Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 4: Mixed bag for March

  Posted on March 25, 2025 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.12.1 • 2025-03-25

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Although CISA has given businesses who follow its guidance until early April to install updates released in March, I’m urging you to do so now.

  Accordingly, I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4. You can find CISA’s deadlines in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

  Note that my recommendations for businesses include some possible exceptions.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (22.12.1, 2025-03-25).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Chrome, Edge, Microsoft marketing, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 4, NVIDIA, OneDrive, Patch Lady Posts, RDP, Remote Desktop Connection, Windows 10 22H2, Windows Update

• The annoyances of a new computer

  Posted on February 12, 2024 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Susan Bradley

  There is a dirty little secret in corporate technology — we don’t care about your operating system.

  If it misbehaves, we blow it off. If your computer doesn’t work, we issue you a new one. Don’t like that keyboard? Throw it away. Get a new release of Windows? We redeploy the entire operating system, using one of our various methodologies.

  It’s my opinion that this mentality — that the desktop doesn’t matter and can be easily wiped away — persists inside the Microsoft organization.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.07.0, 2024-02-12).

  Windows 11 Edge, KB5033055, Local account, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Update History, Windows 11, Windows LAPS, Windows notifications, Windows Update

• KB5034441 and KB5034440

  Posted on January 23, 2024 at 16:36 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  I’ve been getting some emails regarding our coverage of the Windows Recovery partition problem. One question was whether this applies to Windows 10 only, or both Windows 10 and 11.

  It could be both.

  There are two specific Microsoft knowledge base posts about this  — KB5034441 for Windows 10 and KB5034440 for Windows 11. Both refer to CVE-2024-20666, BitLocker Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability.

  As I have previously noted, the problem showed up rapidly on Windows 10 PCs and, so far, rarely on Windows 11 PCs. That accounts for our slightly one-sided coverage. Also note that KB5034440 only calls out Windows 11 21H2. For Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, the vulnerability noted in  CVE-2024-20666 is being patched as part of the cumulative windows update of KB5034123. We’ll have more on these nuances in next week’s alert.

  Windows Patches/Security CVE-2024-20666, KB5034440, KB5034441, Windows Update

• Making sense of Windows 11’s 2023 updates

  Posted on January 15, 2024 at 02:45 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.03 • 2024-01-15

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney • Comment about this article

  Not sure which features were added to Windows 11 last year?

  2023 was a busy year for Windows 11. Microsoft pushed out a series of updates to the OS, adding new features and revamping others. But because the update process was confusing and convoluted, you may not know exactly what changed throughout the year. To try to make sense of it all, I’ve compiled all the major 2023 updates and the most significant features, many of which you may not even know are now part of Windows 11.

  Here’s what you’ll ultimately find if you’ve installed all the major updates.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.03.0, 2024-01-15).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows 11 Moment Updates, Newsletters, Windows 11, Windows 11 22H2, Windows 11 23H2, Windows feature updates, Windows Update

• MS-DEFCON 3: Patch carefully

  Posted on August 22, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.34.1 • 2023-08-22

  

  By Susan Bradley

  August can be a weird month where patching is concerned.

  I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level, but with caution. I usually hope to give time near the end of the month for patches to be applied, by lowering the level to 4 and sometimes 5. This time, I’m wishy-washy. Caution is the order of the day, so I’m lowering the level to just 3.

  In my house, August represents a tradition — things occur that make me think technology wants to take a vacation, just like the rest of us.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.34.1, 2023-08-22).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, CVE-2022-40982, CVE-2023-32019, Exchange Server, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 3, Patch Lady Posts, USB Security Key, Windows Update

• MS-DEFCON 2: Last call for 22H2

  Posted on July 6, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.27.1 • 2023-07-06

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Starting next week, you will not receive security updates for any version of Windows 10 except 22H2.

  If your PC has not received 22H2 via Windows Update, chances are that your PC has a setting keeping Windows on the version you have installed — or corruption in the operating system is preventing the update from being accepted. But Patch Tuesday is just around the corner, so it’s time to become cautious again by raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.27.1, 2023-07-06).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 2, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Update

• MS-DEFCON 4: Wrapping up a short month

  Posted on February 28, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.09.1 • 2023-02-28

  

  By Susan Bradley

  February’s patches affected you either severely, or not at all.

  The good news: If you are a consumer, home user, or business that does not use Windows Server 2022 or any version of on-premises Exchange server, you will be just fine installing the updates at this time. Therefore, I am very comfortable with lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

  However, if you are a business patcher with Windows Server 2022 hosted in VMware, you may have been significantly impacted. In addition, patch administrators are still dealing with the side effects of the Exchange updates.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.09.1, 2023-02-28).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Exchange Server, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 4, VMWare, Windows Server 2022, Windows Update, Windows Update block

• Dealing with incremental updates, aka “dribbles”

  Posted on November 7, 2022 at 02:41 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Last year, Microsoft announced that Windows was moving to an annual release schedule rather than the twice-a-year release cadence.

  The impression at that time was that Microsoft would be settling into a nice, boring release schedule with only one disruption per year. But the reality so far has been the exact opposite. Even with the Insider testing program, the timing is such that you can’t really test things until they get to the general public.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.45.0, 2022-11-07).

  Patch Watch Hardware drivers, Newsletters, OpenSSL, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch, Windows Update
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