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Microsoft patches Windows XP to fight 'WannaCrypt' attacks (updated)
Microsoft officially ended its support for most Windows XP computers back in 2014, but today it's delivering one more public patch for the 16-year-old OS. As described in a post on its Windows Security blog, it's taking this "highly unusual" step after customers worldwide including England's National Health Service suffered a hit from "WannaCrypt" ransomware. Microsoft patched all of its currently supported systems to fix the flaw back in March, but now there's an update available for unsupported systems too, including Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003, which you can grab here (note: if that link isn't working then there are direct download links available in the Security blog post). Of course, for home users, if you're still running one of those old operating systems then yes, you should patch immediately -- and follow up with an upgrade to something current. If you're running a vulnerable system and can't install the patch for some reason, Microsoft has two pieces of advice: Disable SMBv1 with the steps documented at Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2696547 and as recommended previously. Consider adding a rule on your router or firewall to block incoming SMB traffic on port 445 Update: Microsoft legal chief Brad Smith has written a blog post that both calls for more help from customers (read: update more often) and chastises intelligence agencies for hoarding security exploits. They don't understand the risk to the public if the exploits leak, Smith says -- it's as if someone stole a batch of Tomahawk missiles. We wouldn't count on the NSA or other agencies heeding the call, but Microsoft clearly wants to make its frustrations heard.
The next 'Horizon Zero Dawn' patch ups Aloy's selfie game
Horizon Zero Dawn is already a fantastic game, but that doesn't mean it can't get any better. Next week, Horizon patch 1.20 will go live and bring a raft of changes to the game, with a focus on improving photo mode and squashing bugs (in the code, that is). Sony and developer Guerrilla Games laid out the fixes on the European PlayStation Forum.
Microsoft says it already patched 'Shadow Brokers' NSA leaks
Yesterday, the mysterious "Shadow Brokers" posted some hacking tools for Windows that were allegedly stolen from the NSA. All of them were at least a few years old, but exploited flaws in several versions of the operating system to move across networks and infect systems. early Saturday morning, Microsoft has responded with a blog post, saying it has evaluated all of the exploits listed. Its response to the release is surprisingly simple: most of them have already been fixed.
How BioWare will fix 'Mass Effect: Andromeda'
The internet's reaction to Mass Effect: Andromeda has been overwhelmingly negative. Whether the game's pitiful user ratings on review sites are actually representative of what most players think is a question for another day, but it's fair to say that the game had more than a few technical issues at launch.
Bioware: Expect 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' support info Tuesday
The latest installment of Mass Effect is here, but so far, Andromeda doesn't look like it's a high point for the series. A Metacritic score in the 70s puts it well below earlier games that all rate in the 90s, as concerns have been raised over facial animations, squad combat, game-breaking glitches, character romance options and more. Tonight, Bioware tweeted a message from the team behind the game, confirming that feedback is "an important part of our ongoing support of the game," and promised to share its "immediate" plans on Tuesday, April 4th.
'No Man's Sky' teases a new way to roam your home planet
Exploring your home planet in No Man's Sky is about to get easier. Hello Games has announced it's adding a new vehicle to the space sim in its upcoming "Path Finder" update.
'Team Fortress 2' patch fixes decade-old bug
Video games with a dedicated developer team periodically release software patches to fix broken things. Sometimes these come at the behest of the title's community, and dedicated users can be counted on to pick apart janky or erratic flaws faster than developers can address them. Unless everyone misses something for, say, a decade. That's how long a particular bug had been in the shooter Team Fortress 2 -- since it was released in 2007 -- if a pair of modders are to believed, an issue that studio Valve finally fixed in yesterday's game update.
Cisco's web meeting plugin for Chrome has a whopping flaw
If you participate in corporate web meetings, there's a good chance you have Cisco's WebEx Chrome extension. If so, you'll want to check that it's patched to version 1.03, because it has a scary hole that leaves machines open to drive-by attacks. In other words, "any website could just install malware on your machine silently," security expert Filippo Valsorda tweeted.
'League of Legends' is about to change and it's all your fault
League of Legends players should probably give up on the idea of a game editor. Riot Games lead designer Greg Street hates to slam the door on any particular idea, but he's fairly confident that players will never be allowed to mess around with the game's core mechanics. Riot simply doesn't want players to create 1,000 new versions of League of Legends in the hope that one new game mode might stick. "Philosophically, that's something we're really reluctant to do," Street says. This doesn't mean Riot is afraid of change. League of Legends patch 6.24 goes live on December 7th, and it should be game-changing enough to satiate fans hungry for something new. For example, the 2017 season update introduces a practice mode where players can try out tricky maneuvers over and over again, with the option to instantly reset cooldowns, test out new paths through the jungle, play around with infinite gold and lock champions at specific levels.
