Windows 10 update tackles nasty security threat

Windows 10
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Anton Watman)

Microsoft has finally released the Windows 10 21H2 update in preview, and it comes bundled with a number of security enhancements.

Even as Microsoft puts the final touches on Windows 11, the company has pushed out an update for its Windows 10 customers, which (as promised back in July) brings features focused on productivity and security, such as better Wi-Fi security via WPA3 H2E standards.

For business customers, the Windows Hello for Business subsystem, which helps replace passwords with two-factor authentication (2FA), introduces a new deployment method dubbed cloud trust.

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In the release announcement, Microsoft says the cloud-trust feature “supports simplified passwordless deployments and achieves a deploy-to-run state within minutes,” although little further information was provided.

Going through the motions

BleepingComputer explains that the WPA3 H2E (Hash-to-Element) standard further protects users against Wi-Fi side-channel attacks popularly known as "DragonBlood", which are designed to steal WPA3 passwords.

The release also marks the debut of GPU computer support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Reportedly, this new capability will enable users to use Nvidia CUDA and DirectML to tackle machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases with greater ease.

In addition to the handful of new features, the Windows 10 21H2 update includes a number of fixes and enhancements, though none of them are particularly headline-grabbing. The majority of the fixes are in the background and will interest power users more than regular Windows users.

Microsoft has confirmed the Windows 10 21H2 will be rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, either as an automatic or a “seeker” update.

Via BleepingComputer

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Mayank Sharma

With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’s TechRadar Pro’s expert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.