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Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office Gets Patched for 4 Vulnerabilities That Could Impact User Security: Check Point Research

Microsoft Corporation is a Redmond, Washington-based multinational technology company. It creates, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, and personal computers, as well as related services. The Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers are among its most well-known software products. The Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface lineup of touchscreen personal computers are its flagship hardware products. Microsoft was ranked No. 21 in the 2020 Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations in the United States based on total revenue.

Microsoft Office, also known as simply Office, is a collection of client software, server software, and services created by Microsoft. Bill Gates first announced it on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. The first version of Office was a marketing term for an office suite (a bundled set of productivity applications), and it included Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Office applications have grown significantly closer over time, with shared features such as a common spell checker, OLE data integration, and the Visual Basic for Applications scripting language.

The Vulnerabilities Found

Microsoft has fixed up to four vulnerabilities in its Office suite, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Office Web, according to Check Point Research on Tuesday. These flaws could allow an attacker to infect users via malicious Office documents. The security flaws were discovered by the cybersecurity firm in February using an automated software approach known as “fuzzing,” and they were reported to Microsoft. While three of the vulnerabilities were patched earlier this month, the organization was able to patch the final one earlier on Tuesday. It is advised that users upgrade the Microsoft Office suite on their desktops and laptops.

Microsoft
Image Source: news24-7live.com

Check Point Research revealed there were flaws with the MSGraph portion, encompassing Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel, which is part of Microsoft Office products. The code that the researchers investigated and discovered to be vulnerable existed from at least the Office 2003 release in August 2003.

“To our knowledge, this component has not received too much attention from the security community until now, making it a fertile ground for bugs,” Check Point Research mentioned in a blog post.

Source: research.checkpoint.com

The researchers used the “fuzzing” method to use automated software to exploit the vulnerability. Using the method, the majority of Microsoft Office products were found to be vulnerable to malicious code attacks. This can be sent to the user by means of an Excel spreadsheet or a .xls-format specially crafted Word document in a.docx format, Outlook E-mail.

“We learned that the vulnerabilities are due to parsing mistakes made in legacy code,” Check Point Software’s Head of Cyber Research, Yaniv Balmas, said in a prepared statement. One of the primary learnings from our research is that legacy code continues to be a weak link in the security chain, especially in complex software like Microsoft Office.”

Image Source: research.checkpoint.com

The researchers pointed out that there could be multiple attack vectors, with the most basic being when a victim downloads a malicious.xls file. Check Point Research stated that the four vulnerabilities were disclosed to Microsoft on February 28. Three of these, CVE-2021-31174, CVE-2021-31178, and CVE-2021-31179, were patched by the software giant on May 11, while the fourth, CVE-2021-31939, was fixed on Tuesday.

Check Point Research researchers believe that, while Microsoft has fixed the four vulnerabilities, there may be others that affect users. It is therefore advised to install the most recent Microsoft Office suite. Users of Windows 10 can install the update by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.

Microsoft Build 2021

Microsoft Teams to let developers create collaborative apps, announced during virtual Microsoft Build 2021

Microsoft revealed a bunch of new updates during the virtual Microsoft Build 2021. These new updates are going to help developers bring real-time, multi-user collaboration for their app offering features like whiteboarding, design, etc. Microsoft has added this series of new updates such that developers can increase user engagement and harness the power of the Teams platform.

The new class of apps has exclusively originated as the solution to the crisis developers faced during the 2020 lockdown. The working scenario changed dramatically as everyone started working remotely and hence a strong purpose of the collaboration was the need of the hour. Microsoft Teams was built for this very reason so that it can enable collaboration creating opportunities for developers to build the next generation of applications.

A Hybrid Workplace

With collaboration being the top priority, Microsoft has added some new features that will help the developers to navigate a new hybrid workplace. The availability of the share stage integration is a new feature that is available in preview. With this new feature, the developers can now build apps and enable a real-time, multi-user collaboration experience. This can be done by extending the main stage of a Teams meeting as the user will get an option to add an app and share it with other attendees. Using this, the developers will experience real-time collaboration which will involve whiteboarding, project boards, design, etc.

