With the upcoming release of Windows 12, Microsoft is expected to introduce a suite of advanced security features, elevating the standard for operating system protection.

This article explores the potential enhancements in Windows 12 that could redefine cybersecurity, ensuring users are safeguarded against emerging digital threats.

The Growing Need for Enhanced Cybersecurity

As technology advances, so do the methods and tactics of cyber attackers. Windows, one of the most widely used operating systems, is frequently a target for such attacks.

Recognizing this, Microsoft has continuously worked to bolster the security features in its operating systems.

Windows 12 represents the next step in this ongoing effort, addressing current and future security challenges.

Potential Advanced Security Features in Windows 12

1. Improved Threat Detection and Response

Windows 12 could incorporate more sophisticated threat detection algorithms, leveraging AI and machine learning. These systems would be capable of identifying and neutralizing threats more quickly and efficiently than ever before, even predicting and preventing attacks before they occur.

2. Enhanced Firewall and Network Protections

An advanced firewall in Windows 12 would offer more robust protection against network-based threats. This could include improved incoming and outgoing network traffic monitoring and automatic blocking of suspicious activities.

3. Secure Boot Enhancements

Secure Boot, which ensures that only trusted software is loaded during the startup process, could see further enhancements in Windows 12. This might include more stringent checks and the ability to detect better anomalies that could indicate a security breach.

4. Biometric Security Improvements

Windows 12 could expand its use of biometric security features, such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, making unauthorized device access much more difficult. Integrating these features would be more seamless, providing both convenience and enhanced security.

5. Advanced Ransomware Protection

Given the rise of ransomware attacks, Windows 12 is expected to include more robust protection mechanisms. This could involve automatically backing up important files and enhanced monitoring to prevent unauthorized encryption.

6. Improved Data Encryption

Data encryption features could be significantly enhanced in Windows 12, providing stronger protection for local and cloud-stored data. Encryption methods might be updated to include the latest standards, ensuring data is safeguarded against emerging decryption techniques.

7. Zero Trust Security Model Implementation

Windows 12 might adopt a zero-trust security model, operating on the principle that no user or application is trusted by default, even if they are within the network perimeter. This approach would significantly reduce the risk of internal threats.

8. Enhanced Privacy Controls

Privacy controls are a crucial aspect of cybersecurity. Windows 12 could offer more granular control over personal data, including better tools for managing app permissions and data-sharing settings.

9. Cloud-Based Security Analytics

Integrating cloud-based security analytics would allow Windows 12 to leverage large datasets to identify and respond to new threats more effectively. This could include real-time threat intelligence feeds and automated update systems.

10. Sandboxing of High-Risk Applications

Sandboxing allows potentially harmful applications to run in a secure, isolated environment. Windows 12 could improve its sandboxing capabilities, ensuring that high-risk applications do not compromise the system’s overall security.

11. Integrated VPN Services

Integrating VPN services directly into Windows 12 could provide users with an additional layer of security, particularly when accessing public Wi-Fi networks.

12. Automated Security Updates and Patches

Automating the delivery and installation of security updates and patches would ensure that systems are always protected against known vulnerabilities. This feature would be especially beneficial for less tech-savvy users.

13. Advanced Anti-Phishing Features

With phishing attacks becoming more sophisticated, Windows 12 could include advanced anti-phishing technologies, such as improved detection of fraudulent websites and email scanning.

14. Customizable Security Profiles

Windows 12 could offer customizable security profiles, allowing users to set different levels of security based on their needs and the type of work they are doing.

15. IoT Device Security Management

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, managing the security of connected devices becomes increasingly important. Windows 12 could include features for monitoring and securing IoT devices connected to the network.

16. Enhanced User Education and Alerts

Educating users about potential security threats is crucial. Windows 12 could include an enhanced alert system and educational resources to help users recognize and respond to security risks.

17. Identity and Access Management (IAM) Improvements

Improving IAM features would strengthen security by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access certain data and applications. This could include more advanced user authentication methods and access controls.

18. Security for Remote Work and BYOD Environments

With remote work and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies becoming more common, Windows 12 could include specialized features to secure these environments, such as enhanced endpoint security and remote management capabilities.

19. Collaboration with Cybersecurity Communities

Microsoft could enhance collaboration with global cybersecurity communities in Windows 12, incorporating community-sourced threat intelligence and best practices into the operating system’s security features.

