TechRadar News

• Google is apparently planning to transform ChromeOS into Android
• This new OS could be the best of both worlds for tablets
• It could be the OS to power a rumored Pixelbook laptop

Google could be planning to completely change ChromeOS and essentially turn it into Android, in an effort to build an operating system that’s better suited to tablets – and poaching iPad buyers from Apple.

Android Authority claims to have a source (as ever, an anonymous one) who describes a fresh initiative underway at Google which is a multi-year project to effectively transform ChromeOS into Android.

This would come with some obvious benefits – instead of working across two operating systems, desktop (well, laptop) and mobile, Google would just have to develop the one multi-platform OS.

And it’d address a serious problem Google has faced: Android’s failure, as it stands, to capture enough tablet market share, and specifically premium tablets, where Apple’s iPad very much holds court. This is an area where hybrid 2-in-1 Chromebooks have failed to make a meaningful impact, too.

So, the idea would be to forge a new path forward, one that makes better use of the development resources at Google.

It’s debatable exactly what the end result might look like, mainly because it’s still early days, and Google probably doesn’t know itself yet – assuming this rumor is true in the first place. Or it's an idea that Google is currently kicking around, but will eventually boot out of play.

As Android Authority expects it to happen, this is about migrating ChromeOS to the Android platform – while obviously keeping enough of the desktop flavor of the current incarnation of ChromeOS to make it suitable for laptops and tablets.

Analysis: An AI-infused Pixel laptop running Android?

(Image credit: Future)

Interestingly, we recently heard a separate rumor about Google mulling the resurrection of its Chromebook Pixel laptop range, which was canned a while ago now. So, the further theory is that this future laptop might run the new Android take on ChromeOS, when (or if, rather) it eventually arrives.

How likely does this new rumor seem? It’s perhaps a firmer prospect than it would be otherwise simply due to the fact that Google is already moving in this direction. We saw evidence of this earlier in 2024 when the company merged parts of the Android OS with ChromeOS.

So, the Android-ification of ChromeOS is already underway, in fact, and guess what one of the major drivers is here? If you said AI then award yourself with a pat on the back, because yes, what’s being ported over currently – which includes building the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks into ChromeOS – is about ensuring AI features can benefit Chromebooks. More broadly, though, it’s easy to imagine this is leading down the very road this rumor pins down as Google’s ultimate destination.

So, if we imagine a future Chromebook Pixel, or Pixelbook perhaps, it might run on what’s essentially a desktop-oriented flavor of Android, and it’ll likely bristle with AI features. With Google also getting the benefit of an OS that really fits a tablet – and doesn’t miss the mark in some respects, like Android for tablets, or Chromebook hybrid tablets (2-in-1 devices) on ChromeOS, neither of which are ideal for a slate.

At that point, the battle to challenge the iPad could step up a gear. (Apple holds over half the tablet market, at around 55%, going by the latest global market figures from Statcounter – but the higher-end will be even more pronounced a win for Tim Cook’s firm).

This seems to be the working theory for now at least, but it’s early days for these rumors – and even if Google is thinking along those lines, who knows where development of these projects might lead (if anywhere).

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• A VMware bug that grants Remote Code Execution abilities is being exploited in the wild
• The bug was first spotted in September 2024, but the patch did not solve the problem
• A second patch was released, and users are urged to apply now

Broadcom is warning two vulnerabilities plaguing its VMware vCenter Server product are being exploited in the wild by hackers.

Patches are available, and users are urged to apply them immediately, since there is no workaround. Furthermore, the vulnerabilities can be used to cause quite the damage to compromised networks.

In mid-September 2024, VMware released a security advisory, claiming to have patched two flaws in vCenter Server that could have granted threat actors remote code execution (RCE) abilities.

Confirmed exploitation

These flaws were tracked as CVE-2024-38812 and CVE-2024-38813.

The former affects vCenter 7.0.3, 8.9.2, and 8.0.3, as well as all versions of vSphere or VMware Cloud Foundation prior to the ones listed above. It was given a severity score of 9.8 (critical) since it can be exploited without user interaction, and since it grants RCE capabilities to a threat actor sending a custom-built network packet. The latter, on the other hand, is a 7.5-severity flaw, granting root privilege escalation.

Both vulnerabilities were first discovered by Team TZL at Tsinghua University, during the Matrix Cup Cyber Security Competition, held in China earlier this year.

However, it was soon announced that the patches did not properly work, since Broadcom issued a second patch in late October 2024. At that time, despite the bug being present for months, and having been patched twice, there was still no evidence of abuse in the wild.

However, that time has now come.

"Updated advisory to note that VMware by Broadcom confirmed that exploitation has occurred in the wild for CVE-2024-38812 and CVE-2024-38813," Broadcom said earlier this week.

Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t know who is abusing these vulnerabilities, or against whom. However, BleepingComputer reminds that threat actors, including ransomware gangs and state-sponsored threat actors, often target VMware vCenter bugs.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Netflix has released one final trailer ahead of Arcane season 2's final three chapters
• The 45-second teaser was revealed at the end of Arcane Afterglow's second episodes
• The footage suggests there'll be plenty of surprises in store before the hit series ends

Full spoilers follow for Arcane season 2.

Arcane season 2's final three episodes are just days away from airing on Netflix. And, while my excitement levels are already at fever pitch for season 2's concluding act, the arrival of a new teaser is making me wish it was November 23 so I watch them over and again.

Released at the end of episode 2 of Afterglow, aka Arcane's official after show, the 45-second long trailer is packed with melodrama, tons of action, and the potential return of two popular characters who died in Arcane season 2 act 2. Before I expand further on these teases, though, stop what you're doing and watch the act 3 sneak peek in the video below (skip to the 10:27 mark for the footage).

As you'll have seen, there's a lot shown off in the teaser. For starters, a voice over – I'm assuming it's Jayce who's speaking – says "a storm is coming... the likes of which Piltover has never faced". If that wasn't unsettling enough, Jayce's voiceover is accompanied by shots of Ambessa leading her Noxian troops into battle. Oh, and some of them have been supercharged by shimmer, the addictive substance created by Singed that grants superhuman abilities to anyone who consumes it. Piltover's enforcers are no match for Noxus' extremely well-drilled foot soldiers, let alone ones whose physical capabilities are augmented by shimmer.

That's only the beginning of the problems that the likes of Vi and Caitlyn will have to face. The next clip shows the pair in Piltover's underground council chamber – the same one we saw in Arcane season 2 act 1's first episode – alongside two other familiar faces. The first of those is Mel, who escaped the Black Rose's clutches in episode 5 and has somehow found her way back to the so-called City of Progress.

