In an announcement this week, Azure Blockchain Services explains how smart contracts have been fundamental to the success of blockchain. A smart contract is a software program that operated atop blockchain as a transparent level of verification. However, exploits in smart contracts can harm the trust customers place in blockchain. Furthermore, smart contracts can be a hassle to manage, especially in terms of issuing fixes. Microsoft aimed to bolster smart contracts within its own Azure Blockchain....

While no earth shaking announcements in terms of hardware are expected, the Xbox FanFest is making a welcome return. The FanFests are an annual event that Microsoft has been hosting for 4 years. FanFests are held all around the world and before last year’s E3 event, Microsoft said 13,000 fans had attended events in 2016. The company has now detailed what will happen for FanFest at E3 2018. Specifically, there will be two offers running at the FanFest E3 event for Xbox One fans....

It means users will be able to avoid unlocking their phone, providing fingerprint authentication, or entering a pin. The functionality is available on all Microsoft accounts and Azure AD, but support for other services may come soon. The feature was previously available in beta at v6.0 for Testflight users, but this marks its general release. With it, comes a bump to version 6.1, though Microsoft has not revealed what has been adjusted....

1 Satya Nadella Email2 Contrast to Facebook In an open letter sent to employees and customers, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company stand beside protestors seeking real change. Furthermore, he said Microsoft will do more to drive inclusiveness within the company. It’s probably better to simple post the full letter rather than attempt to analyze it. Check out the full text below: Satya Nadella Email “An email from CEO Satya Nadella to Microsoft employees: Seeing injustice in the world calls us all to take action, as individuals and as a company....

The company announced it is ending its policy of forced arbitration agreements with employees who file sexual harassment claims. It is certainly good to see one of the world’s biggest company take a proactive step. “The silencing of people’s voices has clearly had an impact in perpetuating sexual harassment,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, told the New York Times. Additionally, Microsoft says it supports a proposed federal law that would band such arbitration agreements....

Security researchers reported the issue, including Doc Harris, who discussed the problem with ZDNet. He says the flaw is found on enforcement.xbox.com. This is where users can see issues with their profile, such as strikes. When users were logging in, it was possible for a threat actor to replace the XUID field with a test account XUID. This allowed the possibility of creating fake login forms. “Tried replacing the cookie value and refreshing, and suddenly I was able to see other [users’] emails,” Harris told ZDNet....

Update KB5004237 arrived in the July 2021 Patch Tuesday package. Microsoft says the update says scanning is also affected on those system. Ironically, the patch fixes printing issues related to USB connections. While it did fix the USB problem (CVE-2021-33764 vulnerability), it is now causing other issues in the form of a new bug. It seems the issue is causing Domain Controller servers to have problems. These act as barriers for handling authentication requests....

According to information from Windows Central, the Windows 10 20H1 update could reach release to manufacturing (RTM) in December. If you have observed Windows 10 updates in recent years, this would be a departure from the norm. Typically, Microsoft signs off a Windows update a month before it goes public. For example, Windows 10 1803 (April 2018 Update) made RTM in March (hence the build number). It was then launched in April....

As .NET 6 is a major release upgrade on last year’s .NET 5, it will bring some significant changes. Microsoft is making notable improvements across desktop, mobile, and cloud apps. You may remember .NET 5 was launched a year ago as a replacement for .NET Core and .NET Framework. It is a merger of classic .NET Framework with the open source .NET Core. The new .NET creates a single ....

You may be thinking you have heard of tamper protection before. Well, Microsoft launched the feature for Microsoft Defender ATP back in December as part of a Windows Insider preview. That’s why tamper proof will not officially be available until next month when Windows 10 version 1903 drops. Microsoft says tamper protection is a default setting, so it will be on automatically for all new Windows 10 installations. The same is true for existing Windows users upgrading from a preview build....

Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence provides real-time data from Microsoft’s various security solutions. It borrows abilities from Microsoft Sentinel to offer in-action solutions that allow corporations to look for threats across a broader range of metrics. “Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence maps the internet every day, providing security teams with the necessary information to understand adversaries and their attack techniques. Customers can access a library of raw threat intelligence detailing adversaries by name, correlating their tools, tactics, and procedures (TTPs), and can see active updates within the portal as new information is distilled from Microsoft’s security signals and experts....

When organizations want to update Windows 10 through Windows Imaging Format (WIM) or Virtual Hard Disks (VHD), they are forced to do so out of sync with Windows updates. Installation images are often used multiple times over months so don’t follow monthly Windows 10 update cycles. As such Microsoft Defender (previously Windows Defender) will not receive update installation at the same time as the platform. Windows 10 would eventually allow Defender to catch up by pulling in a new update....

However, Microsoft is also now bringing the News and Interests to older Windows 10 versions. In the latest Beta and Release Preview updates on the Insider Program, Microsoft is rolling out the widget to Windows 10 21H1, 20H2, and version 2004. That’s the three Windows 10 versions proceeding version 21H2. The new tool will be located on the taskbar and will create a ticker showing information such as stocks, news, and weather....

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update was announced last week at Microsoft’s Surface event. However, problems were found on the build, such as a Task Manager flaw that Microsoft knew about before the release. By far the biggest problem arrived with the manual update of Windows 10 version 1809. Users reported the October 2018 Update was deleting their personal files, such as documents and images. Since then, there’s no doubt Microsoft has acted swiftly....

Many developers were left confused about the purpose of Project Reunion and what it can do. To address this confusion, Microsoft has published an explainer on its GitHub platform. In an update to the open source page for the project, the company has detailed what Reunion is and what it isn’t. Project Reunion integrates its current Win32 and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) APIs. Win32 apps are legacy applications, while UWP is Microsoft’s modern app API....

Along with the release last week, Microsoft changed its position slightly. The company says it will extend support for Windows 10 Mobile for another month. “Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 will reach end of service on January 14, 2020. Devices running Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates that contain protection from the latest security threats,” Microsoft says. “Your Windows 10 Mobile device should continue to work after December 10, 2019, but there will be no updates after that date (including security updates) and device backup functionality and other backend services will be phased out as described above....

HoloTouch, a company that specializes in “human-machine interface technology” has filed a suit against Microsoft. The Southern District of New York filing suggests Microsoft knowingly infringed on two patents when developing HoloLens. “Our company will vigorously pursue its statutory remedies against all who take advantage of our innovative technology without the compensation provided by law, particularly in light of current fascination with touchless, holographic controls and operation of devices using them across commercial spectra,” the company said in a press release....

That means its release is limited and not everyone can download it. That’s obviously a shame, but at least Microsoft is now listing it in the Windows Store. Moreover, some users will be able to test the service and provide feedback to the company ahead of a full launch. If you are unfamiliar with Kaizala, it is a video/chat service created by Microsoft Garage. Indeed, the service is a prime example of the Garage in action....

This is an important first. Whether you trusted Microsoft, was worried about data collection, or simply didn’t care, the company deciding to be open about data gathering means there is no longer any doubts. “For the first time, we have published a complete list of the diagnostic data collected at the Basic level,” explains Windows chief Terry Myerson in a company blog post. “We are also providing a detailed summary of the data we collect from users at both Basic and Full levels of diagnostics....

In the latest development update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the company announced a collaboration with blackshark.ai. Thomas Richter-Trummer, who represents blackshark says the company’s AI solutions will be folded into Flight Simulator. By leveraging AI, users can “fly over the whole world as a backdrop of the game, offering unmatched gaming experiences on all levels”. Blackshark tapped into Microsoft Azure to deliver the integration. Azure provides data insights on the planet by using Bing Maps images....