Microsoft Build 2021
Image Source: microsoft.com

Developers are also getting a series of new media APIs with resource-specific consent. This will enable real-time audio and video streaming for the developers at the Teams meetings. These new APIs will have added features like transcription, translation, note-taking, insights gathering through their apps, etc.

Microsoft is also adding an extension of the Together Mode coming this summer. This will allow developers to create their own customized meeting scenes for any Teams meeting which they can also share with others. There will be a Scene Designer Tool in the Developer Portal which the developer can use to create custom scenes thus increasing user engagement and making the meetings more fun.

Another feature Microsoft Teams is adding is the availability of the fluid components in private preview. It will allow the developer to send a table or a list as a message. Actions in these items can be taken by everyone in the meeting if they are co-authored by the developer. This reduced redundancy as communication through long chat threads can be minimized as all the changes can be made in the table itself.

The Developer Portal for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is also enabling automation of meeting related-workflows such as starting and ending of a meeting. The Developer Portal in the Microsoft Teams has been built exclusively for the developers so that they receive a standalone app management console that can be accessed through the web or the Teams. In this portal, the developers can register their apps and configure them within a single or central location. Since Microsoft is adding plenty of new features for the developers, the app might become strong competition for Slack, Zoom, and others.

Other Updates

Apart from the updates in Microsoft Build 2021, the company has also announced support for message extensions in Outlook. This will create a sync between Teams and Outlook as this will allow users to integrate tasks in Teams while emailing someone from Outlook. Additionally, the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is also receiving support for Linux graphical user interface (GUI) apps. With this support, any Linux GUI apps can fully run on Windows without setting up a traditional virtual machine.

Upgrades are also made in the Windows search bar to support personalized results from tools such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. The Windows Terminal 1.9 preview will be also available as announced by Microsoft which also comes with a Quake Mode. The advantage of this mode is users can open a new terminal window in Windows by using a keyboard shortcut from anywhere. In Microsoft Build 2021, an update was also announced for Visual Studio 2019 and support for creating GitHub Actions Workflows directly from the IDE (Gadgets 360).

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft announces the retirement of Internet Explorer as the Future is in Microsoft Edge.

After more than 25 years, Microsoft is retiring its long-running browser, Internet Explorer, next year. For years, users have avoided using outdated web browsers due to the advent of better alternatives. On June 15, 2022, Microsoft will phase out Internet Explorer.

The Extinction of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer, which was released in 1995, became the dominant browser for more than a decade because it was bundled with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, which came pre-installed in billions of computers. The browser, on the other hand, began losing ground to Google’s Chrome in the late 2000s and has since been the target of numerous internet memes for its sluggishness. Despite the fact that Microsoft has aggressively promoted its Edge browser to consumers, the company has continued to provide Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10. One of the primary factors may be that many older enterprise applications and websites only operate with Internet Explorer.

Last year, Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer 11 for the Microsoft Teams web app. Later this year, the company intends to block Internet Explorer from accessing Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft recommends that if you use Internet Explorer, you switch to Microsoft Edge before June 15, 2022, for a quicker and more stable browsing experience. If your company uses Internet Explorer, you may have a large number of legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications that have been built up over time. According to Microsoft, the typical company has 1,678 legacy applications.

Switch to Microsoft Edge Today

According to Statcounter, Google Chrome dominates 65 percent of the sector. Safari, which was developed by Apple and is available on Apple computers and tablets, is the runner-up, with a roughly 19 percent market share as of April of this year.

Internet Explorer and Edge
Image Source: techrepublic.com

To compete more effectively, Microsoft released the Edge browser in 2015, which uses the same technology as Google’s browser. With 3.59 percent and 3.39 percent, respectively, Firefox and Edge are third and fourth. Microsoft advised its web developers to schedule an orderly transition away from Internet Explorer support based on user needs.

