Redmond is sending out the caution following confirmation of the first-ever campaign that has leveraged BlueKeep. Security researchers detected the weaponized attack last week. Bad actors used exploited the vulnerability to access unpatched Windows machines and install a crypto miner. Considering the mounting concern surrounding BlueKeep, the attacks were not as potent as feared. In fact, in many instances the attack failed and just caused machines to crash. Microsoft points out this will change if hackers continue to weaponize the flaw....

It is worth noting the Shopping Cart on the Windows Store is currently only available on the Xbox Insider Program. However, it is likely to drop to all users soon considering it is on the Skip Ahead, Preview Alpha, and Preview Beta rings. Over on Windows 10, the Shopping Cart seems to be running on consumer release builds and is not in preview. As you can probably guess, the Shopping Cart in the Microsoft Store curates items your wish to buy so you can accumulate items before purchase....

Sway is a digital storytelling publishing tool that helps users create design with simple tools. These designs are considered to be semi-professional. The company says the relationship between users and developers is a partnership. By requesting feedback on Sway, the company has been able to create features based on what people want. Audio recording is one of the new features. Adding audio to Sways has been a top request, especially from educators....

When Microsoft has gone after other companies before, it has not always worked out. The Scroogled campaign waged war with Google under Steve Ballmer’s tenure, but was a mixed bag. However, while the company’s claims of sometimes been a hard sale, this one is different. In terms of computing machines, the Surface Pro 4 owns the iPad Pro. There, we said it. In its latest campaign posted on YouTube today, Microsoft names the ad “What’s a Computer?...

If you’re unfamiliar with Aira, it is a platform for visually impaired users that helps them move about the world more efficiently. The startup was founded in 2015 and offers a series of technology tools to provide independence to visually impaired users. Aira has a mobile application on Android and iOS. By leveraging the service, users can connect with human agents who will read road signs or menus. This is achieved through connecting via the smartphone camera to Aira....

In the newest Windows 11 preview build (spotted by Albacore), the company is including a new watermark that appears over the desktop wallpaper. Furthermore, there is also a warning on the main page of the Settings application. Microsoft’s watermark displays the message, “system requirements not met,” and also show the build number that is usually only visible on pre-release Windows builds. The company already uses a watermark if Windows has not been activated....

In its Azure blog, Microsoft points out the DDoS attack had a peak bandwidth of 2.4 terabytes per second (Tbps). This means it was 140% larger than any other previous DDoS bandwidth Microsoft has seen. Microsoft says the August attack was over within 10 minutes but included short episodes of high traffic. Those short bursts reached 2.4 Tbps, while others were recorded at 1.7 Tbps and 0.55 Tbps. Like other types of DDoS attacks, the goal was to overwhelm systems with too much traffic, causing them to go offline....

End of support for the mainstream Windows Vista ended in 2012. Now the company is stopping its five-year extended support, which will include for business users. Once it is put to rest, Microsoft will stop issuing non-security hotfixes, security updates, support options, and online technical content. Before continuing, it is worth pointing out that April 11 is also the day the company is widely tipped to be fully launching the Windows 10 Creators Update....

According to an email obtained by The New York Times, the company is asking devs to release only at certain times to avoid congestion during usage peaks. The huge amount of bandwidth required for such updates could otherwise put stress on the Xbox Live infrastructure. “Yea, usage is up on almost everything,” said Xbox head Phil Spencer on Twitter. “Thanks go out to all the Ops/IT teams at all the companies that are working hard to keep everything running smoothly with all going on around them....

In normal situations, the CPU takes care of decompression. However, there are clear benefits to allowing the GPU to do it. Microsoft is bundling into DirectStorage a new developer tool it calls “GDeflate”. According to the company, this addition allows 3x (200%) better performance in asset time loading, down to 0.8 seconds from 2.36 seconds. “We are offering an alternative method in DirectStorage 1.1 by moving the decompression of those assets to the GPU instead – known as “GPU decompression....