Conclusion: A Comprehensive Approach to Cybersecurity

The potential advancements in Windows 12 reflect a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, addressing a wide range of threats and vulnerabilities.

By integrating these advanced features, Windows 12 would not only protect users from current threats but also anticipate and prepare for future challenges in the cybersecurity landscape.

As technology continues to evolve, the importance of such proactive and multifaceted security measures will only grow, making Windows 12 a potential milestone in the journey toward a safer digital world.

As it happens every month, these patches are here to address several security issues.

This time around, Redmond has resolved 66 vulnerabilities in its software, 10 of which are critical. What’s even more concerning is that, according to the company, at least 6 of these flaws are being exploited in the wild.

This means you are recommended to deploy these patches as soon as you can.

That said, judging by the number of addressed vulnerabilities, the November 2022 Patch Tuesday cycle is rather on the light side. The count is down from the 81 vulnerabilities that Microsoft fixed in October that just went by.

They are more in line with the 67 security flaws the company addressed in November 2021.

It’s just that the number of exploits known to be used by cybercriminals is rather critical. This is the first time that such a large number of vulnerabilities have been known to be used by malicious actors, at least in more than a year.

And this makes it even more important for users of Microsoft software to patch their devices as soon as possible.

Windows 10 users are directed to download their respective patches for version 1507, 1607, 1809 as well as the more recent versions 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, and 22H2. All other versions of this older operating system have reached end of support.

Windows 11 users, meanwhile, have updates available for version 21H2 and the latest version 22H2.

If for some reason, you are still rocking Windows 7 on your computers, then you can also get your hands on updates as part of the ESU program that Microsoft has for enterprise customers. Home users, in this case, are not getting new updates.

These new updates are available via the typical channels like Windows Update, WSUS, alongside the Microsoft Update Catalog for manual downloads.

Website typo protection is now live for Edge.

Yes, you heard it right. This feature works exactly what it says on the tin.

This is a problem that many developers have ignored for way too long and has likely resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses over the years. It still remains one of the most used ways for cybercriminals to trap their victims.

Malicious actors use URL typos in their nefarious practices to redirect unsuspecting users to their compromised sites or deploy infected payloads on their devices.

The concept is simple enough to understand. Every once in a while, when typing a web address in the address bar of a web browser, a user may input text with typos that are hard to notice at first glance. Doing so results in the browser pointing us to a completely different website or web resource.

Typosquatting, it is called.

Which is why this new feature that Microsoft has developed automatically detects these typos and prevents users from being redirected to malicious URLs.

As the company puts it:

“Website typo protection complements the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen service to defend against web threats. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps protect users against websites that engage in phishing and malware campaigns.

Typosquatters engage in phishing activities too, but there are only so many ways in which one can mistype a brand. Malicious actors know this and choose to host less aggravating content on “typosquat” URLs to avoid detection. Typosquatting site owners profit on users’ mistakes by taking them to advertising sites, affiliate links, false products, fake search engine results, or in some cases by redirecting users into parked domains reserved for very short-lived phishing campaigns.”

This new feature is as straightforward as you expect and works very smoothly.

Every time you type an address in the URL bar, Edge performs an automatic check in the background to figure out if you are being targeted by typosquatting or not. It that is the case, the browser displays a message to let you know that there might be a typo in the URL your just entered.

This new addition is now enabled by default on all platforms where Microsoft Edge is available.

No one wants to be the second best.

Certainly not Intel.

The company is now competing in multiple domains in the consumer space after opening a new front in the form of dedicated graphics cards under the Arc branding. NVIDIA and AMD finally have a worthy competitor, and gamers finally have a viable third option.

Although Intel has a fair way to go before it can be crowned king in this space, a recent development may please it.

That’s because the performance tips that Microsoft recently shared for Windows 11 are helping Intel in unexpected ways. Benchmarks show that its Arc lineup of discrete GPUs are seeing a decent uptick in performance, making notable gains when put to test by users.

According to one such user, Löschzwerg, the Arc A380 graphics card gained around two to three thousand points in 3DMark03, a DirectX 9 benchmark.

This makes for a 5.2% uptick in performance as the card originally got around 58,000 points in this test.

Meanwhile, things are radically better in DXVK, a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 9/10/11, where performance increased by threefold.

