Security researcher Abdelhamid Naceri published a new proof-of-concept exploit called BigDiskBuster that, when run in the background, prevents Microsoft Defender from installing platform or signature updates on any supported Windows version. Naceri describes it as similar to his earlier UnDefend exploit, and says the code is still buggy but demonstrates the concept clearly. This is the latest in a string of nearly a dozen Defender and Windows-related exploits he has released since April 2026 amid an ongoing dispute with Microsoft over his termination.
Newly unsealed court documents in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal internal admissions that undercut the companies' fair-use defense. Executives reportedly called AI chatbots an 'existential threat' to journalism and described the training process as one of the largest uses of copyrighted material without compensation, while data showed sharp declines in Times click-through traffic. The revelations have triggered a surge in options trading tied to the case's potential outcome.
Microsoft has reissued a reminder to enterprise IT admins that IE Mode, the legacy compatibility feature in Edge that runs sites using Internet Explorer's old Trident/MSHTML engine, will be discontinued by the end of 2029. The notice, sent via the Microsoft 365 admin center, reaffirms a 2021 commitment and asks organizations to begin planning now to migrate old applications away from IE dependencies.
Microsoft announced it is retiring its Microsoft 365 companion apps—Calendar, People, and Files—effective December 16, 2026, after which they will stop functioning and lose support. The company is telling IT administrators to uninstall the apps from managed devices before that date. The move comes roughly a year after Microsoft began automatically pushing these taskbar-integrated apps to Windows 11 enterprise devices running Microsoft 365 desktop clients.
A Hacker News user says that after turning off Siri in System Settings, Screen Time, and applying community debloat scripts, a 'Siri AI.app' process still appears running in Activity Monitor on macOS 27. The poster compares this persistent background activity to concerns previously raised about Microsoft's Recall feature, questioning whether Siri and Apple Intelligence services can truly be disabled.
Newegg is selling Microsoft's black wireless Xbox controller together with a $50 digital Xbox gift card for a combined $80. Since the controller alone usually costs $50 to $60, the deal effectively prices it around $30 once the gift card value is factored in.
Microsoft has released fixes for a bug that silently broke copy-and-paste, autofill, and formula dragging in Excel after installing this month's security updates, including KB5002914. Users of Excel 2016, Office LTSC 2019, 2021, and 2024 must manually install specific updates to resolve the issue, which had been widely reported on Reddit and Microsoft's Q&A forums.
A columnist reviewing to-do list apps in 2026 says Google Tasks remains missing fundamental features like sharing tasks or lists with other people, despite competing apps such as TickTick, Todoist and Notion offering far more functionality. Despite these gaps, the writer says a single standout feature keeps them from switching away from Google's stripped-down app.
A workplace analysis highlights that managers evaluate five specific behavioral traits before promoting employees, arguing that these matter more than technical performance alone. The piece cites Satya Nadella's Microsoft interview, where he was asked an emotional-intelligence question about a crying baby rather than a technical problem, to illustrate how soft skills factor into hiring and advancement decisions.
Microsoft has told IT administrators to move Entra ID users off SMS and voice-based first-factor sign-in before it shuts the option down in February 2027. Alternatives include passkeys, QR code authentication, and FIDO2 security keys, and the change applies even to organizations using their own telephony providers for multifactor authentication. The retirement covers only workforce tenant scenarios, not customer identity products like Entra External ID.
Microsoft has acknowledged that its September 2026 security updates cause the legacy File History backup tool to fail on multiple Windows 10 and 11 versions. Affected PCs may show FileHistory.exe crashes in Event Viewer, false 'Reconnect your drive' warnings, and backups that stop updating even though the external or network drive is connected properly.
Microsoft has filed a patent for a content management system that inserts ads into games during natural downtimes, such as after boss fights, during loading screens, or in menus. The game freezes while an ad plays, and watching it grants the player a fresh block of ad-free playtime before the cycle repeats.
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