Even more surprisingly, Jayce is the other individual who's drawing up a plan of action alongside the trio. You don't need me to remind you that he was responsible for killing his former scientific partner and best friend Viktor (more on him in a moment) in episode 6 – one event of many that seemed to be sending Jayce down a very dark path in season 2. Viktor's demise set off a cataclysmic chain of events in act 2's final chapter, so I'm intrigued to see why Jayce has not only been welcomed back into the fold, but also seems to have been cured of the magic-based "sophisticated conjuration" ailment that he's afflicted by.

You've got a lot of apologizing to do before I forgive you, Jayce! (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

As for Viktor, Caitlyn asks Jayce if Viktor is "at the center of all this", which leads into an ominous, quick-cut montage of Singed appearing to bring two fan-favorite characters back from the dead. Indeed, the teaser's next shots suggest Singed will combine Viktor's Hextech-powered body with Warwick's shimmer-infused corpse to create a truly terrifying foe who may prove to be unstoppable.

Remember: during their tense chat in episode 6, Singed told Viktor that, by combining Warwick's regenerative blood, aka Apex Shimmer, with Viktor's Hextech-augmented body, Singed could stabilize Viktor and give him infinite powers, which would be known as Apex Hextech. Until his death, Viktor's powers were believed to be limited, but he refused to sacrifice Vander/Warwick's humanity to improve himself. It seems, then, that Singed will get his wish, with Arcane's love-to-hate alchemist fusing them together to create what he regards as the ultimate life form.

The sacrifices we make for progress.#Arcane Act II streaming now on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/18BfiKv45dNovember 19, 2024

It seems to work, too, based on one of Viktor's deceased disciples being resurrected moments later in the teaser. Reading between the lines (or, rather, quick cuts between the trailer's clips), I believe Singed will transfuse Vander/Warwick's blood into Viktor, which will transform Viktor into the cybernetically augmented individual that League of Legends (LoL) players will instantly recognize from Riot's hugely popular videogame franchise. That may be the reason why there's a shimmer-colored pod – one hooked up with pipes – sitting behind Singed and Ambessa. This is the manufactured cocoon that they've placed Viktor in to undergo his transformation.

As we see towards the end of the teaser, though, it appears Viktor's consciousness might try and fight back – the brief flash of him being attached to a tube-like mainframe suggesting he could foil Singed and Ambessa's plan from the inside. Whatever happens, it seems Viktor's story is one of many aspects of LoL lore that's being rewritten by Arcane.

If episode 6 left us all shell-shocked, imagine what episode 9 will do to us... (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

All of this comes before we're given a glimpse of Jinx, too. No doubt succumbing to her inner demons following Isha's death in episode 6, we only catch a couple of flashes of Vi's younger sister – Jinx's reflection seen in some shattered glass and then standing in a building as she watches it burn around her.

It's nailed on, though, that she'll be convinced to join the fight against Ambessa and Singed. Indeed, we hear Vi telling her "if you come, use all of that explosive potential for good, maybe we could rewrite your story" towards the end of the teaser. There's also a shot mere seconds before that line is uttered, too, which shows a blue and pink-colored airship, one likely flown by Jinx, in the sky above Ambessa before the latter shouts "fire!". There's another very brief shot of Jinx's sky-faring vehicle using its five-cannon gun to bombard Ambessa's troops right before the trailer ends, too. Expect Jinx to come to Piltover's aid and help change the tide of the conflict, then.

There's more interesting footage within the teaser, including an Ambessa-Caitlyn showdown and Vi chastizing Caitlyn for joining forces with Ambessa earlier in the season. This is only the tip of the iceberg for what's to come in one of the best Netflix shows' final episodic trio, whose total runtime will clock in around the two-hour mark. Indeed, we need to know where Ekko and Heimerdinger are, if the Black Rose is the hit show's main villain after all, and if 'CaitVi' will get their happy ending after finally kissing in season 2 episode 3. Suffice it to say: bittersweet as they'll be will be, I can't wait to see how Arcane's second and final season wraps up the series' overarching story. Don't mess it up, everyone!

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• US Department of Homeland Security launches new AI safety framework
• Designed for critical infrastructure sectors, it addresses the whole supply chain
• It aligns with other government efforts to maintain security when using AI

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a new set of guidelines in an effort to promote the secure and responsible use of AI across what it deems to be critical infrastructure sectors.

The ‘Roles and Responsibilities Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Critical Infrastructure’ hopes to tackle existing challenges so that AI can be used more widely in areas where its time-saving credentials matter.

In an announcement, the DHS says the framework is the first of its kind for all levels of the supply chain, including cloud and compute firms, AI developers and even consumers.

DHS develops AI safety framework

The framework looks to address the risks associated with artificial intelligence, including system vulnerabilities and attacks. Noting the rise in deployment of generative AI across these critical infrastructure sectors, the DHS added: “Given the increasingly interconnected nature of these systems, their disruption can have devastating consequences for homeland security.”

"The Framework, if widely adopted, will go a long way to better ensure the safety and security of critical services that deliver clean water, consistent power, internet access, and more," noted DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

"I urge every executive, developer, and elected official to adopt and use this Framework to help build a safer future for all.”

The framework is broken down into a series of actions for each member of the supply chain, including cloud and compute infrastructure providers, AI developers, critical infrastructure owners and operators, civic society members such as universities and research institutions, and public sector entities like federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, added: “This new Framework will complement the work we’re doing at the Department of Commerce to help ensure AI is responsibly deployed across our critical infrastructure to help protect our fellow Americans and secure the future of the American economy.”

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• Some US Google TV users are getting an ads survey
• It's only asking about homescreen ads, not in-show ones
• More advertising seems inevitable across most streaming devices

One of the downsides of the BUY A SODA streaming era is that LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING is sometimes seems that ALL DAY PROTECTION there are so many FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES adverts it's hard to concentrate on EIGHT OUT OF TEN DOGS AGREE the programs.

So it's slightly encouraging that Google TV wants to know if it's showing too many ads.

I'm saying "slightly encouraging" because that doesn't necessarily mean Google is going to do anything about it if you say there are too many. But hey! At least it's asking!

Why Google TV is asking about ads

As 9to5Google reports, Google is currently surveying some US Google TV users to find out their thoughts about how many ads appear on their home screen. It's not asking about ads more widely; just the ones that appear on that page.

That doesn't mean those ads aren't annoying some people, though. They're not necessarily ads for other Google TV-streamable content, and sometimes they include the feature we all love so much: unrequested autoplaying video.

