Wednesday Newsbytes: A New Petition to Extend the Life of Windows 10; How to Get the Latest Version of Windows 11; Create Your Own Chatbot; Microsoft Offers Politicians Protection from Deepfakes… and more!
Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
Millions of Windows 10 PCs face controversial block and users aren’t happy
Millions of Windows PC users are set to lose support from Microsoft by 2025—and many aren’t happy about it. Earlier this year, the tech giant announced plans to phase out security updates and software upgrades for Windows 10 from 2025. That means many PCs will no longer be supported—even if they’re in perfect working order.
Microsoft says this is all part of a push to get people installing its latest Windows 11 operating system. But with millions of PCs falling short of the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, the change could leave many behind and at risk of cybersecurity threats and software bugs.
In response to Microsoft’s planned changes, a petition has surfaced calling on the tech giant to continue supporting the operating system beyond 2025…
StripedFly Malware Operated Unnoticed for 5 Years, Infecting 1 Million Devices
An advanced strain of malware masquerading as a cryptocurrency miner has managed to fly the radar for over five years, infecting no less than one million devices around the world in the process.
That’s according to findings from Kaspersky, which has codenamed the threat StripedFly, describing it as an “intricate modular framework that supports both Linux and Windows.”
The Russian cybersecurity vendor, which first detected the samples in 2017, said the miner is part of a much larger entity that employs a custom EternalBlue SMBv1 exploit attributed to the Equation Group in order to infiltrate publicly-accessible systems.
The malicious shellcode, delivered via the exploit, has the ability to download binary files from a remote Bitbucket repository as well as execute PowerShell scripts. It also supports a collection of plugin-like expandable features to harvest sensitive data and even uninstall itself…
Windows 11 version 23H2: All the new features in Microsoft’s big OS update
The newest Windows 11 update is now rolling out. Here’s everything you need to know
The next major version of Windows 11 is now available, and you can get it now by enabling the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle in the Windows Settings app. Here are all the significant new additions you can look forward to enjoying.
Be sure to check out our in-depth Windows 11 2023 Update review for a deep dive into the biggest new features. This article serves as a brief rundown of all the changes and new features being added to Windows 11 with this update, also known as version 23H2.
Windows 11 version 23H2 was made available on October 31. To get the update, just head to Windows Update and toggle the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option to on, and then select check for updates. This will initiate the 2023 Update, and download version 23H2.
The update free and for all Windows 11 users on version 22H2. The download and install process will only take a few minutes, thanks to the underlying update technology Microsoft is using for this release. Instead of a complete OS upgrade, the update will apply like a monthly security update…
Microsoft offers politicians protection against deepfakes
Microsoft will also launch Content Credentials for digital watermarking, create teams to work with political campaigns on cybersecurity and AI, and endorse a bill banning AI in political ads.
Amid growing concern that AI can make it easier to spread misinformation, Microsoft is offering its services, including a digital watermark identifying AI content, to help crack down on deepfakes and enhance cybersecurity ahead of several worldwide elections.
In a blog post co-authored by Microsoft president Brad Smith and Microsoft’s corporate vice president, Technology for Fundamental Rights Teresa Hutson, the company said it will offer several services to protect election integrity, including the launch of a new tool that harnesses the Content Credentials watermarking system developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance Authenticity’s (C2PA). The goal of the service is to help candidates protect the use of their content and likeness, and prevent deceiving information from being shared.
Called Content Credentials as a Service, users like electoral campaigns can use the tool to attach information to an image or video’s metadata. The information could include provenance of when, how, when, and who created the content. It will also say if AI was involved in creating the content. This information becomes a permanent part of the image or video…
ChatGPT subscribers can soon build their own custom chatbots – no coding required
A new feature from OpenAI will let you design your own GPT chatbots devoted to specific tasks. Plus: A GPT store is slated to open later this month.
Imagine creating your own ChatGPT chatbot that can handle virtually any task you want. Well, that capability is just around the corner. At its first Dev Day event on Monday, ChatGPT creator OpenAI unveiled a new feature that will let paying subscribers cook up their own custom chatbots known as GPTs.
The idea behind the new GPT model is to help subscribers move beyond the standard ChatGPT model by devising custom models dedicated to more specific areas and tasks. In a new blog post, OpenAI cites a couple of examples: You could create a chatbot focused on teaching computer science in a school or one that lets you design marketing logos and campaigns…
Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC
