Microsoft

• [New] Many global operators have forged cloud partnerships with AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, but there are concerns operators including Verizon could end up being dumb pipes for the hyperscale providers' services. Mobile World Live
• [New] Under the plan announced this week, Microsoft will nearly double its global budget for merit-based salary increases, and increase its range for annual stock-based compensation by at least 25% for employees at the senior director level and below. GeekWire
• [New] Microsoft security teams are tracking more than 35 unique ransomware families and 250 threat actors across nation-state, ransomware and criminal activities. ZDNet
• [New] Microsoft will be delivering Azure workloads to the SBC-2 hardware, running machine learning and other pre-processing applications, before delivering data to Azure for further work. TechRepublic
• [New] Microsoft Security Services for Incident Response will enable customers to remediate cyber defenses following a breach and develop resilience against future cyberattacks. ExecutiveBiz
• [New] The new passwordless sign - in capabilities are expected to become available across Apple, Google, and Microsoft platforms over the course of the coming year. The Hacker News
• [New] Apple, Google, and Microsoft have announced that they will be implementing new capabilities of the common passwordless sign - in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium on their devices as well as platforms. Gadgets 360
• [New] Apple, Google and Microsoft will work together to accelerate acceptance of a passwordless sign - in standard set by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for their devices and platforms. Biometric Update |
• [New] Analysis Microsoft, Apple and Google - all longtime proponents of doing away with passwords for authentication purposes - are throwing their support behind standards developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that could eliminate passphrases completely. The Register
• [New] Unit 42 researchers discovered a chain of exploits that could allow a malicious Azure user to infiltrate other customers' cloud instances within Microsoft's multitenant container-as-a-service offering. Threatpost
• Apple, Google and Microsoft announced this week they will soon support an approach to authentication that avoids passwords altogether, and instead requires users to merely unlock their smartphones to sign in to websites or online services. Krebs on Security
• Many seek to spread out the risk by adopting a multicloud strategy and hosting applications and resources with two or more cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Datamation
• Microsoft has patched a dangerous pair of vulnerabilities in its Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server that gave attackers unauthorized cross-account access to databases in cloud hosted environments. Dark Reading
• Based on a recent Microsoft report, the most common methods used by threat actors included email phishing and other malicious email activity targeting Microsoft users - with more than 35.7 billion attempts blocked in the last year. Betanews
• Recent research from Microsoft reports 59% of employees say developing their digital skills will be necessary to their employability. FE Week
• Microsoft has addressed a chain of critical vulnerabilities found in the Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server that could let malicious users escalate privileges and gain access to other customers' databases after bypassing authentication. BleepingComputer
• Late last year, for example, US bank Wells Fargo marked the next step in its digital transformation journey with a new multi-cloud strategy, relying on Microsoft Azure to provide a trusted and secure foundation across all of its functions - and to also better manage risk. Technology Record
• The Microsoft Defender SmartScreen solution will offer improved phishing detection starting with the next annual release of Windows 11, by alerting users when they enter Microsoft credentials into a malicious application or website. VentureBeat
• The enhanced phishing detection and protection built into Windows with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen will help protect users from phishing attacks by identifying and alerting users when they are entering their Microsoft credentials into a malicious application or hacked website. Microsoft Security Blog
• Snowflake is not built to run on a specific architecture and will run on top of three major cloud platforms: AWS, Microsoft Azure's cloud platform and Google Cloud. TechRepublic
• AI providers attract massive investment from venture capitalist firms and giant firms like Microsoft and Google that see the potential for further growth in corporate and personal use. Datamation
• The power of the Microsoft Cloud and its AI capabilities will serve as the core component to Boeing's digital aviation strategy by providing flexible, agile and scalable solutions that are intelligent and data driven on a secure and compliant platform. PR Newswire

Last updated: 22 May 2022