Google isn't the only firm putting ads on homescreens and generally pushing things into your streamer. Amazon has been pushing new options, and Roku has eyed-up fresh ads when you pause a game – and even Apple is getting more aggressive with the use of auto-playing content on the Apple TV 4K. That's for other shows rather than pickup trucks, but it's still annoying.

As for Google, don't expect it to get rid of ads any time soon. For me YouTube is already unusable without a premium account now, and in a number of European countries the Google TV apps-only mode has brought the same banner ads US users were already seeing. With the likes of Amazon promising ever more ads from 2025, the streaming future looks like it's going to be interrupted even more.

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• The latest Android beta release has reintroduced VPN by Google to the Pixel Tablet
• The VPN service, originally released in June, was originally deemed incompatible with the device
• The update is set to be fully rolled out in March 2025

Google appears to have extended support of its Pixel-exclusive VPN by Google to Pixel Tablet users.

As reported by Android Authority, the latest Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release includes the VPN by Google preinstalled on Pixel Tablet devices. Two X, formerly Twitter, users confirmed to the site that their devices showed the VPN service post-update.

VPN by Google launched on the Google Pixel 7 and newer models in June. Yet, at that time, Pixel Tablet owners could only briefly install the app before it stopped working, as Google deemed it an incompatible device.

X (formerly Twitter) user Joe Lenington was one of several individuals to spot the addition of Google's VPN by Google feature on their Pixel Tablet since the update. (Image credit: Joe Lenington / Android Authority) Did you know?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The Big Tech giant killed its Google One VPN service for good on June 20, 2024. The reason? "People weren't using it," said the provider. The VPN service was later rebranded to be exclusive for Pixel devices only.

Google hasn't made an official announcement just yet, nor were any updates made to the support page for VPN by Google to include mention of the Pixel Tablet.

Yet, some Pixel Tablet users have already noticed their VPN by Google app beginning to work on their device – both Android Authority and 9to5Google reported.

The update is set to be released in March 2025, so if you're keen to try Google's latest VPN solution, you haven't got long to wait. Alternatively, you can head over to the Android Beta Program website to get in on the action early.

We approached Google for comment but are still waiting for a response at the time of writing.

• M4 Macs are having problems booting VMs with macOS versions prior to 13.4
• VMs seem to be booting in one core, and failing
• Apple has not commented on the issue

Buyers of Apple’s latest M4 Macs have noticed they are unable to run virtual machines with macOS versions older than Ventura 13.4, causing a headache for developers, security workers and legacy software users who want or need to use older versions of macOS.

The problem is extending to the latest family of Macs introduced in the week commencing October 28, including the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac.

Researcher Csaba Fitzl (via The Eclectic Light Company) noted virtualization software fails to boot older macOS versions on the latest hardware, but it could just be a bug and not an intended limitation.

M4 Macs can’t virtualize old versions of macOS

Those trying to load versions before macOS 13.4 will notice that they’re served a black screen, and the VM fails to boot. The error only occurs on M4 Macs, meaning that those looking to upgrade from M1, M2 or M3 Macs should hold off until a fix is issued.

Because the VM doesn’t boot, researchers are unable to access logs to understand where it’s going wrong, however investigation of the Activity Monitor app implies that the VM is only booting on a single core despite being allocated multiple cores.

While this compatibility issue may have dampened the launch of M4 Macs, the company’s latest macOS Sequoia introduces improvements for virtualization, including iCloud login support for VMs, which was previously unavailable.

The operating system also includes a series of generative AI features, many of which have already rolled out and many more are set to follow in other regions soon. M4 chips are the most optimized for these features to date.

TechRadar Pro has asked Apple whether this is an intentional limitation or whether it’s working on a fix, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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• Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm adapter is out of stock in many places
• Other Lightning adapters also seem to have issues
• Lightning was used up to iPhone 14, and iPad 9th Gen

Ever since Apple got rid of the headphone jack, fans of serious sound have relied on a little dongle: the Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter. And now it seems the dongle is doomed.

According to MacRumors, stocks of the $9 adapter have disappeared not just in the US, but worldwide: it's only available in a handful of countries now, and that's most likely because some places still have a bit of leftover stock to shift. We saw the same happen with the SuperDrive DVD player, back in the day, which was then officially discontinued.

Is this the case of the discontinued dongle? It certainly seems to be. And that means it's more complicated for people to connected the best wired headphones and best wired earbuds to a Lightning device – which goes all the way up to the iPhone 14, let's not forget. There are other adapters from third parties on the market, but that's always a lottery – and buying one of the best portable DACs is a lot more expensive and bulky.

Where's the dongle gone?

The Lightning adapter was initially included with new iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X devices after Apple killed off the headphone jack. It then became an add-on option for the iPhone XS, and it's been on sale in the Apple Store and through the usual retail suspects ever since. But it does appear to be on its way to the farm where it can be reunited with all the iPods, the iPod HiFi and iPod socks.

The reason for its demise seems to be straightforward enough: Apple's iPhones don't have Lightning ports any more, and it's continuing to offer a USB-C version of the same adapter as well as USB-C EarPods for its more recent models.

But given how flimsy the adapters are – and I know this from experience, because me and my kids have worn through a few of them – it seems a bit premature to kill off the adapter so soon when there are so many Lightning iPhones in circulation, and being sold on the second hand and refurbished market. Sure, there are third-party options, but there's no longer an official Apple option, and it's all too easy to buy one from a no-name dangerous toy and fire hazard factory when you don't have an official option to fall back on.

If you've got a Lightning iPhone and like me, have some really nice wired headphones and/or IEMs, this might be a good time to stock up while there's still some stock to up. And if you have Lightning adapters of other kinds too, expect the worst: it looks like the Lightning to VGA adapter is disappearing too.

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• In 2025 the Oura Ring will integrate with Dexcom glucose sensors
• Dexcom data will sit alongside other health points within the Oura app
• Dexcom is investing $75 million into Oura, now valued at over $5 billion

Oura recently introduced its fourth-generation smart ring, but now it’s focusing on a new partnership with another giant in the health-tech space. Dexcom, known for its glucose sensors and broader health tech, is partnering with Oura to integrate its data into the Oura ecosystem.

It’s also a larger investment, with Dexcom putting $75 million into Oura's Series D funding, which values the smart ring company at over $5 billion. Not chump change by any means, but the really good news here is that Dexcom glucose readings will eventually live alongside Oura’s various data points, like Readiness, Stress and Resilience, and can help to provide a better picture of your overall health.

