We are at the end of the week and it is time yet again to recap everything that went on in the world of Microsoft in the past few days. This weekend’s edition includes everything from Windows updates to Windows issues, and a sprinkle of browser-related news for good measure. Read on for our weekly digest of August 13 – August 19!
Windows everywhere
After announcing a private preview back in May, Microsoft finally released Dev Box as a public preview this week. For those unaware, this managed service offers developer-ready workstations hosted in the cloud. These integrate with Azure Deployment Environments, Intune, and Endpoint Manager, so you can get up and running in no time with existing project templates. The idea is to reduce the headache of infrastructure management for IT teams while also allowing developers to spin up environments with pre-installed tools to hit the ground running when building solutions.
Windows 11 Insiders in Japan also received some good news related to the preview availability of Android apps support. These are offered via the Amazon App Store.
Meanwhile, Windows 11 Dev Channel Insiders all over the world were treated to build 25182. It contains some fixes for the File Explorer and Start menu, but also has a few known issues. Interestingly, the secret Taskbar animations introduced in build 25179 last week have been removed too.
Similarly, Release Preview Insiders on Windows 11 netted build 22000.917 (KB5016691) with improvements for file compression, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and more. Insiders on the same ring, but for Windows 10, got build 19044.1947 (KB5016688) with tons of improvements. On the other hand, those on Windows Server 2022 received build 20348.946 ( KB5016693) with similar enhancements to those offered on Windows 11.
And if you’re on the edge of your seat waiting eagerly for Windows 11 version 22H2 to become generally available, expect it to land next month. In the meantime, you should know that Microsoft is rolling out a new Web Experience Pack that enables Windows 11 Widgets to send you notifications on the Taskbar. It doesn’t seem like they can be disabled, for now at least.
Finally, if you’re looking to spice up your PC with some new colorful wallpapers, maybe have a look at these “Windows 12” images generated by AI.
BitLocker woes
As is common almost every week, some new Windows issues emerged in this one as well. After KB5012170 caused some problems for Secure Boot DBX last week, the same update has resulted in issues for people utilizing BitLocker. After installing the update, Windows 11 asks users to enter the recovery key on the BitLocker recovery screen, which is a bit of an annoyance, to say the least. Fortunately, Microsoft has acknowledged the issue after widespread reports and is working to fix it, while also issuing some temporary workarounds.
Speaking of issues, it’s probably worth knowing about some cybersecurity concerns that have arisen in recent days. Microsoft has published an advisory about the SEABORGIUM phishing campaign where attackers befriend you through fake profiles before delivering your malicious URLs and attachments that can steal your credentials. As always, it is important to be cautious and keep your guard up when opening unknown URLs and files.
Meanwhile, those who are engaged in tech support scams are also sending USBs supposed to contain installations and keys of Microsoft software such as Office. It seems that these threat actors are also putting in …….