'Watch Dogs 2' finally has all the features Ubisoft promised
People who bought Watch Dogs 2 under the promise of a seamless blend between a solo campaign and multiplayer are finally going to get the game they paid for. Yesterday, developer/publisher Ubisoft turned on what it's calling the "second phase" of the feature to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners. From the company statement:
'Rocket League' + Steam Workshop = more crazy stadiums
As cool as playing a game of soccer (football to the rest of the world) with cars in a rapturous undersea arena is, sometimes you want to go somewhere even the development team couldn't dream up. Good news then, because Steam Workshop support is en route for Rocket League.
Firewatch's free-roam mode wants you to take a hike on PC, PS4
Sometimes the best therapy for whatever you're going through is taking a walk in the woods and reconnecting with nature. With temperatures starting to drop and urban living, though, that might not be the easiest thing for everyone to do. A pair of free updates to this year's indie darling Firewatch, might offer a virtual respite from current events, however. The game's free-roam mode is available now for players on PlayStation 4 and Steam. it made its way to the Xbox One prior to today. Before you can start hiking what develop Campo Santo describes as "miles of trails" and experiencing a dynamic 24-hour day-and-night cycle, though, you'll have to finish the story mode first. Just a heads up.
Microsoft patches Google-outed Windows security hole
As promised, Microsoft has issued a fix for the Windows security flaw that Google disclosed before a patch was ready. The update tackles vulnerabilities in numerous versions of Windows (from Vista through Windows 10) that would let an attacker get control of your system through a malicious app. You're already safe if you use Windows 10 Anniversary Update and an up-to-date browser, we'd add -- this is for people who can't or won't move to a newer operating system.
Blizzard is building 'Diablo' inside 'Diablo 3'
The big news for the saviors of Sanctuary has been announced at BlizzCon 2016: Diablo is coming back! The original game, that is. For its 20th anniversary, Blizzard is re-releasing the original dungeon delver that started its massively successful franchise, recreated within the engine of the latest in the series, Diablo 3. And you can play it next week on the game's test realm.
iOS update fixes your iPhone's missing Health data
The iOS 10.1 update addressed a lot of initial gripes with Apple's latest mobile operating system. However, it also introduced a glaring bug for some users: the Health app might not show your data, which is more than a little troublesome if you're a fitness maven or need those stats for medical reasons. Don't fret, though. Apple has released an iOS 10.1.1 update for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch that makes sure you can see Health info. This is a relatively tiny update (the over-the-air fix is well under 100MB for many iPhone users), but it'll matter a lot if you're tracking step counts or calories with your Apple gear.
Jonathan Blow's 'The Witness' gets the PlayStation 4 Pro treatment
The Witness, Jonathan Blow's latest release, is getting a special patch for the PlayStation 4 Pro to augment its visuals since it's coming to a brand new home. Blow's team at Thekla, Inc. is making it possible to enjoy the game at a higher resolution than ever before, offering an upgrade in visual fidelity over an increase in frame rate. The announcement comes right after Sony's special PlayStation event, where the PS4 Pro was officially unveiled.
Capcom plans harsher punishments for 'Street Fighter' quitters
Capcom has been combating quitters in Street Fighter V since the game's debut. And tomorrow, the publisher/developer is apparently making the penalties for disconnecting before a match ends even more harsh. Like before, cowards will have League Points docked, and will also be locked out of matchmaking for an ambiguous period of time, according to a post on Capcom Unity. It sound exactly like what's in place currently, but that's supposedly working pretty well. There's more comprehensive update coming, too.
Upcoming 'No Man's Sky' patch will fix most issues
No Man's Sky was released for PlayStation 4 last week, but not without its fair share of problems. Developer Hello Games is aware of the game's many bugs and glitches, and is working on a patch that will solve "the most critical issues" in the "near future."
Yes, 'No Man's Sky' has a few issues
No Man's Sky landed on PlayStation 4 this week, and it wasn't perfect. Cue a rash of backlash on Twitter, a few dozen angry Reddit threads and a handful of YouTube videos calling creator Sean Murray a liar and a fraud. Ah, the internet. Let's break down a few of the high-profile glitches that people have found so far:
Day-one patches are the new normal
No Man's Sky will receive a massive day-one patch that adds a ton of content and gameplay elements to an already-humongous game. This would be just fine, except a few retailers across the nation started selling the game early -- it comes out Tuesday, but some people (including reviewers) were playing it late last week. The patch, which includes the actual finished game with all its bells and whistles, requires these early players to delete their saves and start over when No Man's Sky actually comes out. Developers at Hello Games wiped No Man's Sky's servers Sunday, and they're doing the same thing today. And there's nothing wrong with any of this.