Some Exciting Features Of Microsoft Edge

Collections help you to quickly compile information from various websites, arrange it, export it into various folders, or simply return to your work at a later time and pick up right where you left off. Microsoft Edge is the only browser that lets you access your sidebar tabs with a single click. Vertical tabs are expected to appear in the Insider networks in the coming months. The tracking prevention feature in Microsoft Edge is intended to shield you from being monitored by websites you are not specifically visiting, giving you more power over what you see and don’t see. Whether on mobile or desktop, you can choose between three options: Basic, Balanced, or Strict.

Password Monitor is a function that, when activated, notifies you if the credentials you’ve saved to autofill have been found on the dark web. If Microsoft Edge finds a fit with any of your saved usernames and passwords, you will be prompted to take action from inside the browser. You will display a list of all leaked passwords in Settings and be directed to their respective websites to update your password. Microsoft Edge is the only desktop browser that has built-in InPrivate Bing search. As a result, when I browse in InPrivate mode, my searches aren’t associated with me or my account.

Microsoft Edge is the only browser on Windows 10 that allows you to view Netflix in 4K resolution. It is also the only browser on Windows 10 that supports Dolby Audio and Dolby Vision. If you choose to check-in Bing, you can receive reward points as part of the Microsoft Rewards program. You can donate your reward points to a cause of your choosing by activating the new Give Mode tab in your rewards settings. There is no cost to you; simply use Bing to browse. With over 1 million charities to choose from, you can help a cause that is important to you, such as the CDC Foundation and others that are assisting with the COVID response.

How to Get Microsoft Edge?

The new Microsoft Edge is now available for download at Microsoft.com/Edge. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. If you have Windows 10 and do not yet have the latest Microsoft Edge, you can download it today or expect it to arrive on your PC beginning next month as we begin the roll-out. And, whether you download it yourself or wait for it to be sent to your PC, switching is a breeze, with your favorites, passwords, form fill information, and simple settings all transferring to the new Microsoft Edge with a single click.

Windows 10x

Windows Cancels 10x, Launched a New Update for Windows 10 Instead.

Windows 10 have been one of the most popular OS by Microsoft, and before the pandemic, the company had announced an even better version of the OS, i.e., Windows 10x. But today, Microsoft took it to their official blog and revealed that the company doesn’t have any plans to release the much-anticipated Windows 10x, also known by the codename ‘Santorini’. Rather, it will revamp the existing Windows 10. Microsoft also released a new version of the OS, version 21H1.

The Early Announcement

In 2019, Microsoft had announced that the company will release a new OS, Windows 10x, along with Microsoft’s new dual-screen devices. It was at the time when Microsoft announced its dual-screen foldable laptop, the Surface Neo, in October 2019. The company called Windows 10x, and the dual-screen laptops, its most ambitious projects of all time. But exactly one year ago, the company changed its statement and revealed that it is also planning to release the OS for the single-screen laptops, and those will be the first to get access to Windows 10x. Even during the last announcement, Microsoft had not given any dates on when it will officially launch the OS for any of the devices.

The Cancellation of Windows 10x

Though the company was really excited about the new OS for its lightweight devices, Microsoft today announced that it is has pulled the plug on Windows 10X. The company revealed the information in a blog post that included the announcement of the new update to the existing Windows 10.

In the announcement, Microsoft said that it was intending to launch the 10x technology for a certain group of customers. But in the past two years of exploration and experiments, the company has concluded that 10x can serve a larger group of people, so launching it for only a specific group won’t be fair. So instead of launching a separate OS, windows 10x, the company will be incorporating the key foundational 10X technology into the existing Windows 10 and other products of the company so that all the Windows customers can get benefitted.

Windows 10x
Image Source: storial.in

“Instead of bringing a product called Windows 10X to market in 2021 like we originally intended, we are leveraging learnings from our journey thus far and accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other parts of Windows and products at the company,” said the head of Windows servicing and delivery, John Cable, in a statement. 

Microsoft also confirmed that it has already started to include some of the 10x features into the Windows products, like the new app container technology has already been integrated into the Microsft products like the Microsoft Defender Application Guard and the Voice Typing.