That connection will be accomplished through what Oura dubs ‘integrations’ – data from Dexcom’s glucose biosensors and apps flowing back and forth with the Oura app and the Oura Ring. It’s vice versa, but tracked glucose levels can be read and understood alongside metabolic health findings.

In a press release announcing the partnership, Oura says the first integrations will launch in the first half of 2025.

(Image credit: Oura)

Tom Hale, Oura’s CEO, said in the release, “This partnership with Dexcom will enable us to empower our members to make informed decisions and adjust behaviors to positively impact their biometrics and long-term health. Working together, ŌURA and Dexcom will help members decide what and when to eat by surfacing correlations between activities like sleep and exercise and members’ glucose levels.” Hinting that true to form for Oura, any and all data will be contextualized and likely feed into the various scores that the Oura app and broader ecosystem provide.

Suffice it to say, though, that assuming you have a Dexcom sensor for glucose monitoring, the Oura app will now be able to ingest that data for easy viewing and also show it in line with other factors contributing to your overall health and well-being.

While more information on the integrations from this partnership was not immediately available, there is a good chance Dexcom’s recently launched over-the-counter Stelo sensor for those with type-2 diabetes, prediabetes, and those not at risk, as well as the Dexcom G7 for those with hypoglycemia, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes, will support working with the Oura app.

This new partnership and Series D investment show that Oura has bigger ambitions and likely enough capital to reach those. With over 2.5 million rings sold since its start and the recently launched Generation 4, the Oura Ring continues to cement itself in the smart ring space and likely stands as one that should be at the top of your list.

You can read our full review of the Oura Ring fourth-generation here and see why it earned four and a half stars.

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• Emails from the US Library of Congress reportedly compromised
• Attack was likely carried out by a foreign actor, experts claim
• US Government institutions are increasingly under attack

Email correspondence to and from staff at the US Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service have been compromised by a ‘foreign adversary’ in an elaborate hack, reports have claimed.

From January to September 2024, foreign actors have been able to access emails between congressional legislative staff and researchers, according to NBC News.

It's not yet known exactly how many or which emails were accessed by the hackers, but Congress staff are concerned given the sensitive nature of communications between legislative staff and researchers.

Sensitive information

The Library of Congress is a research library that serves and has dedicated research staff to Congress, responding to over 76,000 inquiries in 2023. The staff offer policy and legal analysis to congressional committees, making it an invaluable resource.

Because of the nature of the library’s work, it's likely that hackers had access to preliminary legislative proposals, or got unauthorized access to staffer’s opinions and ideas. Reports have confirmed that the US Copyright Office was not impacted.

The attack is said to have been carried out by a ‘foreign adversary’, although it’s not clear which nation actor was behind the breach as of yet. Cyberattacks from the ‘Big Four’ (Iran, Russia, China, and the DPRK) have all increased dramatically in the run up to the election, so investigators will likely be looking in these directions.

As of yet, the origin of the breach is unknown, but staff have been reminded of the phishing and email security guidance, suggesting this may have been the point of origin.

This isn’t the first time in recent months Congressional staff have had their data compromised, as in September 2024, it was revealed almost 3,200 US politicians and staff had their data leaked to the dark web, meaning nearly 20% of people working in Congress were exposed.

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• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella opens Ignite 2024
• Unveils a host of new Copilot announcements and upgrades
• Reaffirms Microsoft mission to empower the world using AI

The CEO of Microsoft has highlighted how the company’s Copilot AI platform is set to transform how people at all levels can work effectively and productively, particularly when it comes to AI agents.

Speaking in his opening keynote at Microsoft Ignite, Satya Nadella declared “Copilot is the UI for AI, it's rapidly becoming an organising layer for work, and how work gets done…every employee will have a copilot that knows them, knows how they work.”

“Major platform shifts are in the air,” he added, “I live for these.”

Copilot AI boosts across the board

In a wide-ranging keynote, covering a huge range of new announcements and updates, Nadella introduces a number of Copilot-powered features for top Windows tools such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint and more.

Copilot will be, “the end to end system for business transformation”, Nadella declared, also unveiling upgrades to Copilot Agent Studio, which will allow users to create a new agent “in seconds” and integrate it into Copilot.

“Sometimes we mysticize these agents as things that take a lot of effort to build,” Nadella said, highlighting how a range of customers had already built third-party agents, “but our vision is that it should be as simple as creating a word document.”

Looking to the future of AI, Nadella, quoting US philosophy professor, John Haugland, noted, “the trouble with artificial intelligence is that computers don't give a damn - but we do.”

“That's what really grounds us,” he stated, “amid all this rapid change, we remain grounded in our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, using this technology to make a difference for themselves, for their teams, and the world.”

"It's not about tech for tech's sake, but it's about translating it into real outcomes," Nadella added, “its transformational power as it drives growth in business, it improves efficiency and operational leverage.”

"As we enter this middle innings of AI, it's up to us to empower human achievement, " he added, "learning these skills will change people's lives - and in fact, it already has."

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As OpenAI pursues a public benefit structure and global expansion, the influence of the AI powerhouse cannot be understated. However, where hundreds of new businesses jump on the AI bandwagon each year to follow in the footsteps of those successful before them, 90% will inevitably fail.

Every few years, a new hype cycle emerges. Venture Capitalists (VCs), under pressure to deliver exponential returns to their limited partners, are constantly searching for the next big thing. In the 90s, it was the ‘dot com’ boom; today, it's AI.

While a few pioneering companies are genuinely innovating and developing groundbreaking AI technology, a perfect storm is brewing in the background. As the hype cycle intensifies, a multitude of players, both large and small, rush to capitalize on the trend, often without a clear understanding of the underlying technology or its potential applications.

An accelerating trend

Several macro factors have converged to fuel AI’s rapid advancement. The huge decline in the cost of computing power and storage, coupled with ubiquitous internet access and decades of algorithmic research, have created the ideal conditions for AI's practical application. While academics have long theorized about the potential of AI with vast datasets, the prohibitive cost of infrastructure has hindered their ability to make these theories a reality.

However, a major shift occurred as the cost of supporting AI models became more affordable and accessible. This democratization of AI infrastructure paved the way for deep thinkers to showcase the technology's capabilities and possibilities. The myriad of potential business applications for AI sparked a wave of interest and investment. For example, Google's acquisition of DeepMind for $400 million a decade ago served as a pivotal moment.

This level of activity attracted hype investors, eager to capitalize on the AI boom, pouring substantial funds into the field. This influx of capital created a chaotic landscape as investors raced to invest in AI companies. The hype cycle intensified, leading to restlessness among investors who were not directly responsible for their investments. As with every market trend, soon follows a tsunami of collateral damage, leaving a trail of failed ventures and lost investments.

