Windows Server

Microsoft is gradually introducing multifactor authentication (MFA) for all organizational accounts in Azure Active Directory. In this article, I look at the new Security Defaults setting and how to enable it.

The biggest Patch Tuesday in the company’s history, this month Microsoft fixes 115 bugs. There’s also a security advisory for a critical bug in SMBv3 and a patch for a flaw in the way Windows parses .LNK files. The bug could let an attacker run code regardless of whether a user opens the infected file.

This month sees Microsoft pull a standalone security update, release a Windows 10X emulator so that developers can start adapting apps to work with the upcoming dual-screen SKU, we get more details on the container architecture in Windows 10X, a public preview of FIDO2 support for hybrid Azure Active Directory deployments, and much more.

The Windows Admin Center (WAC) is a web portal for managing local or remote servers via a gateway that uses PowerShell Remoting and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) over WinRM. WAC will eventually replace Server Manager, and going forwards, is where Microsoft will make future investments in Windows Server GUI management.

In January we finally said goodbye to Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Microsoft made its new Edge browser generally available, fixed a search bug in File Explorer, and started rolling out Calls in Your Phone for Windows 10 19H1 and newer.

Hot on the heels of this month’s Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has published a security advisory for an Internet Explorer zero-day.

Windows 7 gets its last regular Patch Tuesday security updates, Microsoft fixes a CryptoAPI vulnerability reported by the NSA, and Windows Server RDP also gets patched.

Windows 7 reaches end-of-life, Microsoft throws Windows a lifeline with Windows 10X, Windows 10 gets another major feature update, and Windows Server continues to support Azure.

It’s been another busy year for Windows and here is a summary of the most important events from the last twelve months.

This month sees Microsoft preparing for the general availability of its new Chromium-based Edge browser in January, Windows Server Core container images get 40% smaller, and Windows Insiders get new builds in the Fast Ring that are not tied to a specific feature update.