by The Intercept, that if you have logged into Windows 10 using your Microsoft account, your system had automatically uploaded a copy of your recovery key to Microsoft's servers secretly, and you can't pre

Microsoft wholeheartedly wants you to upgrade your PCs to Windows 10, so much so that the company plans to automatically download its new operating system to Windows 7/8 computers next year. Just two weeks ago, Microsoft accidentally pushed Windows 10 installation to Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 users through the Windows Update process, but next year the company will do it on purpose. MISSION '1 BILLION': It doesn't come as a surprise, as Microsoft mentioned many times that it wants to get Windows 10 into as many hands as possible to reach its goal of 1 Billion installations. Starting next year, Microsoft is planning to re-categorize Windows 10 as a " Recommended Update " in its Windows Update service. Also Read:  Here's How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically . This means that the Windows 10 upgrade process will start downloading and initiating automatically on thousands of devices. Before:

Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to use its Edge browser , and the company is pulling every trick out to make it happen. In a newly leaked Windows 10 preview release ( build 10568 ) , Microsoft has added a new prompt that appears whenever you try to switch away from default apps, including Microsoft Edge . Considering the wide adoption of Microsoft's newest operating system Windows 10, it seems that users are still hesitant in adopting Edge browser that comes bundled with  Windows 10 . To help encourage a higher adoption of Microsoft's default apps bundled with Windows 10, the software giant seems to be taking some steps. Come, Give Microsoft Edge A Shot!  If you already have Microsoft Edge as your default browser, then installing another rival browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox , and switching the defaults will make a dialog box with " Give Microsoft Edge a shot " appear. The prompt highlights some of the latest features in

Microsoft has rolled out six security updates this Patch Tuesday , out of which three are considered to be " critical, " while the rest are marked as " important. " Bulletin MS15-106 is considered to be critical for Internet Explorer (IE) and affects absolutely all versions of Windows operating system. The update addresses a flaw in the way IE handles objects in memory. The flaw could be exploited to gain access to an affected system, allowing hackers to gain the same access rights as the logged-in user. A hacker could " take advantage of compromised websites, and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements ," the advisory states. " These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit the vulnerabilities. " Therefore, the dependency here is that an IE user must knowingly click on the malicious link, which then be leveraged by an attacker to get the full control over a computer t