Why do so many fail?

Many AI startups will inevitably become market roadkill simply because they fail to build out the fundamentals from the beginning. Eager to capitalize on the latest AI trends, they opt to front-end pre-existing platforms like GPT and Gemini. While this approach offers a quick route to market, it ultimately hinders long-term innovation and differentiation. These businesses completely bypass the critical stage of original thought and experimentation. While they may have impressive pitch decks and talented individuals, they lack the true lifeblood of any successful tech startup. Innovation should be ingrained in the DNA of the organization, driving every aspect of its operations.

The core of any successful AI startup is innovation. Bringing something new to the market is essential, as merely replicating existing solutions offers no competitive advantage. To achieve this, companies must hire individuals who are naturally curious problem-solvers and possess a unique perspective on the world.

Where innovation is your currency as a business, technology is your defense mechanism.

Is your business default dead or default alive?

To build a sustainable AI business, profitability and margin are essential. Excessive funding from VCs can actually hinder these goals, as startups become preoccupied with burning cash rather than focusing on profitability. By placing their future in the hands of VCs, startups risk becoming vulnerable to their investment decisions.

VC firms, acutely aware of the cash from their LPs burning a hole in their pocket, are under immense pressure to deploy capital quickly. This urgency often leads to hasty investments in early-stage startups, meaning this same pressure is passed onto entrepreneurs to deliver fast results. In the rush to launch AI products, many engineering teams resort to shortcuts, leveraging pre-existing models like GPT as a foundation rather than investing in original research and development. This approach, while expedient, leads to mass creation of generic, undifferentiated products. As the market matures, consumers will increasingly gravitate towards innovative, unique offerings, leaving behind the AI roadkill.

Ultimately, VCs view companies as assets with the sole purpose of generating substantial returns; numerous conveyor belts heading to the same destination. If a startup's growth potential falters – and the conveyor belt slows down – VCs may quickly lose interest and invest elsewhere. The constant pressure to achieve milestones and secure additional funding can lead to unsustainable business practices.

Paul Graham of Y Combinator famously describes companies as being in one of two states: default dead or default alive. VC-funded companies are often in the default dead state, as they’re not making money.

Emerging from the hype cycle as a success

Once we filter out the roadkill, the AI market will undergo a major transformation. What will remain are AI technologies that provide genuine value and efficiency gains. Too many well marketed “AI” companies are creating solutions to problems that do not exist. AI will streamline processes, making it easier for businesses to scale operations. Contrary to the sci-fi portrayal of AI as a human replacement, its true value lies in augmentation.

By providing workforces with a robust exoskeleton, AI can empower businesses to continue striving for achievements currently deemed beyond their reach. However, it’s those AI firms that take the time to build out their own IP and proprietary technology that will stand the test of time and deliver the solutions that businesses come to rely on.

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Following Sir Keir Starmer's pledge at the International Investment Summit on October 14, 2024, to remove AI regulations that "needlessly hold back investment," and the government’s announcement of billions in AI investment deals, a significant rise in AI-driven digital transformation projects is expected across businesses. These projects are crucial for helping companies adapt to evolving customer needs and market trends.

However, the success of these AI initiatives will require careful monitoring. Just as businesses use specific ROI metrics to evaluate sales performance, they must also establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the ROI of AI-driven digital transformation efforts.

This raises an important question: as organizations begin their AI-driven transformation journeys, how are they measuring their ROI?

The ROI will differ

The measurements used will vary depending on the size and nature of the business and the scope of the transformation project. Nevertheless, businesses can evaluate the success of their AI initiatives through the following metrics:

Customer experience metrics: Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer satisfaction scores, and customer retention rates;

Financial performance: Revenue growth, profit margins, and ROI on digital initiatives;

Employee engagement: Employee satisfaction scores and turnover rates;  Operational Efficiency: Time saved in processes, cost reductions, and productivity improvements;

Digital adoption rates: Percentage of employees effectively using new tools and technologies;

Data-driven decision making: Frequency of data usage in strategic decisions and insights generated from analytics. 

While many potential metrics exist to measure the ROI of AI, identifying the right one requires a thorough evaluation of a company's technology tool stack. Business leaders must first assess where AI can significantly impact their operations—pinpointing areas where processes are inefficient, or where workloads are overly demanding. With this insight, clear and achievable ROI goals can be established, along with the appropriate metrics to track progress toward those goals.

However, even if a business defines its metrics and understands the reasons behind pursuing a digital transformation project, this doesn't guarantee the success of an AI-driven transformation.

Giving your digital transformation project the best chance for success

Your AI-driven digital transformation project could fail before it even begins. While this may sound contradictory, it's a common reality—many projects falter because the business's technological infrastructure or culture isn’t ready to support the transformation.

To avoid this, businesses must first assess whether their current IT infrastructure can handle an AI transformation. Implementing AI is a significant leap that requires advanced skills and strong infrastructure management. A comprehensive evaluation of the technology stack is essential, including assessing whether existing software can support AI integration and identifying any potential compatibility issues or vulnerabilities that must be addressed.

Beyond technical considerations, the human element is equally critical. Alongside evaluating their technology, businesses must assess the skills of all employees who will interact with the new AI systems, whether occasionally or on a day-to-day basis. This applies to both seasoned IT professionals and new hires. Given the novelty of AI, a skills gap should be expected and proactively managed through targeted training or strategic recruitment. Closing this gap is crucial. Without a solid understanding of AI and its applications, any investment in technology risks falling short of its potential.

The floodgates have opened, and AI will be at the forefront for the foreseeable future.

AI has undoubtedly been the topic of the year, and investment in AI-driven digital transformation projects is set to grow. While 59% of organizations are already using AI solutions and planning to increase their investment, many still risk falling short in their AI transformations. Amid the excitement and rapid advancements, businesses must not only focus on measuring the ROI of AI but also ensure that their infrastructure is fully prepared to support it.

Business growth under threat

Currently, 80% of digital transformations fall short of their intended ROI, and a McKinsey study revealed that 33% of executives identify culture and behavior as the primary challenge in tech-enabled transformations.

As companies start to implement AI technologies, they find that their organizational culture is not keeping up with the pace of change, leading to resistance and failure. All types of transformation impact company culture, and existing culture influences the success of these transformations. This symbiotic relationship is crucial but is often overlooked. The rise of AI and its role in Industry 6.0 has amplified these concerns, with many fearing job displacements due to a lack of understanding about AI’s implications, often stemming from inadequate education and a sense of insecurity within the organization.

