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The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has warned about a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Microsoft Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr/SCCM). The vulnerability has rapidly escalated into a significant national‑level concern following the release of public exploit code. Microsoft Configuration Manager is an enterprise management platform that helps organizations centrally deploy software, enforce security…

Microsoft Sentinel is getting new updates aimed at improving how security teams understand and investigate risk. The latest changes add new connectors, clearer analytics, and more integrated insights to help teams work more efficiently across their environments. Microsoft has introduced new out-of-the-box connectors to simplify the onboarding of security data across cloud, SaaS, and on-premises…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss a recent report suggesting that Windows 11 users may soon be able to move and resize the taskbar once again. They also talk about how the upcoming Windows 11 version 26H1 will change how Microsoft ships big Windows updates.

Microsoft has begun refreshing the Secure Boot root of trust across the Windows ecosystem. The move is driven by the upcoming expiration of Secure Boot certificates first issued in 2011, which begin reaching end of life in late June 2026. Secure Boot is a foundational security feature in Windows and Windows Server. It runs before…

Microsoft’s February 2026 Patch Tuesday has arrived with a familiar-looking headline and an unusually urgent subtext. While the overall volume of fixes is typical for a February release, the number of actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities stands out sharply this month, making this a high-priority update for enterprise environments. February 2026 Patch Tuesday at a glance…

Microsoft has officially started the clock on the retirement of Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online, with a phased shutdown beginning in October 2026 and a hard stop scheduled for April 1, 2027. While EWS has been deprecated for years, this is the clearest signal yet that organizations still relying on it need to…

The focus shouldn’t be just on restoring AD functionality but on restoring trust ensuring the recovered environment is clean, uncompromised, and validated before reconnecting to production. Trust is the new metric for Active Directory Forest recovery Modern day Active Directory (AD) recovery isn’t just about restoring AD; it’s about restoring trust. Active Directory is still…

Microsoft is continuing its multi‑year effort to modernize Windows by ending distribution of legacy V3 and V4 printer drivers through Windows Update. Starting in January 2026, new third‑party V3 and V4 printer drivers will no longer be published automatically, marking a significant shift in how older printers are supported on Windows 11 and Windows Server…

Businesses everywhere are scrutinizing every new tech expense and Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot is no exception. Despite the hype around artificial intelligence transforming the workplace, many organizations are pressing pause on rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to all their employees. In fact, Microsoft recently revealed that only about 3% of Microsoft 365 users have chosen to…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss the release of OpenAI’s GPT-5.3 Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6, and how Microsoft finds itself stuck in the middle.

Microsoft has started testing native System Monitor (Sysmon) integration in Windows 11, bringing advanced system activity monitoring directly into the OS. The feature is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels for early evaluation. What is Sysmon? Microsoft first announced its plans to introduce native Sysmon functionality into Windows 11…

In this article, I’ll show you how to change passwords for Active Directory users. Passwords are still the primary method of authenticating users in most Active Directory (AD) environments. Although modern identity solutions increasingly rely on multifactor authentication (MFA) and even passwordless technologies, legacy usernames and passwords remain the precarious method in enterprise workflows. Changing…