And this is mighty important, because Intel does not run DX9 natively on Arc. The company has instead opted for the D3D9On12 mapping layer. As a result, the potential of these new cards is drastically reduced compared to the other options in these older games.

While Microsoft did not detail the kind of boost users could expect from the changes it recommended, reports back then hinted that turning off these security features in the OS could mitigate performance losses of up to 30%.

Detailed testing like the one above clears things a bit and confirms that there is massive headroom in these older titles.

At least for owners of Intel GPUs.

It is not very often we are told to disable security features on your system — certainly not by Microsoft.

Usually, it is the other way around, as we either enable certain options or leave things as they are to ensure that our system is safe from threats.

But in this particular case, Microsoft has issued some advice about improving game performance in Windows 11. And it involves turning off a bunch of security features in the operating system that apparently drain the hardware resources of your PC.

This surprising advice comes in the form of a support document conveniently titled Options to Optimize Gaming Performance in Windows 11.

And it outlines two settings that the software titan says can impact gaming performance: Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform.

As the company explains:

“As part of continued testing and feedback from users, Microsoft has seen that in some scenarios and some configurations of gaming devices there may be a performance impact with Memory Integrity and VMP on.

Windows provides choice and control for users to configure their PCs to meet their specific needs, including the ability to turn Windows features like Memory Integrity and VMP on and off. Gamers who want to prioritize performance have the option to turn off these features while gaming and turn them back on when finished playing. However, if turned off, the device may be vulnerable to threats.”

Instructions to disable these options are provided in the document itself.

By switching both off, you should be able to enjoy a notably better gaming experience, albeit on a less secure machine. This is exactly why Microsoft points out that this is meant to be done only when gaming, and the security should be reenabled afterward.

Hopefully, now that this secret is out in the open, the company can automate this process by integrating it into a special dedicated Game Mode that gamers can turn on when they sit down to play.

One can hope!

The final build number for this update is 106.0.1370.34. The refresh brings two new feature updates: more reliable web defenses and more work results in the address bar. This release also includes a handful of policy updates.

As the changelog notes, the two new additions have to do with security and productivity.

First up is the enablement of a more reliable web defense that lets you browse the web more reliably thanks to some enhanced protection. This is due to the rewritten Microsoft Defender SmartScreen library for Microsoft Edge on Windows that was introduced with Edge 103.

By the same flip of the coin, the NewSmartScreenLibraryEnabled policy is now deprecated in Edge 106 and will become obsolete by the time Edge 107 strolls around.

The second new addition relates to increased work results in the Microsoft Edge address bar. Microsoft has increased the maximum number of work results displayed in the address bar from 2 to 4, saying that this will offer greater visibility into the work content available to you as you search.

This feature requires the AddressBarMicrosoftSearchInBingProviderEnabled policy enabled to work.

The rest are policy updates, the details of which you can gather from the changelog linked above. We have 3 new policies enabled, 2 deprecated, and 2 obsoleted.

If Microsoft Edge is installed on your system, you can update your web browser easily via Settings and More > Help and Feedback> About Microsoft Edge.

A fresh copy of Edge is also up for grabs from the official website.

There’s new stuff for practically everyone in this new release.

One thing that almost every user can appreciate is a little tightening of security, given the various threats out there in the wild. To that end, here is one improvement that is sure to go a mile when it comes to keeping users protected.

Enhanced Phishing Protection is what the company is calling its latest addition.

This tool is designed to identify malicious sites and apps that attackers use to access login credentials. Whenever it detects something “phishy” at play, it automatically notifies the admin via Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Sinclair Hamilton explains in a new Tech Community blog post:

“Enhanced phishing protection is baked into the Windows 11 operating system and automatically detects when users type their password into any app or site. Windows understands in real-time whether that app or website has a secure connection to a trusted website; if not, Windows will let users know if they’re in danger. That means admins can know exactly when a password has been stolen and be equipped to better protect your organization. When Windows 11 protects against one phishing attack, that threat intelligence cascades to protect other Windows users interacting with other apps and sites that are experiencing the same attack as well.”

So, how does Enhanced Phishing Protection work, you wonder?

Windows first analyzes where you enter your password and then uses SmartScreen to decipher the application’s or website’s authenticity. If it discovers something, it responds immediately and alerts the user that they must change their password.

