Microsoft ended Windows 10 support with the final Patch Tuesday under KB5066791 last month on October 14, 2025. Following that today, the company has released the first Patch Tuesday as part of the Extended Security Updates (ESU), and as such, is labelled as out-of-band update.
Posts by Gandalf
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Microsoft has released Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 25H2, 24H2, 23H2, and 22H2 for November 2025. The 25H2 and 24H2 update is provided via KB5068861, while the 23H2 and 22H2 updates are delivered via KB5067112. You will be on builds 26200.7171 on 25H2, 26100.7171 on 24H2, and 22621.6133 on 23H2, respectively, after applying the updates.
https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-11-kb5068861-kb5067112-november-2025-patch-tuesday-out/
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Microsoft says it’s made meaningful progress meeting the goals of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI) in Windows 11 and Surface.
“Today, we published our November 2025 SFI Progress Report, sharing the latest on Microsoft’s company-wide commitment to security,” Microsoft’s Katharine Holdsworth and David Abzarian write in a post to the company’s Windows Experience Blog. “The latest Windows and Surface innovations reflect SFI’s core principles: Secure by Design, Secure by Default, and Secure Operations. These principles are embedded throughout our engineering and customer experience, driving measurable progress and real-world protection.”
Recent security innovations in Windows 11 cited by the two include passwordless sign-in using passkeys and FIDO2 credentials, phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA), improvements to Windows Hotpatch, and Quick machine recovery. And Surface has been working to create modern, memory-safe UEFI firmware and drivers using Rust that it open sourced to share with the entire ecosystem.
But the November 2025 SFI Progress Report provides a lot more detail, and it includes information about SFI progress across Azure, Microsoft 365, and other Microsoft platforms as well.
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Dave Plummer is a notable ex-Microsoft engineer credited for the development of many Windows components including Task Manager, Space Cadet Pinball ports on Windows NT, ZIP file support, and more. We have covered his work on Neowin multiple times, including him flaunting a Special Edition copy of Windows 95. Now, the former executive has strayed into slightly controversial territory by publicly explaining why Windows "sucks".
In a video titled Windows "SUCKS": How I'd Fix It by a retired Microsoft Windows engineer over on his YouTube channel, Plummer has noted that in an effort to simplify the operating system for novice users, Microsoft has frustrated the more vocal power users who don't appreciate the new guardrails. To work around this problem, Plummer has suggested introducing a toggle which essentially enables a less "chatty" version of Windows so that it doesn't nudge you about app suggestions, doesn't trigger web searches in local search unless you ask for it, offers a single location for system-wide settings so that you don't have to go on a scavenger hunt, and makes power tools like Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), curl, Windows Terminal, and WinGet readily available and deeply integrated into Windows.
External Content www.youtube.comContent embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.https://www.neowin.net/news/frustrated-ex-microsoft-engineer-explains-why-windows-sucks/
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Firefox 145 ships with a handy tab group improvement, MKV support and better fingerprinting protection
Mozilla has released a new stable version of its open source Firefox web browser a moment ago.Firefox 145 is the latest version of the browser and it comes with several new features, improvements and changes.
On the feature side, Mozilla is adding support for PDF comments, which lets you add, edit or delete comments. There is also a handy option to reveal all tabs of a tab group and a new option to create links to specific parts of webpages. On the downside, support for 32-bit versions of Linux is ending with this release.
The Firefox Extended Support Releases (ESR) 140.5 and 115.30.0 are also released today. As usually, they focus on security fixes and bug fixes, but do not contain new features.
https://www.ghacks.net/2025/11/11/firefox-145-release-information
Firefox 145.0, See All New Features, Updates and Fixeswww.firefox.com -
FlyOOBE 2.0 Preview
I'm currently working on FlyOOBE 2.0 (Preview), featuring a completely redesigned interface focused on simplicity and clarity.
While FlyOOBE originally started as a pure OOBE setup assistant, it has steadily evolved into a flexible customization and modding toolkit.
Through extensions and user-created modules, FlyOOBE is becoming a kind of all-in-one Windows 11 control and enhancement hub – lightweight, extensible, and built for power users and casual users alike.The new UI is more streamlined, less overwhelming, and makes the initial setup flow much easier for new or casual users.
