It’s officially May, the month that Microsoft typically releases its spring Windows 10 release.  The new version, known as version 1903, should be rolling out to customers shortly.  One of the welcome changes in version 1903 is that all users, including Windows Home users, will be able to delay the installation of future Microsoft patches (highly recommended best practice).

Many small businesses use Microsoft Office 365 for the applications, including Exchange 365 email server.  One of the benefits of Office 365 is that it is cloud based: users don’t have to worry about buying/maintaining a physical server and keeping the software up to date.  At least one user in each organization will have administrator rights in Office 365, which will allow administrators to add/delete users, enable/disable applications, create Teams, etc.  As Office 365 has grown in popularity, it has also become a prime target for hackers.  If a hacker can compromise an Office 365 administrator account, they can wreak havoc on your data by deleting mailboxes, adding user licenses, etc.  It is strongly recommended that you enable multi-factor authentication (MFA is when one logs in and a code is sent to your mobile device) to protect your administrator accounts and Office 365 security.

Speaking of security, Microsoft issued critical patches this week for older unsupported operating systems (Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8).  The security patch prevents a vulnerability that will allow malware to spread from computer to computer.  Users running these older Windows versions should immediately update their computers to protect themselves and their data.  When Microsoft releases a security patch for older systems, it is indication that this worm has the potential to be a worldwide problem so close this loophole now.