The New Version 21H1 Update

Microsoft, along with announcing the cancellation of Windows 10x, also announced the rollout of the new version 21H1 update for Windows 10. The company announced the update release in February 2021 and finally launched it in May. Microsoft claimed that the new update is a result of the ongoing work from home situation, and it will provide a better experience for the customers in terms of security, remote access, speed and quality.

According to the blog post, the update won’t be available right away, and the company is trying to help the customers to get the most out of it, so it is going to offer a reliable download to them. The update’s preview build was already available for the Windows Insider Program, and after the positive feedback from the community, the update is finally out for the customers.

How to Get the Update

The company has announced the new update for the devices running the Windows 10 version 2004 and further. The users can go to their Windows settings and select “Windows Update” under “Update & Security”. Here they have to select “Check for Updates”. The screen will show the “Download and install” option, and then, after clicking on that option, the update will download onto the computer. The update is similar to a monthly Windows update, and you can directly start updating the OS by running the downloaded file. According to the company, the update will run faster on Windows 10, version 2004, and version 20H2.

Surface Laptop 4

Surface Laptop 4 introduced by Microsoft with Intel and AMD options.

It has been a decade the Surface laptops have successfully enhanced user experience by bridging the gap between people and technology in a frictionless manner. Surface laptops provide premium design, top-class performance, immersive touchscreen display technologies, and many more. The series of Surface laptops target broad customers from students to professionals meeting individual needs. Currently, Surface Laptop have the highest customer satisfaction rating in its class.

The requirements for every user are unique and till today Surface laptops have served them well. In the journey to provide a better experience to the people so that they can connect in a better way to the world and to their work through technology, Microsoft introduces Surface Laptop 4. The users are free to choose color, size, and price starting from $999.99 and can be currently ordered from the US, Japan, and Canada. In the US, whoever will order before 15th April will receive free Surface Earbuds as a gift.

Price of Surface Laptop 4

The price of 13.5″ laptops starts from $999 (Rs 75,196 approx) for the Ryzen 5 variants. The same size laptops for Core i5 variants are priced at $1299 (Rs 97,778 approx). The i7 variants will be available at a price of $1699 (Rs 1,27,887 approx). For the Intel processor, customers will have four color choices while in the case of AMD, the model will be only available in grey color. For the 15″ laptops, Intel processor Surface Laptop 4 is starting at $1699 (i7 variant) and Ryzen 7 models are starting from $1299.

Specifications of Surface Laptop 4

The new Surface Laptop 4 is optimized for Microsoft experiences. It will retain the same iconic design and the materials used in the previous versions of Surface laptops. The laptop will have a 3:2 PixelSense touchscreen which will come in 13.5″ and 15″ models. There will also be a number of choices for colors which includes a new option, Ice Blue finish. The built-in front-facing camera in the laptop is full HD that can work magnificently in low light.

Surface Laptop 4
Image Source: blogs.windows.com

Surface Laptop 4 has a studio microphone array that will ensure high-quality audio in meetings. It also has Dolby Atmos Omnisonic speakers to enhance your cinematic experience. One of the best features about this new laptop is it will provide you options between 11th Generation Intel Core and AMD Ryzen Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics Microsoft Surface Edition (8 cores). For both the processors, you will experience a very highly efficient laptop pioneering your multitasking demand.

Comfortable Multitasking

Surface Laptop 4 will make you feel that the product is exclusively designed for you with its multitasking capabilities. From office workers to students, from gaming enthusiasts to content creators, you can do some serious multitasking on this laptop without the fear of compromised performance. Moreover, you can work with this laptop from anywhere and attend meetings as this product can perform well even in low light. So, no matter if you are spending a vacation inside a deep forest or camping up in the mountains, this laptop will always have your back. Surface Laptop 4 also provides brilliant typing comfort and large trackpads. This is very advantageous for content creators and bloggers.

Surface Laptop 4 has the advanced feature of face sign-in which saves your time and you can start working from right where you left. The laptop also has all-day battery life hence it will not interrupt your workflow. You can backup all your work-related files and other documents in the cloud with integrated OneDrive storage. Surface Laptop 4 also gives you a choice of memory capability of 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR4x RAM. This option for RAM is especially helpful for developers who need extremely high capabilities. The 13.5″ laptops have comparatively more battery life in the case of both Intel and AMD Ryzen.