In conclusion, for organizations to reap the rewards -in AI-focused digital transformation projects, they must both avoid becoming caught up in the glitz of AI technologies without considering the necessary steps for correct implementation, and have a real understanding of the desired ROI they’re looking to achieve using AI. Organizations should not just implement AI for the sake of it and hope for the best.

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• Maxar notifies California Attorney General of data breach
• It says sensitive employee data was stolen in the attack
• The attacker used a Hong Kong address to breach the systems

Maxar Space Systems has reported suffering a data breach in which it lost sensitive employee data.

Confirming the breach in a filing with the California Attorney General, as well as in a breach notification letter sent to affected individuals, the company revealed an unidentified threat actor accessed its systems early in October 2024.

The hacker, who allegedly used a Hong Kong-based IP address for the intrusion, lurked for a week, exfiltrating sensitive data, before being spotted on October 11, and quickly ousted.

Hidden Risk

Before being expelled, the crooks managed to steal sensitive information on a yet undisclosed number of Maxar employees, including people’s names, postal addresses, Social Security Number (SSN), business contact information (business phone, location, business email, and other data), gender, employment status, employee number, job title, hire date, role start date, and in some cases - termination date, supervisor, and department information.

This is more than enough information to run all kinds of cyberattacks, from phishing, to identity theft, and possibly even ransomware and wire fraud. Luckily, bank account information and birth dates were not exposed.

Maxar said it notified the police, and offered both current and former employees a year’s worth of identity theft protection and credit monitoring via IDShield and IDX. “We strongly encourage you to report incidents of suspected identity theft to law enforcement,” the company added.

The affected company is a division of Maxar Technologies, specializing in the design, manufacturing, and integration of advanced satellite systems and space-based solutions for commercial and governmental applications.

It has roughly 2,600 employees, with more than half having US security clearances, meaning they can work on US government contracts.

Maxar Technologies, on the other hand, is a major space technology and intelligence company that provides geospatial data, satellite imagery, and advanced analytics to support industries such as defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors. This sector was not breached.

Via TechCrunch

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• Windows 11 24H2’s cumulative update for November introduces more bugs
• There are some very odd instances of repeated installation failures
• Another bug is reportedly causing crashes while gaming

Windows 11 24H2 has run into more problems with bugs – some of them quite weird affairs – courtesy of the latest update released for this most up-to-date version of the operating system.

Windows Latest points out some of the fresh issues uncovered with the cumulative update for November, which was released last week.

One of the stumbling blocks for some Windows 11 24H2 users is that the new update, patch KB5046617, simply won’t install – failing with one of those unhelpful error codes (0x800f0991 and 0x800f0922 are flagged up as being a couple of the more common errors appearing). Sometimes this happens when the installation process comes close to the halfway point.

A new spin on this is that some Windows 11 users are reporting that the November patch seems to install okay, but when checking in the Windows Update history afterward, there’s a message saying it actually failed. In another case, a Redditor reports that this update has been installed a few times, despite seeming to complete successfully each time.

There are quite widespread reports of various installation woes at the usual places online, such as Microsoft’s Answers.com help forum and Reddit.

There are a bunch of other problems highlighted by Windows Latest, including the update promising to fix that nasty issue where Alt-Tabbing led to a big pause – and a black screen – when switching between apps. Apparently, this is fixed for some users, but not others.

PC gamers are also running into trouble with glitches causing weird colors in HDR (with them appearing to be overly bright in some cases), and some PCs are crashing randomly when playing games (and at other times, too, but more commonly when gaming, we’re told). Nasty.

Other miscellaneous problems include Taskbar icons vanishing, USB devices connected to hubs no longer working after KB5046617 has been installed, and Lenovo laptops having their keyboards and touchpads malfunction – which the tech site tells us is fixed by disabling Fast Startup.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Grustock) Analysis: Stormy waters

The stormy seas Windows 11 24H2 finds itself trying to navigate don’t appear to be getting any calmer – we’ve seen plenty of bugs with the latest version of Microsoft’s OS, and a heap more on the pile thanks to this most recent patch isn’t helping.

Of course, installation failures are nothing new – these pop up with depressing regularity, in fact. However, the case in which the November update seems to install just fine, but then is reported as failed in Windows Update, is a new wrinkle. What we don’t know is if the error is the message informing the user about the failure, or whether the bug is the update seemingly installing okay, when in actual fact it hasn’t. It's all very odd, and the Redditor who is seeing the update install repeatedly, with no message about failure, caps off the weirdness here.

Coming back to the issue of Alt-Tab misfiring and being seriously sluggish, there are suggestions of tricks to try for those finding that the November update doesn’t fix this problem. Firstly, try turning off Game Mode, and if that doesn’t help, update your graphics driver to the latest version for Nvidia GPUs (it might not hurt for AMD or Intel graphics cards, either).

Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for the next update for Windows 11 24H2 to come through and hopefully stamp out this bug for good – and the fresh ones that have popped up in KB5046617. As we’ve said before: ever get the feeling Microsoft is playing whack-a-mole here?

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• Baylan Skoll's Lightsaber ushers in a few firsts
• It's the first Black Series Force FX Lightsaber with a red, orange color
• Hasbro's latest creation is super high-tech for an immersive experience

Star Wars Ahsoka captivated us all on Disney Plus, and as we await a second season, the second drop in ‘Gift the Galaxy’ from Hasbro will let you own an iconic piece from the show.

Baylan Skoll, a figure of power and intrigue, not quite a Sith but also not-not-friends-with-Jedi, has left an indelible mark on the Ahsoka story with his iconic red and orange lightsaber. This unique color, a nod to his complex intentions, sets his lightsaber apart from the traditional Sith red, sparking curiosity and excitement among fans.

You can now own Skoll’s iconic lightsaber with Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series Force FX Elite Baylan Skoll Lightstaber. It’s priced at $249.99 / £269.99 (we're working to confirm Australia pricing) with a shipping time frame of ‘Spring 2025’ (likely March, April, or May of next year) and goes up for pre-sale tomorrow at 1 PM ET at Hasbro Pulse and Amazon.

(Image credit: Hasbro)

It ushers in a big first for Habsro’s Black Series Force FX Lightsabers and is the largest hilt in the lineup. It won’t just be screen-accurate regarding all the details but also in size. Unlike Sith sabers from the past, including Darth Vader’s, this isn’t a true, bold red, but rather, Skoll’s saber is a red-orange and the first time this color has been offered in Hasbro’s ultimate lineup.

