Microsoft has revealed that it has discovered several serious security vulnerabilities in Windows 11, as well as other versions including Windows 10.
The revelations came as part of January 2022’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ – the day of the month that Microsoft releases a swathe of patches to fix issues in its software.
While many of the vulnerabilities, which don’t just affect new versions of Windows, but also older versions such as Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2019, were fixed with patches, six of the threats were highlighted as zero day threats.
While many security vulnerabilities are thankfully found and fixed before malicious users find and exploit them, zero day threats are vulnerabilities that are already out in the wild, which means they are particularly worrying.
In total, Microsoft announced the existence of 97 new exploits – which is certainly a troubling number. As a report in Forbes explains, Microsoft has limited the information about the zero day exploits to ensure it has time to address them before they are exploited. Microsoft believes that so far, there have not been any attacks using the vulnerabilities. Obviously, though, time is of the essence.
Important – CVE-2021-36976 – Libarchive Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Important – CVE-2022-21919 – Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Important – CVE-2022-21836 – Windows Certificate Spoofing Vulnerability
Important – CVE-2022-21874 – Windows Security Center API Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Important – CVE-2022-21839 – Windows Event Tracing Discretionary Access Control List Denial of Service Vulnerability (limited to Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019)
Of the 97 vulnerabilities, eight are labeled as ‘critical’, with 88 labeled as ‘important’. This means they are particularly dangerous, so users should make sure they are protected against them as soon as possible.
What should you do?
Microsoft’s warning is certainly troubling, but there’s no need to panic, as long as you take some precautionary steps. While the zero day threats are in the wild, they’ve not been used and Microsoft is actively working on fixes.
Meanwhile, it has also created patches for many of the other vulnerabilities. So, the best thing you can do right now is ensure that Windows 11 (or whichever version you have installed) is updated with the latest security patches.
They should download automatically, and If that’s the case you may see a prompt in the taskbar to restart your PC. You may also notice when you go to turn off your PC that there are options to ‘Update and restart’ and ‘Update and shut down’ – make sure you pick one of those.
You should also check to make sure there are no updates waiting for you. To do this, open up Settings and go to Windows Update > Check for Updates. If any are found, download and install them.
If you have any anti-virus or anti-malware software installed, make sure they are updated as well.
Hopefully Microsoft will continue to investigate and fix these vulnerabilities ASAP.
Since their release on Patch Tuesday, the updates have been breaking Windows, causing spontaneous boot loops on Windows domain controller servers, breaking Hyper-V and making ReFS volume systems unavailable. Threatpost
Most Windows versions are at risk of remote, unprivileged attackers abusing RDP from the inside to hijack smart cards and get unauthorized file system access.
Microsoft is currently working on the next big update to Windows 11, tentatively called Sun Valley 2.
This is already shaping up to be a collection of small and big refinements across the whole operating system of Windows 11, alongside some new features, such as Android apps appearing on the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft is yet to officially reveal the 22H1 update to Windows 11, but through leaks, rumors, and the Windows Insider Program, we’ll begin to piece together a good picture throughout the months leading up to its release.
With Windows 11 still rolling out to more devices, users are curious as to what the 22H1 update will now bring.
As we begin to build a picture of what to expect, here is everything we know so far about the first major update for Windows 11.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2′ is the first major update to Windows 11
When is it out? Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2′ is expected sometime in the second quarter of 2022
How much does it cost? Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2′ will be a free update for all users
Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2' release date
Right now there is no confirmed release date for the Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2' update. Microsoft’s release schedule for Windows 11 updates is now once a year, compared to two a year with Windows 10 previously.
There have already been plenty of improvements in the Windows Insider channels, which allows users to test features in development. But it looks like Microsoft is rolling all of these into the first major update of Windows 11.
While the operating system was released in November 2021, it was announced in June, which would be a good time to release Sun Valley 2 with some tentpole features.
Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2' speculation
At this time there is no confirmed name from Microsoft. Based on the naming convention for Windows 11 updates, however, it’s safe to assume that its official designation will be Windows 11 22H1. The ‘22’ refers to the year and ‘H1’ refers to the second half of the year.
The name being discussed at the moment for this moment is ‘Sun Valley 2’, which is unlikely to be its release name. This is an internal codename for parts of the next version of Windows 11 which is being worked on and has been outed to the public by way of leaks from those with insider knowledge of Microsoft’s workings.
