On this week’s episode, security agencies warn that attackers are using AI-generated tools to target industrial control systems, researchers demonstrate another worrying data-theft attack against Grok, and Microsoft addresses a maximum-severity vulnerability in Entra ID.
I also cover more problems caused by the August Windows updates, new protections against bots in Teams meetings, Apple’s latest Mac mini and Mac Studio hardware, China’s accelerating move away from Windows, and much more.
Episode 454 is available on Soundcloud:
On YouTube:
If you’d like to play the Podcast on a different podcast service such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can find this episode at 5BytesPodcast.com
Reference Links:
News:
Microsoft Closes a Maximum-Severity Entra ID Flaw
https://www.theregister.com/cyber-crime/2026/08/21/microsoft-sounds-alarm-as-perfect-10-entra-id-flaw-comes-under-attack/5290925
August’s .NET Updates Leave Some WPF Apps Unable to Print
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-august-updates-break-printing-pdf-export-in-wpf-apps/
Windows 11 Gamers Get a Workaround After Patch Trouble
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-shares-temporary-fix-for-windows-11-gaming-issues/
AI-Written Attack Tools Put Industrial Control Systems at Risk
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-warns-of-ai-powered-attacks-on-siemens-plcs-in-critical-infrastructure/
Cyberattack Knocks Norway’s Shared Public Services Off Balance
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/massive-ddos-attack-disrupts-norways-government-digital-services/
PowerToys Adds a Faster Way to Jump Between App Windows
https://www.neowin.net/news/massive-powertoys-update-introduces-new-windows-hopper-tool-and-major-enhancements/
Teams Admins Gain the Power to Keep Meeting Bots Out
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-teams-now-lets-admins-block-external-bots-from-meetings/
The Support Clock Is Running Down for Windows 11 24H2
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-11-24h2-home-and-pro-reach-end-of-support-in-2-months/
New Outlook Borrows a Familiar Look From Its Predecessor
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-rolls-out-classic-outlook-theme-for-new-outlook-users/
Encrypted Instructions Turn Grok Into a Data-Leaking Accomplice
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/08/grok-exfiltrates-user-data-when-malicious-instructions-are-encrypted/
Apple Refreshes Its Desktop Macs for Local AI Workloads
https://www.neowin.net/news/apple-announces-new-mac-mini-and-mac-studio-with-upgraded-chips/
China Accelerates Its Government Shift Away From Windows
https://www.zdnet.com/article/china-drops-windows-for-linux/
Scripts, Tricks and Tips
Tip: A European-Hosted Alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
https://office.eu/
Tip: Give AI Agents a Safer Place to Run
https://github.com/microsoft/mxc