What’s new in the UI:- Reduced complexity with fewer menus and visual clutter
- Cleaner layout with more breathing room
- Clear primary actions to keep guidance obvious
- Less text, more direction, less cognitive overload
- Overall a much friendlier first-time setup experience
- This matters, because an OOBE assistant should be something you can complete without prior knowledge or technical experience.
And for the community who uses FlyOOBE for modding, tweaking, and experimenting:
Those possibilities stay and continue to expand through extensions, custom scripts, and future modules.I'd love for the community to try it out and share feedback while this Preview evolves.
More improvements coming soon.
See you in the next build 👋
Release FlyOOBE 2.0 Preview · builtbybel/FlyOOBE🐝 FlyOOBE – Preview 2.0.710 ⚠️ Preview Notice This build is an early preview of FlyOOBE v2.0. Features, UI, and functionality are work in progress and may…github.com -
Malwarebytes: A week in security (November 3 – November 9)
Last week on Malwarebytes Labs:
- Malwarebytes scores 100% in AV-Comparatives Stalkerware Test 2025
- Fake CAPTCHA sites now have tutorial videos to help victims install malware
- Hackers commit highway robbery, stealing cargo and goods
- Android malware steals your card details and PIN to make instant ATM withdrawals
- Take control of your privacy with updates on Malwarebytes for Windows
- Cyberattacks on UK water systems reveal rising risks to critical infrastructure
- Should you let Chrome store your driver’s license and passport?
- Apple patches 50 security flaws—update now
- “Sneaky” new Android malware takes over your phone, hiding in fake news and ID apps
- Sling TV turned privacy into a game you weren’t meant to win
- Attack of the clones: Fake ChatGPT apps are everywhere
- Would you sext ChatGPT? (Lock and Code S06E22)
- Malwarebytes aces PCMag Readers’ Choice Awards and AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation tests
On the ThreatDown blog:
A week in security (November 3 - November 9)A list of topics we covered in the week of November 3 to November 9 of 2025www.malwarebytes.com -
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Windows 11 version 26H1 is a special version of Windows 11 that is designed to bring up next-gen silicon from Qualcomm and NVIDIA. Microsoft says it's a release that "only includes platform changes to support specific silicon" and therefore won't ship to existing Windows 11 customers.
Microsoft confirms Windows 11 version 26H1, but it's not what you thinkThe next version of Windows 11 is version 26H1, but Microsoft says it won't be released as an update to version 25H2.www.windowscentral.com -
When will Windows 12 be released, or is Windows 11 the last version ( like the promised with Windows 10 ).
I think nobody even Microsoft knows the answer.
QuoteAt the time of writing, Microsoft has yet to confirm when the successor to Windows 11 is expected to launch. We could roughly estimate that Windows 12 might appear in 2027, given that Windows 11 launched six years after the release of Windows 10. However, this is pure speculation at this point.
Plus, as reported by Tom’s Hardware, Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 11 25H2 update to compatible devices back in the summer, suggesting that a Windows 12 release is not currently a priority for the company.
When is Windows 12 coming out? Everything we knowAs Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows 10, rumours are circulating around a Windows 12 operating system. Here's what we know.www.trustedreviews.com -
Until 27H2
That is pretty fast for Microsoft
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Microsoft is testing a faster version of Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) and updated Smart App Control (SAC), allowing users to toggle it without requiring a Windows clean install.
QMR enables IT administrators to resolve Windows boot failures remotely, eliminating the need for physical access to the system.
If Windows 11 fails to start due to a configuration change or a new driver, it boots into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), launches the Quick Machine Recovery Tool, and connects to the internet to send crash data to Microsoft, allowing the admins to remove the problematic updates and adjust the settings to fix the boot issues.
The main change announced on Friday is that the recovery task now runs a single scan to fix systems experiencing booting problems, rather than searching for solutions in a loop.
Today, the company also announced that Smart App Control, a Windows 11 security feature designed to block untrusted or potentially harmful apps at the process level, can now be toggled on and off from Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control settings without requiring a Windows clean install.
These changes are rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels who have installed the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7070 (KB5070300).
Microsoft testing faster Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11Microsoft is testing a faster version of Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) and updated Smart App Control (SAC), allowing users to toggle it without requiring a…www.bleepingcomputer.com -
From the Microsoft announcement:
Quote- 26H1 is not a feature update for version 25H2 and only includes platform changes to support specific silicon. There is no action required from customers.
