All articles tagged with #virtual machines
Microsoft released an emergency update to fix startup failures in Windows 11 systems caused by the KB5058405 security update, primarily affecting enterprise virtual environments. The update addresses recovery errors related to ACPI.sys and is recommended for affected virtual machines, with manual installation options available from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
Microsoft has unveiled the Windows 365 Link, a cloud-based desktop PC similar in size to Apple's Mac mini, at the Microsoft Ignite 2024 conference. Unlike the Mac mini, which runs on local hardware, the Windows 365 Link streams Windows from the cloud, making it ideal for corporate environments seeking cost-effective, secure computing solutions. The device features basic hardware specs, including 8GB RAM and 64GB storage, and requires a Windows 365 subscription. Priced at $349, it offers a cheaper alternative to traditional PCs but relies entirely on internet connectivity.
Systemd 255 has been released as stable, introducing new features such as systemd-bsod, a "Blue Screen of Death" service for displaying full-screen error messages on Linux, and systemd-vmspawn, a tool for spawning virtual machines. Other highlights include improvements to systemd services spawning, the addition of systemd-pcrlock for managing local TPM2 PCR policies, and the inclusion of a new varlinkctl tool for interfacing with Varlink services. The release also brings support for SECCOMP on the LoongArch 64-bit CPU architecture, hibernation into swap files backed by Btrfs, and various other enhancements and deprecations.
Customer reports indicate that the October Patch Tuesday updates for Windows Server are causing virtual machines (VMs) on Hyper-V hosts to fail to start, displaying "failed to start" errors. The issue seems to be triggered by specific updates, and affected administrators have found that uninstalling these updates resolves the problem. Microsoft has not yet acknowledged the issue, but previous incidents with Hyper-V VMs and VMware ESXi have prompted emergency updates in the past.
A financially motivated cybergang known as UNC3944 is using phishing and SIM swapping attacks to hijack Microsoft Azure admin accounts and gain access to virtual machines. They abuse the Azure Serial Console to install remote management software for persistence and use Azure Extensions for stealthy surveillance. UNC3944 aims to steal data from victim organizations using Microsoft's cloud computing service. The attack demonstrates the group's deep understanding of the Azure environment and how they can leverage built-in tools to evade detection.
Windows modder NTDEV has demonstrated how to create a RAM drive in your GPU's memory and run a virtual machine with Windows 11 or Tiny11, a stripped-down version of Windows 11, on it. The process is surprisingly easy and practical, with solid speeds of 2 GB/s reading and 2.5 GB/s writing, on par with PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives. The concept was demo'd on a laptop equipped with an RTX 3050 with 4 GB of GDDR6, but it should work on GPUs with more than 20 GB of VRAM.