Researchers at the CAIRN project identified a Windows infostealer called VOLTA-AUTODOXER that harvests credentials, crypto wallets, session tokens and personal data, then sends a structured profile of the victim to a large language model via OpenRouter. The model is prompted to act as a forensic intelligence analyst and rank how valuable the victim's compromised assets and identity are for further exploitation. The malware self-deletes after operation and has no attacker-controlled infrastructure, relying instead on cloud AI services to do its analysis.
blog.talosintelligence.com
· 2026-10-31
Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Insider build that lets users adjust Bluetooth, WiFi, and power settings directly within Xbox gaming mode, without exiting to the full desktop. The update also overhauls search, adding filters for files, actions, and web results, the ability to trigger actions like changing volume or brightness, detailed result previews such as file edit history, embedded stock and weather charts, and thumbs-up/down feedback buttons to refine results over time.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-31
Tech blogger Enlyth identified CDPLAYER.EXE, a GUI app linked on November 16, 1992 from an early Windows NT 3.1 pre-release build, as the oldest Windows GUI application that still runs on Windows 11 without modification or emulation. Enlyth had initially found FREECELL.EXE from February 1993 worked, but kept searching NT pre-release builds and found the older CDPLAYER.EXE. Since the app expects a CD drive, Enlyth used a small DLL called cdemu.dll to emulate one and confirm the program still functions.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-31
Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen explained that holding a PC's power button for 12 seconds triggers a hardware-level shutdown that bypasses the operating system entirely, acting as a fallback when Windows' own shutdown command fails. He also noted that after 8 seconds of the button being held, the Windows kernel detects the forced power-off attempt and quickly writes a kernel dump for later upload to Windows Error Reporting.
osnews.com
· 2026-10-31
Microsoft has resolved an Always On VPN bug that caused connection failures after the September 2026 Windows 11 security update, confirming the fix is included in this month's KB5127936 preview update. The company had earlier mistakenly claimed the issue was resolved in October's cumulative update. Affected users saw VPN connections stuck in a 'Connecting' state or fail with a 'port already in use' error when automatic protocol selection or fallback was configured.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-30
Microsoft has released preview update KB5127936 for Windows 11 versions 26H2 and 25H2, introducing a 'customize menu' option that lets users rearrange, hide, or show built-in and third-party commands in the right-click context menu. The update also adds Cloud Rebuild, a recovery tool that can reinstall Windows 11 directly from Windows Update servers without external media, even if the existing installation fails to boot. The release coincides with Microsoft's latest quarterly earnings report, which showed continued decline in revenue from Windows licenses sold with new PCs.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-29
Microsoft has released the KB5127936 preview update to fix a bug that blocked non-admin users from connecting via Remote Desktop on systems with Administrator protection enabled. The issue, which produced error 0xC000000D, affected enterprise-managed Windows 11 24H2 devices after installing the KB5124010 preview update or later Windows updates. Admins who don't want to install the new preview update can instead disable Administrator protection via Intune or Group Policy as a temporary workaround.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-29
Microsoft released the optional KB5127936 preview cumulative update, bringing 41 changes to Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 26H2, upgrading them to builds 26200.9818 and 26300.9818. Key additions include a faster, more customizable File Explorer context menu, a Cloud rebuild feature that can reinstall Windows using files from Windows Update without USB media, and a refreshed Xbox Game Bar navigation with quicker access to power and exit options.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-29
Apple is said to be developing a MacBook Pro model with a full touchscreen display, internally referenced as 'PROLED'. This marks a reversal from the company's long-standing public stance against touch-enabled laptops, a position dating back to comments from Steve Jobs in 2010 calling touchscreen laptops ergonomically flawed.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-28
Microsoft is ending support for its Copilot AI assistant on smart TVs, according to an on-screen notification spotted by Windows Central on an LG webOS TV. The notice says the feature is scheduled for discontinuation sometime in 2026, though no exact date has been set, and neither Microsoft, LG, nor Samsung has made a formal announcement. Copilot had let viewers chat with an AI assistant, ask about on-screen content, or get show recommendations since launching on TVs at CES 2025.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
The Browser Choice Alliance, a group of rival browser makers, commissioned the Behavioural Insights Team to study Microsoft's tactics for keeping users on Edge. The resulting report identifies 10 'dark patterns,' including ads that discourage downloading rival browsers, incomplete default-browser switches, Windows S mode restrictions, and links in Widgets, Search, lock screens, Outlook and Teams that open in Edge regardless of a user's chosen default.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-28
Moxnox 1.0, a hobbyist operating system modeled on Windows NT's syscall design but POSIX-compatible, has been released for amd64 and aarch64 architectures. The roughly 130,000-line C++ project includes a GNU base system, can run on the Btrfs filesystem, and is mature enough to self-host, meaning it can compile itself. The developer notes the Btrfs implementation works for basic use but warns against mounting anything beyond disposable test filesystems.
github.com
· 2026-10-27
GoKawiil