- 25H2 remains the primary place for new features. Windows 11 continues to have an annual feature update cadence, with releases in the second half of the calendar year.
From an earlier Neowin article:
QuotePhantomofearth, a reliable source of Windows insights and discoveries, reports that Microsoft is preparing Windows 11 version 26H1 for a launch alongside the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors. The update will be exclusive to new Windows on Arm devices with Snapdragon X2 chips, and some of its features will eventually make their way to existing computers in the form of Windows 11 version 26H2 per the usual update schedule in the second half of the year.
It seems that we will not get 26H1 but only 26H2 in the second half of 2026.
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Apple released iOS 18.7.2 and iPadOS 18.7.2 yesterday, which include various security fixes for users who didn’t install the ’26 versions of the two operating systems. The new updates address security flaws in the App Store, Find My app, and Apple Intelligence that may allow apps to fingerprint users.
Apple also fixed various Safari and WebKit issues where processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash. Another vulnerability allowing web apps to monitor keystrokes without user permission has also been addressed.
You can find the full list of security updates on this support page, and installing the updates is highly recommended to keep iPhones and iPads protected. On November 3, Apple also released macOS Sequoia 15.7.2 and macOS Sonoma 14.8.2, which also include various security fixes.
In case you missed it, iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 were also released on Monday with a new “Tinted” setting for Liquid Glass effects, new supported languages for Apple Intelligence, and more.
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Following some rumors and code discoveries regarding Windows 11 version 26H1, Microsoft has confirmed the existence of this unconventional release, the first H1 version in Windows 11's history. Starting with the new build 28000, which is now available in the Canary Channel, Windows Insiders can test Windows 11 version 26H1 ahead of its launch.
As reported before, Windows 11 version 26H1 is not a conventional feature update. As Microsoft says in the release notes, 26H1 only includes platform changes to support specific silicon. Microsoft is not saying what exact silicon is that is supposed to be, and most likely, it is referring to the Snapdragon X2 processor family for the next-generation Copilot+ PCs.
Windows 11 version 25H2 will remain the "primary place" to get new Windows features ahead of their public rollout, and Microsoft adds that Windows 11 will stick to its annual feature update cadence. In other words, it will continue receiving one major feature update every year. Additionally, Microsoft explains that the Canary Channel is primarily made for platform changes. Therefore, new features will continue showing up first in the Dev and Beta Channels.
You can find the announcement post here.
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-announces-windows-11-version-26h1-now-available-for-testing/
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QNAP has fixed seven zero-day vulnerabilities that security researchers exploited to hack QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices during the Pwn2Own Ireland 2025 competition.
The flaws impact QNAP's QTS and QuTS hero operating systems (CVE-2025-62847, CVE-2025-62848, CVE-2025-62849) and the company's Hyper Data Protector (CVE-2025-59389), Malware Remover (CVE-2025-11837), and HBS 3 Hybrid Backup Sync (CVE-2025-62840, CVE-2025-62842) software.
QNAP said in advisories published on Friday that the security bugs were demonstrated at Pwn2Own by the Summoning Team, DEVCORE, Team DDOS, and a CyCraft technology intern.
To patch these security flaws, QNAP recommends updating software to the latest version and changing all passwords for increased security.
QNAP has fixed all these vulnerabilities in the following software versions:
- Hyper Data Protector 2.2.4.1 and later
- Malware Remover 6.6.8.20251023 and later
- HBS 3 Hybrid Backup Sync 26.2.0.938 and later
- QTS 5.2.7.3297 build 20251024 and later
- QuTS hero h5.2.7.3297 build 20251024 and later
- QuTS hero h5.3.1.3292 build 20251024 and later
Users who want to update their OS to log in to QTS or QuTS Hero as an administrator should go to Control Panel > System > Firmware Update and click "Check for Update" under Live Update.
QNAP fixes seven NAS zero-day flaws exploited at Pwn2OwnQNAP has fixed seven zero-day vulnerabilities that security researchers exploited to hack QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices during the Pwn2Own…www.bleepingcomputer.com -
A threat actor exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Samsung’s Android image processing library to deploy a previously unknown spyware called 'LandFall' using malicious images sent over WhatsApp.
