That was Then... This is Now

A virulent new strain of ransomware known as WannaCry has hit hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide since its emergence on Friday, May 12. WannaCry is far more dangerous than other common ransomware types because of its ability to spread itself across an organization’s network by exploiting a critical vulnerability in Windows computers, which was patched by Microsoft in March 2017 (MS17-010). The exploit, known as “Eternal Blue,” was released online in April in the latest of a series of leaks by a group known as the Shadow Brokers, who claimed that it had stolen the data from the Equation cyber espionage group. Source: Symantec

Redmond magazine reports that Microsoft's second major Windows 10 upgrade will literally change the way users look at PCs, devices and games. Windows 10 Creators Update, which Microsoft started pushing out to consumers in April, will be available for business and enterprise customers this summer. Microsoft is emphasizing that this release, focused more on creating rather than consuming content, represents the first release that makes Windows an alternative to the Apple Mac OS, while aiming to appeal to young computer users who feel Apple has fallen behind. "We designed Windows 10 to empower the creator in all of us," said Yusef Mehdi, corporate VP of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft. "To us, that means that everyone has the power to dream big, whether that involves starting a company, developing a lesson plan, inventing a product, developing or broadcasting games, or imagining a whole new world in Minecraft or mixed reality." The Creators Update w...