Baylan Skoll's Lightsaber, a testament to his formidable skills in the show, is a powerhouse of advanced features. With an onboard speaker delivering custom sound effects and multiple arrays of advanced LEDs, it promises to be the most realistic Star Wars lightsaber yet. The progressive ignition and full battle sequence mode for role-playing elements, battle clash, blaster effects, and a wall-cutting effect ensure an immersive experience.

Suffice it to say, much like his wielding skills in the show, this is a pretty stacked lightsaber with an excellent-looking hilt. As with other Force FX Lightsabers, you’ll get a stand in the box to proudly display the hilt, but the blade can be easily attached when needed.

(Image credit: Hasbro)

It’s great to see Hasbro usher in Baylan Skoll’s Lightsaber. As we all await fresh Star Wars films and TV shows to binge – Skeleton Crew is next – and Ahsoka’s second season, this will be a great way to pass the time.

With ‘Gift the Galaxy’ ongoing, you can expect more products to drop showcasing the entire Star Wars universe, and if you’re subscribed to Disney Plus, you can enter to win a Star Wars prize pack or a trip to Star Wars Celebration in Japan here.

Hasbro will begin preorders of Star Wars: The Black Series Force FX Elite Baylan Skoll Lightstaber on November 20, 2024, at 1 PM ET for $249.99 / £269.99 (we're working to confirm Australia pricing) at its Hasbro Pulse online store and on Amazon.

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• Leaks suggest Sony will cut the price of more PS5 accessories this Black Friday
• The DualSense and DualSense Edge Controllers will be discounted
• Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore audio accessories will also see a price cut

Sony's Black Friday deals have leaked ahead of the annual event, and it looks like it will be discounting even more PS5 accessories.

As reported by known and reliable leaker 'billbil-kun' of the French blog Dealabs, this Black Friday Sony will seeingly offer price cuts on its DualSense Wireless Controller and DualSense Edge Controller.

Starting November 22 in France and Europe, DualSense Wireless Controllers, in basic colors, will be discounted by €20 / £16. This means we can expect the price to come down from €74.99 / £62.71 to around €54.99 / £42.71.

It's unclear at this time if this offer will also apply to the Sterling Silver and Cobalt Blue DualSense controllers, the leaker said.

Meanwhile, the DualSsense Edge Wireless Controller, which normally costs €239.99 / £200, will also see a €20 / £16 discount. The Black Friday offer will apparently bring the device down to €219.99 / £184.

In addition, the Pulse Elite wireless headphones and the Pulse Explore Earbuds for the PS5 are also expected to see discounts.

In a separate blog, billbil-kun claimed that Sony will introduce a promotion on these select audio accessories for the first time since launching them in December 2023 and February 2024.

For a limited time, starting November 22, the Pulse Elite will receive a -12% discount while the Pulse Explore buds will get -36% discount.

"This promotion will be valid in France at all authorized merchants, and will probably be extended to Europe and the rest of the world regions," the leaker explained.

During the sale, the Pulse Elite will be priced at €129.99 / £108.77 / $137.55 from €149.99 / £ 125.50 / $158.70, and the Pulse Explore will cost "between 139.99 euros and 149.99 euros instead of 219.99 euros."

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• Sony unveils the A1 II, the Alpha A1 successor, also with 50MP stacked sensor
• It's a minor update, priced at $6,500 / £6,300 body only, Australia pricing TBC
• It goes on sale in late November

Sony has announced its most versatile mirrorless camera yet, the A1 II. It succeeds the Alpha 1, which was a truly game-changing mirrorless camera when it was launched in January 2021, and features the same stacked 50MP full-frame sensor, 30fps burst shooting, and 8K video.

With the same sensor and high-speed performance, the A1 II feels like only a minor update of the A1. However, it delivers design-based improvements that make it feel better in the hand, plus enhanced performance in a few areas, courtesy of tech that's mostly borrowed from Sony's fastest camera for sports and wildlife, the A9 III.

The A1 II's design is nigh on the same as the A9 III's, which is fine with us because we rate that camera as the best-handling Sony Alpha ever.

We've already had some hands-on time with the camera ahead of the launch, and in our A1 II hands-on review we appreciate its chunkier handgrip, especially when pairing the camera with Sony's latest professional lens, launched on the same day, the mighty FE 28-70mm F2 GM (see below).

We've already had some hands-on time with the Sony A1 II ahead of its launch, and our hands-on review is linked above (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

It's a double whammy of exciting new Sony products for pro photographers and filmmakers. However, the A1 II is only a modest upgrade of the A1, which is now almost four years old, and was a camera whose superb detail and speed set the bar for rivals to follow, with those rivals having since caught up, launching the likes of the Canon EOS R1 and the Nikon Z9.

To its credit, Sony has launched the A1 II at a lower price than 2021's Alpha A1 – it costs $6,500 / £6,300 (Australia pricing TBC, around $12,000) for the body only, and will go on sale in late November. However, there are now cheaper alternatives, such as the Sony A7R V, Canon EOS R5 Mark II and Nikon Z8, which could turn heads away from the A1 II.

While it hasn't pushed the boundaries of camera technology, or explored new ground like it did with the A9 III and its global shutter, Sony has delivered a polished successor in the A1 II. So does this mean Sony Alpha cameras have hit a tech ceiling?

An AI boost to AF

There are pros for whom the A1 II's improvements will be enough to justify an upgrade. It's better in the hand, with a bigger and more comfortable handgrip and a larger multi-angle touchscreen with greater color depth, à la the A9 III.

It also has Sony's AI processing chip, as debuted in the A7R V, which should improve subject-detection autofocus performance, plus a new Auto subject-detection AF mode which intelligently picks out the subject for you, rather than you having to manually select subject type ahead of time. This is a feature I've been calling on all brands to deliver, so thank you Sony, although I'll need to do more in-depth tests to see if there are any compromises when using Auto.

The new Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens was announced alongside the A1 II, and they're a formidable pairing. The lens costs $2,900 / £3,050 (Australia pricing TBC). (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

There's also pre-capture for up to one second ahead of fully pressing the shutter when shooting high-speed sequences, in case your reactions aren't quick enough – another feature lifted from the A9 III. Sony's Bionz XR processor delivers a similar stamina to the A1: 30fps bursts can last for up to 153 raw images – impressive stuff.

Sony says the A1 II's in-body image stabilization is rated up to 8.5EV, whereas it maxes out at 5.5EV on the Alpha A1. All in all, the A1 II is one of the best professional cameras, polishing the rougher edges of the A1. However, there's virtually nothing here that we haven't already seen before from Sony, which is unusual for the great camera innovator given the improvements it's delivered over the last 15 years. It's also the only full-frame Alpha that Sony is launching in 2024, making this an unusually quiet year for the camera giant.