The security issue was patched this year in April, but researchers found evidence that the LandFall operation was active since at least July 2024, and targeted select Samsung Galaxy users in the Middle East.
Identified as CVE-2025-21042, the zero-day is an out-of-bounds write in libimagecodec.quram.so and has a critical severity rating. A remote attacker successfully exploiting it can execute arbitrary code on a target device.
According to researchers at Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42, the LandFall spyware is likely a commercial surveillance framework used in targeted intrusions.
The attacks begin with the delivery of a malformed .DNG raw image format with a .ZIP archive appended towards the end of the file.
New LandFall spyware exploited Samsung zero-day via WhatsApp messagesA threat actor exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Samsung's Android image processing library to deploy a previously unknown spyware called 'LandFall' using…www.bleepingcomputer.com -
I hate hyperbolic news headlines about data breaches, but for the "2 Billion Email Addresses" headline to be hyperbolic, it'd need to be exaggerated or overstated - and it isn't. It's rounded up from the more precise number of 1,957,476,021 unique email addresses, but other than that, it's exactly what it sounds like. Oh - and 1.3 billion unique passwords, 625 million of which we'd never seen before either. It's the most extensive corpus of data we've ever processed, by a significant margin.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the 183M unique email addresses that Synthient had indexed in their threat intelligence platform and then shared with us. I explained that this was only part of the corpus of data they'd indexed, and that it didn't include the credential stuffing records. Stealer log data is obtained by malware running on infected machines. In contrast, credential stuffing lists usually originate from other data breaches where email addresses and passwords are exposed. They're then bundled up, sold, redistributed, and ultimately used to log in to victims' accounts. Not just the accounts they were initially breached from, either, because people reuse the same password over and over again, the data from one breach is frequently usable on completely unrelated sites. A breach of a forum to comment on cats often exposes data that can then be used to log in to the victim's shopping, social media and even email accounts. In that regard, credential stuffing data becomes "the keys to the castle".
2 Billion Email Addresses Were Exposed, and We Indexed Them All in Have I Been PwnedI hate hyperbolic news headlines about data breaches, but for the "2 Billion Email Addresses" headline to be hyperbolic, it'd need to be exaggerated or…www.troyhunt.com -
Microsoft Edge 142.0.3595.65
Fixed various bugs, and performance issues.
Stable channel security updates are listed here.
Microsoft Edge release notes for Stable ChannelMicrosoft Edge release note for Stable Channellearn.microsoft.com -
Google Chrome 142.0.7444.134/.135
The Stable channel has been updated to 142.0.7444.134/.135 for Windows and 142.0.7444.135 for Mac and 142.0.7444.134 for Linux, which will roll out over the coming days/weeks. A full list of changes in this build is available in the Log.
This update includes 5 security fixes. Below, we highlight fixes that were contributed by external researchers. Please see the Chrome Security Page for more information.
Stable Channel Update for DesktopThe Stable channel has been updated to 142.0.7444.134/.135 for Windows and 142.0.7444.135 for Mac and 142.0.7444.134 for Linux , which ...chromereleases.googleblog.com -
FlyOOBE 1.51
- The extensions system has been improved again. The PowerShell-based engine has been expanded, and Flyby11 (UpgradeOOBE.exe) is now included as a native extension within FlyOOBE. On Windows 10 systems, a dedicated upgrade tile will appear on the home dashboard, allowing users to launch the Windows 11 upgrade workflow directly, with help instructions included
- Extensions now also display their author or source, such as Flyby11 by Belim or the ViVeTool-bridge by Albacore. This adds transparency and helps users understand where each tool originates from. This feature will be expanded further in future updates, and developers who wish to share their own scripts or tools will be able to integrate them into FlyOOBE more easily.
- Updated Extensions docs
- This update improves FlyOOBE’s behavior on some high-resolution displays. Several UI scaling issues on 4K screens and Windows scaling levels above 200% have been fixed. Elements such as tiles, layout spacing, and navigation now scale consistently and no longer overlap.
Release FlyOOBE 1.51 · builtbybel/FlyOOBE🐝 FlyOOBE – Guided Setup & Upgrade Experience for Windows Note for returning users: ❗ Important: Flyby11 is now FlyOOBE (pronounced “fly-oh-bee”) - yeah, it…github.com
