Windows 11 Insider 25206 update improves SMB servers service security

Windows 11 are now significantly improved over the past year, to the point where updates feel like their arriving monthly now. Here we come up with the new update for Windows 11 Insider Preview 25206 build, which offers a vast changelog including new features, fixes, graphics, and more.

This new version of Windows 11 includes SMB authentication rate limiter behavior and a set of fixes to improve the overall experience for Windows Insiders. Alongside you can search from file explorer Home will show recent file activity for the cloud files in the details view.

Let’s explore the changelog for this new 25206 update of Windows 11 Insider to improve the overall experience for the Windows Insiders:

What’s New

The SMB authentication rate limiter in Insider Preview builds has added an additional protection mechanism to the SMB server service: it implements a delay between each failed NTLM authentication. This means if an attacker previously sent 300 brute force attempts per second from a client for 5 minutes (90,000 passwords), the same number of attempts would now take at least 50 hours.

The goal here is to make a Windows client an unattractive target either when in a workgroup or for its local accounts when joined to a domain. Even though the SMB server runs by default in all versions of Windows, it’s not accessible by default unless you intentionally open the firewall or create a customer SMB share that opens the firewall.

Starting in Build 25206, it is on by default and set to 2000ms (2 seconds). Any bad usernames or passwords sent to SMB will now cause a 2-second delay by default in all editions of Windows Insiders. When first released to Windows Insiders, this protection mechanism was off by default. This behavior change was not made to Windows Server Insiders, it still defaults to 0.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

• The updated “Open with” dialog box is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

[Graphics]

• Windows Insiders can now save power by using Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) on external displays! To enable this setting, you must have a 120+Hz monitor with VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support, as well as a WDDM 3.1 driver installed. To select a dynamic refresh rate, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display and make your selection under Refresh rate.

[File Explorer]

• Search from File Explorer Home will show recent file activity for cloud files in Details View.

[Input]

• Microsoft beginning to roll out a change to support the use of clipboard history (WIN + V) on password fields. Microsoft is beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.

Fixes

[General]

• OneDrive setup should no longer unexpectedly ask for permission to set up every time your PC reboots.
  Fixed a high-hitting explorer.exe crash which was impacting some Insiders.

[Settings]

• Fixed a Settings crash which could happen when searching and selecting certain Narrator-related settings.

[Search]

• Fixed a high-hitting search crash that was impacting some Insiders in the last few flights.

[Other]

• The Windows Sandbox window should now resize correctly if you snap it to the side of the screen.
• Fixed an issue that could lead to a memory leak in Windows Error Reporting after certain crashes.
• If the focus is on the desktop, then pressing ALT + F4 and Enter should now shut down your PC, rather than having to move the keyboard focus first (as was needed in the last few flights).
• The computer icon is now showing again in the Shutdown Windows dialog.

Known issues

[General]

• [NEW] Microsoft are investigating an issue where a “date, time, and time zone settings are incorrect” message is improperly displayed and prevents the installation from proceeding further.
• [NEW] Using the “Reset this PC” option to reset your PC will break UWP apps post-reset. If you need to reset your device on Builds 25201 or higher, please back up your files manually and use the latest ISO available from aka. ms/WIPISO to complete a clean install.
• Microsoft looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders after upgrading to the latest flights.
• Microsoft investigating reports of a few different apps having started crashing in recent builds.

[File Explorer]

• Microsoft working on the fix for an issue where command bar items like a copy, paste, and empty recycle bin may unexpectedly not be enabled when they should be.

[Settings]

• Microsoft investigating some issues where uninstalling certain apps using Settings > Apps > Installed apps isn’t working correctly.

[Tablet-optimized taskbar]

• The taskbar sometimes flashes when transitioning between desktop posture and tablet posture.
• The taskbar takes longer than expected to transition to the touch-optimized version when switching between desktop posture and tablet posture.
• Using the left or right edge gestures can result in the Widgets or Notification Center (respectively) overlapping with or looking truncated by the taskbar.
• When using the bottom right edge gesture to see Quick Settings, the taskbar sometimes stays stuck in the expanded state, instead of dismissing to the collapsed state.
• When there are no running windows on the desktop, the taskbar can sometimes collapse, when it should be expanded.

[Widgets]

• In right-to-left display languages like Arabic, content animates out of view before the widgets board resizes when clicking to an expanded view of the widgets board.
  The notification badge number may appear misaligned on the taskbar.

(Source)