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22 Jul 2025

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Update now! Microsoft SharePoint is actively being exploited by hackers
SharePoint is one of those less-visible portions of Microsoft Office. It’s a tool for managing shared files across users and systems — if you don’t use it for work, you may never have heard of it, but if you do, it’s probably a lynchpin of your daily team functions. And there’s bad news if you fall into the latter category: two massive zero-day vulnerabilities in the software are being actively exploited. Microsoft has released a patch that fixes up two critical vulnerabilities in the current, Microsoft 365 version of SharePoint, as well as the older standalone SharePoint 2019 release. The company is recommending an immediate update for these out-of-band patches, according to Bleeping Computer. Unfortunately the non-subscription SharePoint 2016 release has not been patched yet, though that’s in the works. These are Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities discovered following the latest Pwn2Own security conference, which were themselves patched earlier, but led to even newer weaknesses coming out. That’s the bad stuff — RCE can be exploited to deliver malware payloads that can completely compromise Windows. SharePoint users and administrators can apply the updates via Central Admin or PowerShell, using these instructions. Further reading: These 3 crucial Windows security mistakes can wreck your PC

This Ryzen 5 mini PC with 24GB RAM is only $279 right now
If you’ve been thinking about getting a new laptop or desktop PC for your home office, consider this Beelink EQR6 mini PC instead. It’s more than powerful enough for day-to-day tasks, and it’s extremely affordable now that it’s down to just $279 (was $359) on Amazon! The only catch is, this deal is for Prime members. Don’t have Prime? Go ahead and snag a free 30-day Prime trial to score this special deal anyway. Whether you need something for boring work, all-day video streaming, or juggling a spread of apps, this mini PC is perfect. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 6600U CPU and 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is enough for Windows 11 and everyday tasks. The 500GB SSD is fast for quick system boots and file transfers, though we do wish it had a bigger capacity. There’s no dedicated GPU, but the AMD Radeon 660M integrated graphics should even let you play some games on (very) modest settings, particularly older games. It’s also powerful enough to handle dual 4K displays via dual HDMI ports, and on top of that you get four USB-A, a USB-C, dual LAN, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. This is an excellent price for this machine, so don’t miss this chance to get a Beelink EQR6 mini PC for only $279! Remember, you’ll need Prime for this deal, so grab a 30-day free trial if you aren’t a Prime member yet. The Beelink EQR6 is a great mini PC for just $279Buy now at Amazon

WhatsApp’s Windows app is about to get much slower for PC users
Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, is planning to replace the current Windows app for a simpler web wrapper version. According to Windows Latest, the latest beta version of WhatsApp for PC users will abandon the native Windows UWP framework in favor of an app that’s built on Edge’s Chromium-based WebView2 technology. The new variant is, in effect, a stripped-down web browser that shows the web version of WhatsApp in a desktop app window. What does this mean in practical terms? A simpler user interface, a changed notification system, more basic settings, and weaker integration with Windows. However, the beta version does include support for WhatsApp Channels and enhanced Status and Communities features. Based on tests by Windows Latest, the new WhatsApp PC app “uses approximately 30% more RAM than the existing native app” and exhibits several notable differences including “slower performance.” Why the switch? Most likely to ease development efforts. With a web wrapper, Meta can focus resources on developing a single version of WhatsApp and deploy it cross-platform using web wrappers, instead of maintaining a separate Windows-native version with its own code.

Microsoft speeds up Office app launches using old-school technique
Launching apps in Microsoft’s Office suite will soon be much faster, thanks to a new feature called Startup Boost, Windows Latest reports. Basically, the relevant Office apps will immediately open in the background whenever you boot up your computer. After launching, they’ll sit in a paused state until you need them. Startup Boost will only be available on PCs with at least 5GB of free storage and 8GB of memory. The new feature will be automatically deactivated when the computer needs the resources in question or if power saving mode kicks in. However, if you don’t want to use this feature at all, you can always switch off Startup Boost completely in the settings. Auto-launching apps at PC startup isn’t exactly a new or innovative technique. In fact, it’s been around in some form or another for decades. However, keeping these apps in a paused state while they remain unused is a nifty step up that could make it that much more useful. Startup Boost already started rolling out back in June, but rollout should reach everyone and complete by September. It’s currently limited to Microsoft Word, but will also be added to Excel, PowerPoint, and more.