As Windows 11 was a significant upgrade from Windows 10, such as a refreshed look, a redesigned Microsoft Store, and the return of widgets, Sun Valley 2 looks to build upon Windows 11 but also improve certain aspects that users have been sending feedback over.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
In the Insider builds, users have spotted more apps gaining the new Fluent Design, which is the overall look for Windows 11. These apps feature rounded corners, lesser reliance on the Ribbon view that's been across the operating system since Windows 8, and a more vibrant color scheme. There have also been features announced last year that have yet to come to every Windows 11 user.
Android apps coming to Windows 11
Testers in the Beta Channel who have Windows 11 Build 22000.xxx and above will be able to try out Android apps that will show as available in the Microsoft Store.
These will originate from Amazon's App Store instead of Google Play, as every app is tested and approved by Amazon, similar to Apple's effort with the App Store.
These will run similar to how iOS apps run on macOS, with apps such as TikTok and Instagram running in a window.
New OS features for Windows 11 22H1 ‘Sun Valley 2'
This first update to Windows 11 looks to be built on feedback from users, alongside more refinements that Microsoft didn't have time to include in the first release in November.
One feature that's been divided by users has been the taskbar. The start menu has seen a redesign in Windows 11, but while the new look has been a positive, some features that were present in Windows 10, cannot be found here.
Other OS improvements are more apps from Microsoft that will be refreshed with the Fluent Design language that's across Windows 11. Notepad is one of the examples for Sun Valley 2, gaining dark mode and a re-arranged menu bar.
While Paint is another app to gain from a refreshed look, Microsoft surprised many at the end of 2021 by bringing back Windows Media Player.
It will be replacing Groove Music, an app that debuted back in Windows 8 in 2012. This will be available in the Microsoft Store, but will be scheduled to appear as the default app to play media files once Sun Valley 2 is available to everyone.
Windows 11 updates look to already be about more than visual flair, and Sun Valley 2 is set to be no exception. There will be several changes underneath that aren’t user-facing, as always, and a number that will be.
But from what Microsoft is working on and showcasing through the Insider program, it's clear that the company wants to update the apps of Windows 11, not just the front-facing features.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
How to test the Windows 11 22H1 Update before launch
Before Microsoft pushes out any big update to Windows 11, it passes through the various channels in the Windows Insider Program. There are various channels in the Insider Program which relate to how far ahead of time you’ll be able to test new features, with the most cutting edge being the ‘Dev Channel’, targeted at the most technical users.
The ‘Dev Channel’ was the first place that Sun Valley started to appear, with a 2200 build number appearing in November 2021. Other app updates to Paint and Windows Media Player soon appeared in the 'Beta Channel'.
These will be reliable builds tied to a future release with updates validated by Microsoft. Closer to launch, Windows 11 22H1 will hit the ‘Release Preview Channel’ which is the most stable of all in the Insider Program. Builds released to this channel are supported by Microsoft.
If you’re not yet in the Windows Insider Program and you’d like to start testing future updates early you can enroll right from the Settings app on your PC. Head to the ‘Update & Security section, then select ‘Windows Insider Program’ and choose the channel you want to join. You will then begin receiving updates through ‘Windows Update’ on your PC corresponding to the channel you joined.
Microsoft is improving the appearance of switching windows using the Alt+Tab shortcut in Windows 11.
Switching windows through a keyboard shortcut has been a popular option with users, and it’s particularly useful if you’re using a full-screen app that becomes unresponsive. By pressing Alt+Tab on your keyboard, you can quickly switch out of the problematic app.
Switching between apps in Windows 11 has seen the whole screen become blurred, while in Windows 10 you merely saw a menu of apps you could switch between to, without a blurred effect. This can look strange if you’re on a monitor bigger than 24-inches, and which will also hide the content you may have been working on.
In an upcoming build that’s in testing for Windows Insider users, which allows you to test upcoming Windows 11 features early, such as a refined taskbar, the Alt+Tab interface looks cleaner, with a blurred appearance around the feature itself, instead of taking over the entire screen.
Analysis: Another improvement for Sun Valley 2
Every major Windows update has had a codename attached to it. Windows XP had Whistler, for example, while Windows 8.1 was called Blue.
The codename for the next major Windows 11 update is Sun Valley 2. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the released version of Windows 11 had the codename Sun Valley.
This upcoming update will be full of refinements, but also improvements to what users have been getting used to for the last few months since the release of Windows 11 back in November. From the new looks of Paint, Clock and the upcoming reboot of Windows Media Player, Sun Valley 2 looks to be a significant update.
Alt+Tab already looks easier on the eye in this new build, so you can switch between apps and still see the content in the active window that you were previously looking at.