This is regardless of whether they are using a Microsoft Account, Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, or local password. The tool also quickly notifies the IT admin of the incident through the MDE portal for further investigation and mitigation of the issue.

The feature is currently accessible to users who have upgraded to the 22H2 release of Windows 11.

That said, commercial customers who want to receive the Enhanced Phishing Protection alerts in the M365 Defender security portal can also do so as long as their license has access to the M365 Defender security portal.

Microsoft has made available the September 2022 Patch Tuesday updates, with this latest release now live for users of myriad Windows operating systems—everything from the newest OS in Windows 11 to a classic favorite in Windows 7.

And as part of this release cycle, the company has fixed no less than 62 vulnerabilities in its software.

While the number may seem big, it is actually really low, representing a 50% decline from August. This makes it a neat little progress as far as resolving security flaws via patch releases for the software titan.

In fact, this actually represents the smallest number of vulnerabilities that Redmond has resolved as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday cycle this year.

Just five of the released patches have the Critical severity rating, which once again represents a massive 70% decline from the previous months.

However, some vulnerabilities should be monitored, particularly if you are an IT admin tasked with maintaining a network of devices.

Prime among them are two 0-day flaws that are actively being exploited in the wild. Security experts say this should be a priority for system administrators, and they should begin patching their fleet of computers as soon as possible.

One of these is CVE-2022-37969, which has a CVSS score of 7.8. This is on the lower end of things because this vulnerability can only be exploited locally. That is to say, an attacker must already have access to a system and the ability to run code there.

But still, it is a good idea to keep all your systems up-to-date, vulnerability or no vulnerability.

This release is now available in the Stable channel. The software titan lists the necessary details in the release notes that you can scan. The company also lists the security updates separately for those who want to monitor these specific enhancements.

Version 105’s main highlights are improvements to the web browser’s overall security and enhancements to the Cloud Site List Management experience for Internet Explorer mode.

Proceeding start with enhanced security mode improvements, with this mode now supporting WebAssembly for x64 flavors of Windows. There were some concerns regarding the performance in this mode, with fears that it would be too slow for use or break down sites.

But thankfully, we are in the clear.

You can check out further details on the security features that Edge now boasts here.

Next up is IE mode, which has seen improvements to the Cloud Site List Management experience. This particular feature has now assumed a whole other level of importance following the high-profile retirement of Internet Explorer.

And this is why Redmond now recommends users switch to this special mode baked into Edge for any websites or applications requiring IE compatibility.

Version 105 includes a number of improvements for IE mode, which you can check out in the link above.

Finally, like any version upgrade for Microsoft Edge, this new release also introduces new and changed policies while deprecating some older rules. Six new policies, one deprecation, and an additional policy change are here for your consideration.

Microsoft Edge build 105.0.1343.25 is the one that you are looking for.

This version can be downloaded manually or using the auto update engine built into the desktop web browser. Be sure to upgrade via whichever route you prefer for your Edge installation.

When the company announced Windows 11 for the first time in June last year, attention was focused on the minimum system requirements that the software titan had established for its shiny new operating system.

These strict requirements meant that even a couple of generations-old CPUs were deemed unsupported for Windows 11.

Although the company revised its compatible processors list and added more Intel chips, requirements like Trusted Platform Module version 2.0 and Secure Boot remained unchanged. The company later explained how these technologies improved security on the new OS.

And it went so far as to demonstrate a successful hacker attack on a system with these disabled.

If you are wondering exactly when Redmond got the idea of adding these requirements to its platform, we now have some insights.

Did you know that Cobalt build 21327 is the earliest public build to mention that a TPM module would block your system from installing "Sun Valley"? pic.twitter.com/loUqZvM78c

— Xeno (@XenoPanther) August 27, 2022

Microsoft first baked them in back in the Windows 10 days, with build 21327 being the first version where these hardware requirements were first sighted. The appraiserres.dll file contained these system checks and blocked you from installing Sun Valley if you did not pass them.

This was discovered by famed leaker Xeno, who went back in time to spot these requirements.

Of course, having a requirement in place is entirely different from enforcing it. That’s because the community quickly found bypasses to these checks, with even the company endorsing the TPM bypass to install Windows 11 on older machines.

While it has become clear that these restrictions are in place mainly for business customers, game developers are also using these technologies to prevent cheating.

At the end of the day, things quietly settled in place.

As they usually do.