Another week and another Surface news roundup for your enjoyment and information. Among this week’s stories are a trojan targeting Edge, Black Friday deals, the possibility of a Surface Phone coming soon, and more.
Here’s the full listing for this week:
- Microsoft Pulls the November Update from MCT
- Banking Trojan Goes After Edge.
- Black Friday Deals on Surface.
- Surface Phone Confirmed?
- Surface Pro 4 Lands in Malaysia.
And, with that, let’s get the ball rolling…
[divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Microsoft Pulls the November Update from MCT
When the November Update was released, Microsoft also updated the Media Creation Tool (MCT) to include the new build. If you’re not familiar with the MCT, it is a program you can download from Microsoft to create Windows 10 installation media.
However, without explanation or warning, Microsoft removed the latest Windows 10 release from the MCT installs, and reverted back to the original RTM release. So, when you go to the download page, you will only see the initial version of Windows 10.
When asked about this, the following response was received from a Microsoft representative:
The November update was originally available via the MCT (Media Creation Tool), but the company decided that future installs should be through Windows Update. People can still download Windows 10 [Build 10240] using the MCT tool if they wish. The November update will be delivered via Windows Update.
Microsoft has not pulled the Windows 10 November 10 update. The company is rolling out the November update over time — if you don’t see it in Windows Update, you will see it soon.
Nice statement but it really doesn’t explain why they removed the latest Windows 10 update from the MCT. I suspect that it could be an error with the MCT version of the build or a technical problem with the servers. Either way, it’s a bit strange for it to have been removed.
Related: ZDNet, BetaNews [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Banking Trojan Goes After Edge
The banking trojan named Dyreza is designed specifically to infect machines and steal banking information including logins and passwords. After a recent update, it’s now also targeting Windows 10, specifically the Edge browser.
According to Heimdal Security, the new variant of the trojan will also try to find and disable security products when it successfully infects a machine. This behavior makes it more difficult to detect and remove.
According to a blog post on Heimdal’s website:
By adding support for Windows 10, Dyreza malware creators have cleared their way to growing the number of infected PCs in their botnet”, Heimdal writes in a blog post. |This financial Trojan doesn’t only drain the infected computers of valuable data — it also binds them into botnets.
It goes on to state that as many as 80,000 machines are already infected worldwide and that the number of infected computers will only increase with time. So, make sure your anti-virus is up to date and consider installing additional malware tools like MalwareBytes on your Surface, see our Security Guide For Surface Tablets.
Related: BetaNews [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Black Friday Deals on Surface
Microsoft is planning some sweet Black Friday deals later this week. Here’s a short list of some of them:
- Up to $200 off a Surface Pro 3
- $150 off a Surface 3 with Type Cover
- $350 off a Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor
- $30 off select Xbox One controllers
In addition, you can save some money on the Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Fallout 4 XBox One bundles. Microsoft will be slashing $50 from the price of all three. Don’t forget the games as Microsoft is also cutting the price on 150 titles by up to 60% as part of the Black Friday deals!!
So, if you’ve been struggling with what to get the techie in your life, your problems are solved. 😉
Related: Information Week, PCMag [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Surface Phone Confirmed?
Earlier this month, I reported about the rumors surrounding a Surface Phone. New information seems to be confirming these reports are true. Earlier this week, a device bearing the name “Microsoft Surface Phone” was spotted in HTML5TEST benchmark database. The test seems to have been conducted with the Microsoft Edge 12.0 Browser running on Windows Phone 10.
In addition, Amy Hood (Microsoft’s CFO) has referred to a future launch of a “business phone“. This phone is something other than the already launched Lumia 950 and 950XL.
This comment along with the benchmarking information makes it a good bet that a Surface phone is on the horizon.
Related: WinFuture, Tech2, Gizbot [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Surface Pro 4 Lands in Malaysia
The Surface Pro 4 is now available for purchase in Malaysia. So, if you’re in Malaysia and didn’t already pre-order one, you can head on over to the Lazada website and get one today.
Related: Stuff, The Star Online, Lazada [divider]
That’s it for this week. I’ll have more interesting Surface-related news for you again next Sunday.
Tim
