Security Warning, Microsoft Says Not to Update

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Just days after the October 15th cumulative update for Windows 10, Microsoft urged users not to install the update.

KB4520062 (OS Build 17763.832) was available to install on Tuesday, and added bug fixes and improvements. But the Windows Support blog post pertaining to the update shared a security concern with it on Thursday. This certain issue seems to only affect businesses who heavily rely on the Microsoft Defender ATP.

0xc0000409 Error

They stated, “After installing this update, the Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service might stop running and might fail to send reporting data. You might also receive a 0xc0000409 error in Event Viewer in MsSense.exe. At this time, we suggest that devices in an affected environment do not install this update.We are working on a resolution and estimate a solution will be available in mid-November 2019.”

This certain issue seems to only affect businesses who heavily rely on the Microsoft Defender ATP. Windows Support is quick to encourage users that before installing updates, they install the latest servicing stack update for their OS beforehand. The SSU minimizes possible update issues, while enhancing “the reliability of the update process”.

If you are needing help with Windows 10, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Plano Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Plano, TX please call the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Windows 10 19H2 Rumored November 12 Release

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There has been a leak in the release of the new Windows 10 1909 update. Named ’19H2′ as of now, Zac Bowden, a senior editor of WindowsCentral, tweeted this yesterday:

Although November 12th is the predicted release date, Zac did explain that plans have the ability to change. But this was what he had heard from sources.

This update is also said to be a very quick download, as it is small in comparison to other past updates. So in comparison, it’s like Patch Tuesday.

What’s in the new update?

Plenty of these new features within this new update incorporate a number of enhancements, improvements, and additions. Some of them include:

  • create an event straight from the Calendar flyout on the Taskbar
  • Start Menu navigation panes expand so you know where you’re clicking
  • improvements on battery life and performance on certain processors in PC’s
  • added Windows Defender Credential Guard for ARM64 devices
  • “Manage notifications” button to the top of Action Center
  • turn off playing sound when notifications pop up option

For help with Windows 10 issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Mesa Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Mesa, AZ please call the local office at (480) 240-2950.

iOS 13.1.3 Update Fixes Bluetooth

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On Monday, we posted about iOS 13.1.2 update causing major problems with Bluetooth. However, today Apple released a small update to fix not only Bluetooth, but a handful more of other issues including calls, iCloud, and more.

Source: Apple Support

Although this update seems to be going okay for some, many users are still having incoming call problems. One Twitter user tagged Apple Support in their post, writing, “I also Have Calls Droping Issue in My IPhone 8 Plus and the Cellular Data is Completely Low and not Working !” Apple Support replied with, “Thanks for following up. Does this happen with every call? Let’s go to Settings and turn on Airplane Mode, wait five seconds, then turn it off. Does the issue persist? If so, let us know in DM.”

It seems that Apple is having one problem after another with iOS 13. Fingers crossed they can get this all sorted out as quickly as possible.

If you are needing help with Apple issues, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Plano Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Plano, TX please call the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Windows 10 Tamper Protection Announced

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Security is one of the top priorities of Microsoft for its users. Yesterday, Microsoft announced a new security feature for all Windows 10 users called Tamper Protection on the Microsoft Tech Community blog. According to Shweta Jha, a Microsoft Program Manager, in charge of security features, wrote:

Tamper protection prevents unwanted changes to security settings on devices. With this protection in place, customers can mitigate malware and threats that attempt to disable security protection features. Here are some examples of services and settings that are protected from modification, either by local admins or by malicious applications:

-Real-time protection, which is the core antimalware scanning feature of Microsoft Defender ATP next generation protection and should rarely, if ever, be disabled

-Cloud-delivered protection, which uses our cloud-based detection and prevention services to block never-before-seen malware within seconds

-IOAV (IE Downloads and Outlook Express Attachments initiated), which handles the detection of suspicious files from the Internet

-Behavior monitoring, which works with real-time protection to analyze and determine whether active processes are behaving in a suspicious or malicious way, and then blocks them

-Security intelligence updates, which Windows Defender Antivirus uses to detect the latest threats

You can check to see if an update shows up by going to Start Menu,  type Check for updates in settings, Windows Security, and clicking on Virus & threat protection.

This security update is for every user and is effective to download immediately and secures against both mishaps and malicious alterations.

If you are needing help with Microsoft issues, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Plano Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Plano, TX please call the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Start Menu Issues Still Linger

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Over the past few weeks, Windows 10 users complained of both printer and Start Menu issues from the Windows Community Board. And while some users are resolving the issues by uninstalling the update all together, Microsoft acknowledged that they haven’t found the issue yet with the Start Menu.

The Patch KB4517389 Microsoft released fixed the printer-spooler headache, but the Start Menu is still being investigated. When it is used, a “critical error” pops up. On October 11, a Microsoft employee wrote a reply in the Windows Community Board, “We are aware of this issue and estimate a resolution to be released in late October.”

Keep an eye out for the expected date of release.