Sun Valley 2 is scheduled for May, roughly one year since Windows 11 was announced, and we may finally see Android apps from the Amazon App Store appear on the Microsoft Store.
It’s encouraging that we’re already seeing these small improvements to many apps, alongside updates to the appearance of Windows 11, which will add up to a significant update in May that’s going to benefit users, even if you’re merely looking forward to using Notepad in dark mode.
The new year has started with the refreshed Notepad app being made available for all Windows 11 Insiders who can test upcoming updates.
Similar to what Clock and Office 2021 brought, Notepad is also getting the Fluent Design makeover, which brings rounded corners to windows, a softer font to menu dropdown lists, and dark mode compatibility.
The update has been available in the Insider Build Dev Channel of Windows 11 since December, where you can test features under development, but the company has decided to roll it out to users who are testing out upcoming features of Windows 11 on all channels.
It’s the most significant update of Notepad in years, similar to Paint’s update a few months ago, but don’t expect this simple text editing app to replace Microsoft Word anytime soon.
Analysis: A unified effort
Microsoft has been making efforts to make its apps match the new look and feel of Windows 11, and it’s overdue.
In previous releases of Windows 8 and Windows Vista, some apps had felt out of place, such as Mail and Disk Management. But there’s a concerted effort from the company to ensure that these apps have a unified design where users don’t feel lost, whilst ensuring that the apps and the operating system look similar, but modern.
But Notepad is an app that you use almost without thinking. It’s a go-to app where you jot down lists or thoughts for the day to save for later. But it’s also a great example of an app that’s not seen an update since 2001.
Heads up: We have begun rolling out the redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 to all #WindowsInsiders in the Beta Channel. https://t.co/mjUZ8Jp9BL ^BLBJanuary 5, 2022
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Something as minor as dark mode and rounded corners will be welcomed here, alongside a new Settings option to switch between themes and font options as well. But Notepad’s appeal is in its simplicity, which makes it a good alternative to Microsoft Word or other fully-featured (and overcomplicated) office apps.
Other apps that have seen updates in their design have either been included in a Windows update or are available to download on the Microsoft Store. We suspect that the updated Notepad will be a part of a bigger Windows 11 update coming soon – so you won’t need to be a Windows Insider to try it out.
After being shown off in the Insider channels since November, Microsoft’s rebooted Windows Media Player is slowly being made available on the new Microsoft Store in Windows 11.
While it was first shown off by accident during a live podcast stream, an update in the Dev Channel in November revealed the existence of this new and improved media player.
It’s replacing Groove Music, the app that’s been Microsoft’s default media player for a while now, but the company seemingly wants to make a sequel to the iconic Windows Media Player from the early-noughties, when it was one of the most popular apps of its time.
But is there a place in 2022 for a new media app in Windows 11?
How to download Media Player in Windows 11
The new app requires you to update your device to Windows 11 build 22000.346 or later, where you can then head over to the Microsoft Store, and download the new media player for your device.
If you have Groove Music, Microsoft’s previous media app that’s been available since 2012, the new Windows Media Player will replace it. In our testing, we spotted that the new media player was available on some, but not all, of our Windows 11 devices.
But you can still download the original version of Windows Media Player, which has been available since 2012 if you want a nostalgic kick for your PC. But you won’t be able to take advantage of what the new media player brings.
Alongside HDR support when playing videos, the app has seen a redesign to match the Fluent design language of Windows 11 and Office 2021. The color scheme will also match whichever theme you have set for your PC, so Media Player won’t look out of place.
Analysis: Is there room for Windows Media Player in 2022?
The world is a different place since we were using MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player 9 back in 2002. It was before a time where Netflix existed, and ‘streaming’ was what rivers did, rather than being a way of watching media.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
But now we’re spoilt for choice with the apps we can use to play our videos. While you can play videos on your Mac through QuickTime Player, or through third-party means such as IINA, Windows 11 has a wide variety to choose from.
From VLC Player to iTunes, it may require an extra push from Microsoft to make users aware of what was around during Windows 98, and why Windows Media Player is still worth using in 2022.
With Xbox, Surface, and other devices from the company, we may see variants of this new Windows Media Player start to appear on these products. But time will tell if users want to use a brand-new media player when there’s already a great catalog of media apps to choose from.
Microsoft appears to be making some much-needed changes to Windows 11 to help its new operating system run faster.
As Windows Latest reports, Microsoft is actually undoing one of the changes it made back in 2019, when it added a feature to the Windows File Explorer search box that allowed you to search your OneDrive cloud storage alongside local files. The ‘Recent files’ section of Explorer also got support for Office.com online files.
