Russian security software maker Kaspersky Lab has filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft with the European Commission and the German federal cartel office, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kaspersky Lab said Microsoft was abusing its dominance in the PC operating system market, creating obstacles for independent software security vendors by distributing its own Defender anti-virus software with the ubiquitous Windows operating system. Microsoft built the anti virus software into Windows, saying this protected users but Kaspersky said it was anti-competitive. Microsoft said in a statement on Tuesday that it had not violated any laws.
Read moreA newly discovered malware infection is masquerading in the form of a Microsoft PowerPoint file which downloads the infection as soon as users hover over a link. The file is sent as an attachment through email to victims.
The attachment may sometimes even contain zip files, which when extracted show the PowerPoint files. While PowerPoint files are written as PPTX, this file that comes attached in the mail reads as PPSX. The file format is identical to PowerPoint files but they enter the PowerPoint presentation view directly when opened. On opening a blank page, there is a message written in bright blue font saying, "Loading Please Wait" which is the malicious link.
Read moreMicrosoft Rewards has launched in the UK, and aims to tempt more people over to Bing. It’s the company’s latest attempt to poach Google’s users, and arguably the most desperate so far. Microsoft will reward you for using the Bing search engine, with points you can exchange for a number of freebies.
You’ll need to be signed into Bing with your Microsoft account, in order to earn points. Each Bing search will get you three points, but this will be doubled if you’re also using Edge, Microsoft’s answer to Google Chrome. ‘Level 1’ users can earn up to 60 points per day, simply by searching for 10 things through Bing.
Read moreMicrosoft has accidentally published a new Windows 10 build for PCs and mobile devices, and it turns out that the release is actually bricking smartphones by pushing them into an infinite reboot loop.
Windows 10 build 16212 was never supposed to go public, but due to an error it was published for insiders in the Fast, Slow, and Release Preview rings, with some reports claiming that even a number of users who weren't participating in the Windows Insider program got it. There is no confirmation in this regard, but if you do receive it, just don't install the new build on your PC. This build indeed pushes phones into a boot loop.
Read moreAs you wrestle the tablets from your square-eyed kids for the 10th time today, it might be reassuring to hear the king of Silicon Valley shares your worries. Bill Gates is the legendary founder of the world’s largest software firm, Microsoft – a company that made him the richest man in the world.
But even one of humanity’s greatest technological innovators still banned his kids from having mobiles until they were 14, forbids them at the dinner table and limits his youngest’s screen time. Father to Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe, he admits: “We often set a time after which there is no screen time and in their case that helps them get to sleep at a reasonable hour.“
Read moreYou might be aware of an ongoing cyber attack that silently installs malware on fully-patched computers by exploiting an unpatched Microsoft Word vulnerability in all current versions of Microsoft Office.
Now, according to security firm Proofpoint, the operators of the Dridex malware started exploiting the unpatched Microsoft Word vulnerability to spread a version of their infamous Dridex banking trojan. Dridex is currently one of the most dangerous banking trojans on the Internet that exhibits the typical behavior of monitoring a victim's traffic to bank sites by infiltrating PCs and stealing victim's online banking credentials and financial data.
Read moreMicrosoft is being sued by three people who claim a Windows 10 update destroyed their data. The company "failed to exercise reasonable care in designing, formulating, and manufacturing the Windows 10 upgrade and placing it into the stream of commerce," the complaint filed in Chicago’s District Court alleges.
The complainants argue the software is defective and that any potential risks about installing it were not made clear by the manufacturer. "As a result of its failure to exercise reasonable care, [the company] distributed an operating system that was liable to cause loss of data or damage to hardware,” the complaint reads.
Read moreOne of the least popular new “features” in Windows 10 is the advertising function Microsoft injected directly into the operating system. Ads show up in a number of ways, from promotions of Windows Store apps in the Start menu to pop-up “reminders” that Microsoft’s Edge browser gets better battery life than Google’s Chrome.
While Microsoft is addressing some other complaints about Windows 10 in the upcoming Creators Update — such as privacy concerns over the data that’s being transmitted and issues regarding how the operating system updates itself — the company seems intent on retaining Windows 10’s advertising functionality.
Read moreGoogle’s security researchers disclosed details of an unpatched Microsoft vulnerability in Windows’ GDI library that allows attackers to steal sensitive data from program memory. The flaw was first addressed by Microsoft last June, but Google said the patch was incomplete. As part of its 90-day disclosure deadline policy Google Project Zero publicly disclosed the the bug Monday.
“As part of MS16-074, some of the bugs were indeed fixed, such as the EMR_STRETCHBLT record, which the original proof-of-concept image relied on. However, we’ve discovered that not all of the DIB-related problems are gone,” wrote Google engineer Mateusz Jurczyk in a technical description of the vulnerability.
Read moreAn update to Windows software has caused problems for personal computer users trying to connect to the internet. Several European internet service providers (ISPs) have highlighted the problem, which can strike regardless of the type of router box or the particular ISP in use.
Microsoft has offered guidance to those experiencing difficulties. Computers running Microsoft's latest updates are losing network connectivity essentially because the PCs cannot automatically pick up the addressing systems from their broadband routers, which then cannot connect them to the internet. This is not the first time a Windows 10 update has created trouble.
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