For help with Windows 10 issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Mesa Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Mesa, AZ please call the local office at (480) 240-2950.

iOS 13.1.2 Update is Out and here is the Scoop

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The latest software updates are out for the Apple Mac, Watch, iPhone and iPad. Version 13.1.2 is out on iOS and iPadOS. Here’s what it entails:

This update corrects issues for:
  • Camera
  • Flashlight
  • Bluetooth
  • iCloud Backup
  • Shortcuts
  • Calibration Data

Should you Update?

Despite the attempted corrections for iOS 13.1.2, users continue to have problems. And the problems keep stacking against Apple. One Twitter user tweeted, “There is big issue with Bluetooth connection. Can’t use Bluetooth hands free. You should have done proper testing around it. Disappointed to see Apple product with such defects”. however, Apple Support had reached out, and is continuing to reply to tweets trying to make amends to those having issues with call drops.

So as far as updating, it may be a better idea to hold off until the next one.

Apple needs to get these problems sorted out for iOS 13 asap.

For help with Apple issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Mesa Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Mesa, AZ please call the local office at (480) 240-2950.

Printer Issues with Windows 10 and Fix Available

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Several Windows 10 OS users claimed the new update experienced printing issues. However, Windows Support released an October 3rd update to secure the printing jobs.

This is a required security update that expands the out-of-band update dated September 23, 2019. This security update includes the Internet Explorer scripting engine security vulnerability (CVE-2019-1367) mitigation and corrects a recent printing issue some users have experienced. Customers using Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) will be offered this update automatically. To help secure your devices, we recommend that you install this update as soon as a possible and restart your PC to fully apply the mitigations. Like all cumulative updates, this update supersedes any preceding update.

-Windows Support

This particular update doesn’t affect the upcoming monthly update, which is being released on October 8th. Before updating, Microsoft urges users to install the most recent SSU for their OS beforehand.

For inquiries with Windows 10 updates, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Microsoft Updates File Extension Blocks for Security

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Last Wednesday, the Microsoft Exchange Team announced a handful of file extensions that are being added to the list of attachment blocks in Outlook. This change will begin in November. This updated list will help enhance security on Outlook to avoid any possible malicious risks.

According to the Exchange Team blog, the file extensions that are included in this change are as follows:

  • The following extensions are used by the Python scripting language: “.py”, “.pyc”, “.pyo”, “.pyw”, “.pyz”, “.pyzw”
  • The following extensions are used by the PowerShell scripting language: “.ps1”, “.ps1xml”, “.ps2”, “.ps2xml”, “.psc1”, “.psc2”, “.psd1”, “.psdm1”, “.cdxml”, “.pssc”
  • The following extension is used by Windows ClickOnce “.appref-ms”
  • The following extension is used by Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) “.udl”
  • The following extension is used by the Windows sandbox “.wsb”
  • The following extensions are used for digital certificates: “.cer”, “.crt”, “.der”
  • The following extensions are used by the Java programming language: “.jar”, “.jnlp”
  • “.appcontent-ms”, “.settingcontent-ms”, “.cnt”, “.hpj”, “.website”, “.webpnp”, “.mcf”, “.printerexport”, “.pl”, “.theme”, “.vbp”, “.xbap”, “.xll”, “.xnk”, “.msu”, “.diagcab”, “.grp”

If for whatever reason your business, or organization, sees it as a necessity to download any of these attachments, be certain that your computers’ operating system and software are up-to-date. If you would like to add a file extension or remove one, the Exchange Team post has instructions on how to do so.

For inquiries with Microsoft updates, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

iOS 13 Update Bugs and Security Concerns

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With the newly released iOS 13, Apple users were excited to try out some of the fun, innovative features included in this update. iOS 13 optimized Face ID and app download sizes and introduced Dark Mode. However, with its launch came with security and privacy bugs.

App crashes, camera issues and deny location access settings are just a few of the bugs that are causing a ruckus on the iPhone. According to Forbes, they write, “Specifically, it seems iOS 13 isn’t respecting the location privacy settings for certain apps. Fast Company posted a video, showing how the OS would not accept a “Never” access location command, instead changing it back to “Ask Next Time.”

It is rumored that Apple will be releasing their iOS 13.1 update tomorrow, September 24th, so if you are looking to update your iPhone, then that may be the time to do it. This patch should fix the bugs accordingly, as they understand the seriousness of the issues at hand.

For inquiries with Apple issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Extended Support for Windows 7

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Election year is right around the corner, and Microsoft understands that some voting machines in the U.S. continue to run on Windows 7. So to avoid disruption or issues, Microsoft announced on September 20th that they will be extending Windows Support for the operating systems until the end of 2020.

This particular exception will allow security updates to only the election voting machines.

Today, as part of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, we are announcing that we will provide free security updates for federally certified voting systems running Windows 7 through the 2020 elections, even after Microsoft ends Windows 7 support. I would like to share more on why we help customers move away from older operating systems and why we’re making this unusual exception.

Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust

The company continues to work with government officials to transition the voting machines from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The extended support will officially end January 14, 2020. This means no security or software updates and no technical support available after this date.

If you are needing help with Microsoft issues, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Plano Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Plano, TX please call the local office at (469) 299-9005.