CentOS 8 is finally here

CentOS offers a bit of a different take on installing and updating packages. First off, the default package manager has migrated from YUM to DNF. The command structure for each is quite similar, so instead of running a command like:

sudo yum install httpd

You’d issue the command:

sudo dnf install httpd

For more information on DNF, see How to use the DNF package manager.

Source: CentOS 8 is finally here – TechRepublic

Windows Isn’t a Service; It’s an Operating System

An operating system that runs on millions of different hardware configurations is not a service. It can’t be updated as easily, and you’ll run into issues with hardware, drivers, and software when you change things. The upgrade process isn’t instant and transparent—it’s a big download and can take a while to install.

Source: Windows Isn’t a Service; It’s an Operating System

How to permanently stop Windows 10 reboots after installing updates

If you do not want to wait for Anniversary Update (which will be released in July 2016) or if Active Hours is not a solution for you, you can permanently stop Windows 10 reboots after updates are installed if you follow the steps below.

via How to permanently stop Windows 10 reboots after installing updates

Just bought a refurbished I7 machine with Windows 10 Home edition to use for gaming  and run VMs via Virtual Box.  The VMs need to be up 24/7 if they are an active unit.   This box has a lot of RAM so it can run many VMs.  Microsoft brought them all down last night with an update then reboot.  This is totally unacceptable.  Most of the solutions on the web using gpedit.msc or regedit do not work on Windows Home since we are the lowest OS on the MS totem pole.

The procedure in the above website worked for Windows 10 Home.   Now I just have to wait a week or so to see if it really stops the auto reboot.  I don’t mind having to queue up updates that require reboot.  VMs  need to be shutdown gracefully.  Many people use their computers for doing things other than consuming mass media.

Microsoft’s Naggy Windows 10 Upgrade Prompt Interrupts Meteorologist’s Weathercast

However, at least for one meteorologist, the Windows 10 upgrade prompt came during an inopportune time — right in the middle of a live weathercast. Metinka Slater, a meteorologist with Des Moines CBS affiliate KCCI 8, was going about her business, giving viewers a rundown of the 12-hour rainfall totals in the area when a nagging Windows 10 upgrade screen popped up, just like it has for thousands (if not millions) of everyday Windows users.

Source: Microsoft’s Naggy Windows 10 Upgrade Prompt Interrupts Meteorologist’s Weathercast

Philips Hue Excludes 3rd Party Bulbs With Firmware Update

Philips just released firmware for the Philips Hue bridge that may permanently sever access to any “non-approved” ZigBee bulbs. We previously covered third party support in January 2015, when Philips indicated it was not blocked – and have since benefited.

Source: Philips Hue Excludes 3rd Party Bulbs With Firmware Update

Sometimes it’s better never to upgrade firmware.  Don’t fix what isn’t broke.  As a general rule firmware should never need upgrading.

Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to your machine ‘just in case’

Microsoft told us: “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.

Source: Microsoft is downloading Windows 10 to your machine ‘just in case’

From: The Appeal of Free: 75 Million Users Download Windows 10 in First Month

Free Windows is proving to be a very attractive price indeed. Seventy-five million users have downloaded Windows 10 to their personal computers and tablets in the first month of its release, Microsoft announced on Wednesday.

Manipulating Microsoft WSUS to Own Enterprises

Paul Stone and Alex Chapman of Context Information Security in the U.K. took a long look at the WSUS attack surface and discovered that when a WSUS server contacts Microsoft for driver updates, it does so using XML SOAP web services, and those checks are not made over SSL. While updates are signed by Microsoft and updates must be verified by Microsoft, Stone and Chapman discovered that an attacker already in a man-in-the-middle position on a corporate network, for example, could with some work tamper with the unencrypted communication and inject a malicious homegrown update.

Source: Manipulating Microsoft WSUS to Own Enterprises | Threatpost | The first stop for security news