Surveys say that most of the employees even after the end of the pandemic prefer remote work culture. To make their working efficiency better, Microsoft is introducing Surface headphones which will provide a better experience when attending a meeting. Customers already love the technology, design, and performance of Surface laptops and Microsoft is striving to improve the existing system along with Windows.

Nuance

Microsoft makes $20 billion bets on Nuance a company pioneering speech AI

On 12th April 2021, Microsoft and Nuance made the announcement of their joint venture as the former company is acquiring the AI firm for $56.00 per share. This implies that Microsoft paid $19.7 billion in an all-cash transaction which is inclusive of Nuance’s net debt. Nuance is a very trusted company when it comes to healthcare and enterprise AI. The current CEO of Nuance will retain his position and will be working under Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI in Microsoft. Microsoft is aiming to close the deal this year.

What is Nuance?

Nuance is a famous company currently pioneering in conversational AI and cloud-based ambient clinical intelligence for healthcare providers. Healthcare is a very crucial and sensitive sector as it deals with the human body and mind and not just equipment. So, providing quality AI-based solutions to the healthcare sector is a difficult task that Nuance has been conquering. Some of the products of Nuance are Dragon Ambient eXperience, Dragon Medical One, and PowerScribe One. All these products are leading clinical speech recognition software that is built on Microsoft Azure. 

Nuance
Image Source: variety.com

Nuance builds its products to work with the core healthcare systems like long-standing relationships with Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This helps to reduce the burden of clinical documentation so that the healthcare workers provide better service to the patients. Nuance’s products are in high demand as it is used by 77 percent of the total hospitals in the US. Apart from the healthcare unit, Nuance also builds AI-based solutions for Interactive Voice Response (IVR), virtual assistant, biometric system, etc.

Why did Microsoft acquire Nuance?

Microsoft has been providing unique cloud offerings to a very diverse customer base. The company has significantly invested and partnered with companies that open new scopes for Microsoft in new areas. One of the new sectors Microsoft is offering is healthcare as the company introduced Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare last year. This new product by Microsoft addresses the needs of the healthcare industry as it is transforming very fast. The acquisition makes it clear that Microsoft is planning to offer better solutions in the healthcare industry with the help of AI.

The company announced a partnership with Nuance back in 2019 which turned out to be very successful. This time both the companies together are planning to augment Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare with Nuance’s solution. Also, Nuance’s expertise and relationship with EHR system providers will be advantageous for Microsoft as it will empower healthcare workers in an improved way. Microsoft is planning to do this by harnessing the power of ambient clinical intelligence and other cloud services of the company.

Moreover, the acquisition of Nuance will double the total addressable market of Microsoft in the healthcare space which in the figure is approximately $500 billion. Both the companies will also strongly commit to data privacy, security, and compliance. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft has said that Nuance provides the AI layer in the solutions it provides to the healthcare sector and it is significantly pioneering the real-world application of enterprise AI.

Harnessing the Power of AI

Currently, AI is the most important and widely used technology that is useful in any sector especially healthcare. Microsoft with Nuance is planning to provide advanced AI solutions to the healthcare sector and medical professionals so that they can make better decisions and more meaningful connections. Since Nuance also provides advanced AI-based solutions in other fields, in the future this will come together with Microsoft’s Cloud including Azure, Teams, and Dynamics 365. 

Over the past few years, demand for conversational AI solutions in the healthcare space has significantly increased and Nuance is responding to those needs effectively. But, the room for growth of Nuance is much broader and so is the demand for products it is making. With the help of Microsoft, Nuance can scale globally and try to offer more affordable solutions to people across the world. Microsoft is the right platform through which Nuance will be able to channel its expertise more effectively while Microsoft expands its market at the same time. The deal with Nuance is a very strategic decision that will make Microsoft a very eminent company providing healthcare solutions to the world.