Microsoft Viva Sales will work in both Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams. The aim of the platform is to provide a more efficient selling experience by tapping into AI solutions. In a blog post, Microsoft explains how work habits changing in and following the pandemic means hybrid solutions are necessary: “The past two years have changed the way we work. Employees are demanding more from their employers in today’s hybrid world – from the tools they use to the hours and the places that they work....

It shows the 33-year with a diagram of Microsoft Word on a blackboard, explaining the software to his students. Needless to say, it drew some attention, especially after Cameroonian tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong tweeted Microsoft Africa. The Redmond giant has acknowledged Akoto, known on social media as Owura Kwadowo, and will give him the necessary tools. — Microsoft Africa (@MicrosoftAfrica) February 27, 2018 “Supporting teachers to enable digital transformation in education is at the core of what we do,” said Microsoft....

This is the second Microsoft-related disclosure from GPZ this week. On Monday, Google’s security team disclosed a vulnerability in GitHub after the Microsoft-owned service failed to issue a fix in time. If you are unfamiliar with Google Project Zero, it is a security team that hunts for security holes in popular software solutions. When a vulnerability is found, Google gives developers 90 days to issue a fix. If no action is taken, Project Zero publicly discloses the flaw....

In a new interview with AVSim, Microsoft says users may get to experience those visual up close. Indeed, the company says Microsoft Flight Simulator is likely to be available in virtual reality. “Right after the E3 trailer came out there was a lot of people making that exact assumption, that ‘Oh yeah, this better be supporting VR right from the get go.’ It honestly wasn’t our plan. But we are listening, and we heard it, so we will try our darnedest to make it happen....

Now, all Android users have the ability to make calls through Your Phone on their Windows 10 PC. Microsoft has been testing the feature in recent months and is now ready for a full roll out. You may remember, Microsoft used Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy Note 10 to showcase calls on Your Phone. As the feature suggests, Your Phone users can now make calls on their PC. Furthermore, they can also view contacts and see call history on their Windows 10 machine....

If you’re unfamiliar with Your Phone, it is an interesting tool for Windows 10, iOS, and Android. It allows users to control their mobile device on their Windows PC. It is worth noting functionality is more limited on iOS, with most features available on Android. And that’s the case with music controls, which are only available on Android. Major streaming services like YouTube Music and Spotify can be controlled on Your Phone....

Microsoft says users of its Mixer game streaming platform can now broadcast their entire dashboard. This means when streaming, Xbox One users can show off everything on their interface. Brad Rossetti and Randy Santossio of the Xbox team announced the ability on Xbox Wire: “With the latest update, Xbox users will be able to broadcast not just gameplay but the entire Xbox One console experience to Mixer. Users can turn on this setting in the broadcasting tab in Guide....

However, with Facebook’s algorithm working behind the scenes, it’s still not entirely clear why some posts appear. A recent app update is looking to address this, expanding the sites ‘Why am I seeing this ad?’ feature to all posts. It gives an unprecedented look into the factors that influence Facebook’s feed, increasing transparency while providing controls for easy adjustment. The company says this is just a fraction of the thousands of ‘signals’ utilized, but it does provide some much-needed insight....

Now that the new Whiteboard app is rolling out on the web and Microsoft Teams, the focus is on bringing it to more native applications on Windows 10, iOS, and Surface Hub. The new tools are also coming to the Android preview, thanks to Microsoft Whiteboard making its debut on the platform in March. Teams and web users are already using Whiteboard with the following new features: “Sticky note colors: 10 colorful sticky note shades to choose from....

This article was contributed by Rebecca Julia Robinson who works as a freelance writer for SearchBloom. One of the greatest life-changing events a person can have is becoming a parent. Along with all of the wonderful new sensations and changes, there may be a few financial snags if you’re not attentive. When you have so many other things to worry about, it’s tempting to neglect your money. However, if they do, it might ultimately lead to significant and distressing difficulties....