Is Sony running out of ideas? Perhaps, though I believe there's more to come. Sony has on this occasion focused on what pros probably needed the most – better handling – instead of the next headline-grabbing feature. It doesn't exactly make for dramatic headlines, but this camera could win the respect of pro Sony users.

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• Oracle Red Bull Racing announces Neat as official video conferencing partner
• Partnership starts from 2025 Formula 1 season
• Neat will provide video conferencing kit to the team

One of Formula 1's most dominant teams in recent years has announced a new tech partnership showing the importance of video conferencing in the sport.

Reigning Formula 1 world team and driver's champions (at the time of going to press) Oracle Red Bull Racing, has announced it will be teaming up with Neat for the start of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship.

The three-year deal will see Neat devices used throughout Oracle Red Bull Racing's entire organization, including its headquarters just outside Milton Keynes, UK, as well as branding on the team's car and uniforms.

Neat partnership for Oracle Red Bull Racing

The partnership sees Neat named as the team’s exclusive Video Conferencing Hardware Partner and an Innovation Partner, possibly replacing an existing relationship Oracle Red Bull Racing had with Zoom.

“With our shared commitment to innovation and excellence, we are excited to welcome Neat to the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team and look forward to working together to support simple and immersive collaboration experiences for our organization," said Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO, Oracle Red Bull Racing.

"Close teamwork, passion, and creativity are key to the Team’s success on the track, and Neat’s video technology allows us to collaborate at our best."

The 2025 Formula 1 season will feature 24 races across the globe, with the team travelling to new venues every few weeks, meaning video conferencing and online collaboration tools have never been more important, especially in a sport where gaining even the slightest advantage on your competitors can mean the difference between winning and second place.

Neat offers a range of video conferencing display and camera hardware, alongside its Pulse full-service offering, which gives companies full oversight and control of device deployment across their organization.

“Oracle Red Bull Racing is known around the world as a team that has achieved the highest levels of success in Formula 1 racing, and we are pleased to join them as a partner," said Janine Pelosi, CEO of Neat.

"Neat’s passion for delivering simple yet powerful collaboration experiences aligns perfectly with the Oracle Red Bull Racing team’s dedication to bringing a complex organization together to achieve success. This partnership brings the Neat brand to a large global audience while staying true to our core ethos of bringing people together with our elegant and powerful video devices."

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• Microsoft has released the November update for its Secure Future Initiative
• New security oriented solutions have been introduced across environments
• Microsoft also announces a new Windows Resiliency Initiative

Microsoft has released the second update to its Secure Future Initiative - a program introduced to address critical security challenges and vulnerabilities experienced by the company which led to state-sponsored threat actors compromising US government data.

Microsoft has built upon progress made in its September 2024 update, where it introduced a number of security-oriented changes, including tying security to performance evaluations and introducing the Security Skilling Academy.

The company says further progress has now been made across Microsoft’s six engineering pillars to ensure “security above all else” to help protect users, businesses and contractors.

More progress across the pillars

(Image credit: Microsoft)

In the September 2024 update, Microsoft advanced the security of its first pillar, ‘protect identities and secrets’, by boosting the protection of access token signing keys on Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Account, and Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services. Microsoft also introduced phishing resistant credentials across the productivity environment.

A number of major changes have also now been revealed, with the Microsoft Azure Portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, Intune admin center, and Microsoft 365 admin center all getting multifactor authentication enabled by default for new tenants.

MFA is also being enforced across Microsoft’s productivity environments to reduce the risk of phishing and credential theft.

For pillar two, ‘protect tenants and isolate production systems’, the September update saw Microsoft introduce lifetime management and secure defaults for Microsoft Entra ID accounts, alongside removing management from legacy platforms such as the Azure Service Management API. These updates saw 5.75 million tenants eliminated and 440,000 resources removed.

The company says its progress since September has seen Microsoft introduce the Entra Conditional Access template which requires users to meet a certain level of device compliance. Moreover, Microsoft says it has rolled out almost 100,000 ‘locked-down’ devices, with 28,000 high-risk users moved to secure virtual machines.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

September’s update to the third pillar, ‘protect networks’, saw Microsoft configure over 99% of its network devices to a baseline standard, with physical devices continually monitored for vulnerabilities and security hygiene. All Microsoft services had service tags added to help identity owners of traffic in the Microsoft network, and centrally configured network policies were introduced.

Since then, Microsoft has made Azure Virtual Network Encryption available, with Domain Name System Security Extensions support in public preview. Microsoft also refined its ‘over 99%’ number to 99.3%, and highlighted the implementation of mandatory access control lists to isolate physical assets and prevent lateral movement in the event of network compromise.

September saw Microsoft increase security for pillar four, ‘protect engineering systems’, by tracking software assets in production environments, applied new policies to harden code repositories, as well as a number of changes to pipelines, testing environments and derived credentials.

Microsoft has now introduced GitHub Advanced Security to allow customers to scan Azure DevOps Git repositories for secret exposures, as well as blocking new secrets from being exposed at push. More work is to be done here, however, as Microsoft is still working towards removing secrets from code, but the report highlights the introduction of authentication protocols to eliminate exposed credentials and secrets.

For ‘monitor and detect threats’, Microsoft's fifth pillar, September saw Redmond introduce service-level security audit logging in standard libraries, as well as a centrally enforced security log retention period. Microsoft also said it was working to add new methods for detecting known threat actors’ tactics, techniques and procedures to red teaming tools, and expanded the availability of Microsoft 365 audit logs.

November’s update shows that Microsoft has also introduced consistent audit logging across all services with a retention period of two years, with logging also expanded to Microsoft’s cloud services.

Finally, September's update to the sixth pillar, ‘accelerate response and remediation’ saw the reduction of Microsoft’s time to mitigate critical cloud vulnerabilities, the introduction of cloud common vulnerability and exposures (CVE) publishing, and the launch of the Customer Security Management Office that provides updates and advisories on unfolding security incidents.

Now, Microsoft has released figures showing that they successfully addressed 90% of high severity cloud vulnerabilities within their reduced time to mitigate and published 800 cloud CVEs. Microsoft is now looking to issue security reports on nation-state actors direct to customers through Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365.

Microsoft has also announced it is introducing the Windows Resiliency Initiative which is aimed at increasing the security of business devices, addressing the lessons learnt from the Crowdstrike outage, and increasing the usage of Windows 11.

The new initiative is aimed at reducing the number of admin privileges applications require in order to run, introducing better security controls for running apps and drivers, and boosting phishing resistance.

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