Most people are probably unaware of what leap seconds is. It is a new regulation for platform timekeeping that will be enforced in the United States and European Union. It mandates all devices to account for the off-kilter rotation of the Earth. Companies must ensure software and devices add an extra second to UTC every 18 months to adjust for the irregular rotation of the Earth. Devices will be kept in sync with mean solar time through the adoption of leap seconds....

Yes, this is the same search experience introduced on Chromium Edge at the start of this month. However, this was only available to select users through Controlled Feature releases. Now, the company is launching it to all preview users. Specifically, people running Chromium Edge on the Canary and Dev channels. If you’re unfamiliar, the Chromium Edge preview has three channels: Canary for unstable builds, Dev for more feature releases, and Beta for stable previews....

So, while you are loving working from home, your bosses are probably thinking of ways to get you back in the office. Or, at least think of ways to tie you down into a schedule and tracking. Nadella’s comments were part of Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index Pulse Report titled “Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?” That title says a lot. It is clear Microsoft – like other organisations – understands the hybrid workplace is here to stay....

In a blog post, Microsoft has given more details on how the Surface Duo will manage privacy. While the device running Android has benefits in terms of app availability and general appeal, Google’s platform raises security concerns. One of the challenges for Microsoft is creating a hugely secure device on a platform that is known for security holes. Working with Google on developing the software for the Duo is a good start....

With such a busy E3, it was expected Microsoft’s Xbox presence at gamescom 2019 would be more mooted. However, the company is promising a bumper event for the Cologne, Germany-based conference. While Gamescom 2019 will kick-off on Wednesday, August 21, Microsoft will as usual hold its event before. The company says it will stream an Inside Xbox episode from Cologne on August 19 at 5:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. PDT). Microsoft also confirmed its booth in Hall 8 of the Koelnmesse, where gamescom is held, from August 21 to 23....

Of course, we are only a year into the life of Visual Studio 2017 after it launched last year. We already now Microsoft is locked into a two-year version cycle, so it was expected Visual Studio 2019 would arrive. However, don’t expect the finalized update to arrive until the closing months of next year. In the meantime, Microsoft will develop and likely preview VS 2019 while continuing the in-life Visual Studio 2017 cycle....

The new product was announced by Justin Spelhaug, Vice President of Tech for Social Impact, Microsoft Philanthropies, in a blog post. Microsoft points out that nonprofits are at particular risk from cyberattacks. Because of the limited financial resources, nonprofits do not have the means to thwart threats. Spelhaug adds this means bad actors will often target nonprofits: “While this impacts all sectors and organizations, nonprofits are often perceived as vulnerable because they may not have adequate resources to safeguard the data they need to operate – impacting everyone from donors to program participants to volunteers....

In a blog post, Microsoft describes the UEFI scanner has a tool that can scan firmware filesystems while performing security checks. Now part of Microsoft Defender ATP, the scanner will be a built-in part of Windows 10. “Hardware and firmware-level attacks have continued to rise in recent years, as modern security solutions made persistence and detection evasion on the operating system more difficult. Attackers compromise the boot flow to achieve low-level malware behavior that’s hard to detect, posing a significant risk to an organization’s security posture....

Back in November, Microsoft introduced us to a new enterprise-grade endpoint security solution known as Microsoft Defender for Business. Microsoft Defender for Business provides additional security tools to protect against threats while also placing vulnerability management in the control of businesses. It has a suite of abilities including antivirus features, attack reduction tools, and remediation settings. According to the company Defender for Business does all the heavy lifting, so organizations do not need learn how to use the tool....

Microsoft explains in a blog post how drivers are often easier targets for threat actors: “Microsoft has strict requirements for code running in kernel. So, malicious actors are turning to exploit vulnerabilities in legitimate and signed kernel drivers to run malware in kernel.” The new feature was announced by David Weston, Microsoft Vice President of Enterprise and OS Security. On Twitter, the exec pointed to a blog post that accompanies the launch....

