• 2 min read
Microsoft fixes 570 Windows bugs in record Patch Tuesday
Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday fixes a record 570 flaws, including three zero-days and two already exploited in attacks.
Image: ZDNET
Microsoft has released its biggest Patch Tuesday update on record, fixing 570 Windows security vulnerabilities in July, including three zero-days. According to Action1, two of those zero-days have already been exploited in attacks, while the third was publicly disclosed.
The update applies to Windows 11 25H2/24H2 and 23H2, as well as Windows 10 systems enrolled in Microsoft’s free Extended Security Update program. As usual, the patches are mandatory and install automatically, with a reboot required to finish the update.
The two exploited zero-days affect Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft SharePoint, giving them particular weight for business and enterprise environments. The publicly disclosed flaw targets BitLocker and could let someone with physical access bypass encryption protections and access files on an encrypted system drive.
Recommended reading
OpenAI’s first gadget is a $230 coding keypad
“Although the attack requires physical access, the potential exposure of sensitive corporate or personal information makes this a significant security concern, particularly for lost, stolen, or unattended devices,” Action1 said.
Microsoft’s July total easily surpasses its previous high-water marks of 206 bugs in June and 164 in April. ZDNET reports that Microsoft has pointed to its internal “multi-model agentic scanning harness,” code-named MDASH, as a factor in finding more real vulnerabilities faster while reducing false positives. Action1 said Microsoft has warned organizations to expect more frequent security updates as it expands its use of these tools, with human engineers still making final validation and release decisions.
Beyond security, the update also changes several Windows features. Widgets no longer opens by default when users hover over its taskbar icon, and it now opens to the dashboard instead of Microsoft’s Discover page. File Explorer should load faster when mounting a virtual drive, address bar suggestions should be more reliable, and the address bar now supports folder and file paths with double backslashes and quotation marks.
Microsoft also says Bluetooth pairing should be faster and more reliable, including quicker pairing prompts for Apple AirPods and better microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro. For printers, new third-party installations now use the Internet Printing Protocol and Windows Ready Print by default. Windows users can also now pause updates until a specific date instead of choosing only a general time frame such as one week.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via ZDNET