While this addition may have been useful for people who store (or create) a lot of files using Microsoft’s online services, if you don’t use them (or you use alternatives like Google Drive), then this feature is pretty pointless. Even worse, however, is that it made File Explorer run more slowly in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Righting wrongs
Because the File Explorer is such an integral part of Windows, it means that if it starts to perform poorly, it can cause your entire PC to feel sluggish.
It’s good news, then, that it looks like Microsoft is looking to address this issue in an upcoming version of Windows 11. An early build that some people have been testing have now got the ability to turn off Office.com integration in File Explorer.
While the option to turn it off is hidden away in the rather obscure Group Policy editor tool, it will allow you to stop Explorer from including online Office.com files. This option will also stop the Windows 11 Start menu from searching for and displaying online Office documents.
By turning it off, Windows 11 won’t try to connect to and search for online Office files, which should make the operating system as a whole feel faster to use.
Of course, if you do find this feature useful, you’ll still be able to use it, as it’ll remain turned on by default.
Windows Vista-like gadgets to return
Microsoft isn’t just looking at its past to fix mistakes – it seems it’s also taking inspiration from them, as Windows Latest also reports that Windows 11 could see the return of Windows Vista-like gadgets.
It’s no secret that Windows Vista was one of the more unpopular versions of the operating system, so it seems slightly surprising that Microsoft would take any of its features for inspiration for Windows 11.
That’s especially true of gadgets. These were basic apps that you could pin to the desktop and display various information, such as your email inbox. Third party companies were also encouraged to create their own gadgets, which some of them did at first.
However, not only did Windows Vista prove to be unpopular, but its gadgets feature was even more unloved, leading to many companies to abandon support for them.
However, sources have indicated to Windows Latest that Microsoft is planning to return to this idea – but with some key changes. Apparently, they will now be called widgets, and will only be shown in Windows 11’s widget board, and won’t be added to the desktop.
At the moment, the widget board only contains Microsoft-made widgets, so allowing third party support could see widgets become more useful.
There is a risk, however, of history repeating itself. Microsoft needs to ensure that users find widgets useful. If they don’t use them, then third party companies won’t bother making them.
While keeping widgets to the widget board will mean user’s desktops don’t become cluttered, it could also just mean widgets are hidden out of sight. If you don’t use the widget board regularly (and we’d guess most users currently don’t), then you may forget they are even there, limiting how useful they actually are.
What Microsoft doesn’t want to do is add yet another feature to Windows 11 that no one uses. Let’s hope this isn’t the case.
Windows 11 suffers from a bug which is causing colors to be rendered incorrectly – with the most common error cropping up being white showing as yellow – at least with some HDR monitors when running certain image editors.
As Tom’s Hardware spotted, this is something Microsoft is actively investigating, and the software giant has flagged it up in the support document which lists the current known issues with Windows 11.
Microsoft observes: “After installing Windows 11, some image editing programs might not render colors correctly on certain HDR displays. This is frequently observed with white colors, which could display in bright yellow or other colors.
“This issue occurs when certain color-rendering Win32 APIs return unexpected information or errors under specific conditions. Not all color profile management programs are affected, and color profile options available in the Windows 11 Settings page, including Microsoft Color Control Panel, are expected to function correctly.”
The color glitch affects those running Windows 11 version 21H2, and Microsoft says it is working on a fix right now, with the expected timeframe for delivery being late January.
Analysis: Not so mellow yellow, but at least that fix is coming swiftly
The expected arrival date of late in January could mean we see this fix bundled in the cumulative update in preview (testing) for that month, which will see a full release come Patch Tuesday in February. So, if this bug is one which is plaguing you at times – and we imagine seeing white as ‘bright’ yellow (not even just a faint yellow) would be pretty jarring – at least you won’t have to suffer with this for much longer (assuming the cure arrives as planned and is successful, naturally).
While annoying, at least this particular bug is confined to a fairly limited subset of Windows 11 users in terms of it just affecting some image editors, and only with certain HDR monitors.
It’s a fairly niche problem, then, but more widespread Windows 11 bugs are an ongoing theme for Microsoft, and as we recently pointed out, it’s disappointing to see quite a lot of glitches popping up. Particularly ones which pertain to fundamental parts of the interface like File Explorer, as these contribute to the general impression of the new operating system being released before it was fully ready. Before it came out, we felt Windows 11 was a good opportunity to change the perception of Windows 10 being bug-ridden, but thus far, that hasn’t panned out.
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