According to Windows Central, Microsoft has decided to delay the release of Windows 10X yet again. If that’s the case, this is at least the second time the company has pushed back the launch. Initial plans were the SKU would arrive in 2020, but that never happened. Windows 10X was firstly planned to launch with the dual-screen Surface Neo. Microsoft later said the Surface Neo has been postponed, although the company insists not cancelled outright....

1 Accessibility Changelog for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update2 Assistive Technology Partners In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness day, program manager Jeff Petty detailed these on the Microsoft blog. They include improvements to Narrator, Magnifier, Learning Tools, and more. Accessibility Changelog for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update However, there are also some new features, including color filters at an OS level and automatically generated image descriptions. Here’s the full list of changes:...

For example, if a domain registrar allows a name such as “MICR0S0FT-0ffice.com, Microsoft is allowed to track them down and demand they are removed. Our example is overkill to emphasize the method, attackers will be much more subtle. Known as homoglyph domains, some of these imposter domains are relatively harmless trolling of Microsoft. However, there are others that are used for malicious purposes. For example, a threat actor will create a website domain that looks like if may be official to fool users into visiting the site....

It is worth noting DirectML is not a new service. However, it has previously been baked into Windows 10 and is used by over 100 applications. It has always been an open source API but is now becoming a standalone service independent of the core OS. For developers, this means they can use a specific install of DirectML, including on older Windows 10 versions. The API has a wide range of application across various app types, including for training machine learning models, to boosting the AI capabilities of photo editing....

“This new policy limits the overused practice of requiring providers to stay silent when the government accesses personal data stored in the cloud,” said Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith in a blog post. “It helps ensure that secrecy orders are used only when necessary and for defined periods of time.” “This is an important step for both privacy and free expression. It is an unequivocal win for our customers, and we’re pleased the DOJ has taken these steps to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans....

GeForce Now got off to a shaky start, including Microsoft Game Studios joined other giants in removing their games from the platform. Still, there are over 1,000 PC games on the service, which Xbox users can now access through Microsoft Edge. Currently the feature is in beta thanks to an update to GeForce Now. As well as bringing PC games to Xbox, there are the benefits of cloud gaming. For example, having access to a catalog of games without needing to purchase them individually....

This screenshot feature will be built directly into Microsoft Edge. Users will be able to take a screenshot, copy, save, and share it. So far it is unknown if the tool will include some useful screenshot features. For example, will it be able to take a screenshot of the entire web page that extends beyond the screen? Will users be able to select a section of the screen to capture, or will they have to edit a full screenshot?...

Since switching to Google’s Chromium web engine, Microsoft’s browser has received more consistent updates than before. However, it still lags behind Google’s own Chrome browser. As Chrome nears its 100th iteration, Microsoft says it will be increasing its own release cycle. Earlier this month, Google said it was moving to a four-week release schedule. That means new Chrome updates roll out every month. To keep pace, Microsoft says Edge will follow the same cycle....

According to Microsoft, escalating attacks from hackers means over 30,000 Exchange Servers have been exploited. All the attacks are from a Chinese cyberthreat group known as HAFNIUM. Security researchers believe the situation will continue to escalate and hundreds of thousands of Exchange Server installations are at risk. “Microsoft has detected multiple 0-day exploits being used to attack on-premises versions of Microsoft Exchange Server,” a Microsoft security advisory notes. “The threat actor used these vulnerabilities to access on-premises Exchange servers which enabled access to email accounts, and allowed [the] installation of additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments....

There was a quick fix available, just don’t use Google as the default search. However, Microsoft also acted quickly and rolled a patch out to fix the issue within hours. Still, despite the fix, the company did not say what was the cause of the problem in Microsoft Edge. That’s changed this week as Microsoft has taken to Reddit to explain the issue. It seems the flaw was triggered by an unrecognized token in the search suggestions JSON....