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Practical Active Directory, Exchange, Azure, and security guidance from 10+ years in hybrid enterprise infrastructure.
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Microsoft33 posts
Windows Server, Active Directory, Exchange, Azure and Microsoft 365
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PowerShell, scripts and runbooks that save hours
Latest: CMTrace Open: Reading SCCM-Format Logs Without Installing SCCMSecurity10 posts
CVEs, hardening and incident response
Latest: CVE-2026-96934: An Unauthenticated Flaw in the Windows DHCP Server…Cloud Computing8 posts
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Latest: Installing k3s and Deploying Your First Kubernetes WorkloadRobotics3 posts
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Kernel, systemd, upgrades and troubleshooting
Latest: Ubuntu on 1 GB RAM: Stop the Hangs With…AI & ML3 posts
AI agents, AI security and practical use
Latest: Azure OpenAI o1, o3 and o4-mini Retire November 19,…Virtualization5 posts
Hyper-V, VMware and virtual infrastructure
Latest: CVE-2026-57092: A CVSS 9.9 Flaw in Hyper-V VMSwitch Lets…Fresh from the field
Azure
Microsoft Entra Will Switch Off SMS First-Factor Sign-In in Tenants Where Nobody Uses It, With the Rollout Ending in Late November: Check Your Setting and Who Depends on It (MC1465763)
Microsoft will disable SMS first-factor sign-in in Entra tenants with no recent successful use. See the 30 day rule, the exact setting path and...
Azure
Microsoft Entra Lets Any User Create AI Agent Blueprints by Default From November 4: Switch the Setting Off and Check Who Can Still Create Them (MC1506733)
From November 4, 2026 default users in Microsoft Entra can create agent blueprints unless you switch the setting off. See where the toggle is,...
Windows Server
Windows Server 2022 Hotpatch Needs a Restart in November and December 2026 (MC1527979): Count Your Real Restarts and Check What Is Pending Before Patch Tuesday
Microsoft says hotpatch enrolled Windows Server 2022 needs a restart for the November and December 2026 updates. See the 2026 calendar, how many restarts...
Azure
Entra Self-Service Password Reset Stops Accepting Directory Phone Numbers and Emails in November: Act by November 6 and Check Who Has Not Registered a Method (MC1325414)
Microsoft Entra SSPR will accept only registered authentication methods. See the dates in MC1325414, who is affected and how to run the registration campaign...
Security
CVE-2026-96934: An Unauthenticated Flaw in the Windows DHCP Server Rated CVSS 9.8 Was Fixed on October 13: Check Whether the Role Is Installed and Which Build Fixes It
CVE-2026-96934 lets an unauthenticated attacker run code on a Windows DHCP Server. See the fixed build for each Windows Server version and how to...
Windows Server
The Last Windows Secure Boot Certificate From 2011 Expired on October 19: Check Whether Your Windows Server Has the 2023 Certificates, and Why the Registry and the Firmware Can Disagree
Windows Production PCA 2011 expired on October 19, 2026. See how to read the firmware DB and KEK on a Windows Server and why...
Windows Server
Microsoft Released Out-of-Band Updates for Windows Server on October 26 (KB5134137, KB5134140, KB5134123): Check Whether Your Server Needs the Trusted Root Payload, and Read the Official Exchange Known Issue
Microsoft shipped out-of-band Windows Server updates with a fresh trusted root payload for disconnected servers. See how to check yours and what the Exchange...
Microsoft
.NET 8.0.33, 9.0.22 and 10.0.14 Fix the Brotli Flaw CVE-2026-111497 Out of Band: Update the Runtime and Rebuild Self-Contained Apps
Microsoft shipped .NET out-of-band security updates on October 25 for a Brotli buffer overflow. See who is exposed, how to check, and why self-contained...
Windows Server
Microsoft Pulled Seven eMudhra Certificates From the Windows Trust List: Check Whether Your Windows Server Trusts Any and Whether Root Auto Update Is On
Microsoft removed trust in seven eMudhra certificates on October 26. Run four PowerShell checks to see what your Windows Server trusts and if root...
Microsoft
PowerShell 7.6.7 Is Still Affected by CVE-2026-96251 (CVSS 8.8): The Fix Is 7.6.8 or Newer, and 7.6.9 Is Out
The CVE record for PowerShell flaw CVE-2026-96251 lists 7.6.8 as the first fixed 7.6 build. Check the release list and the record yourself and...
Exchange
October 2026 Exchange Server Security Updates (KB5128895): The Last Ones for Exchange 2016 and 2019, and Two Flaws Rated More Likely to Be Exploited
Microsoft released the October 2026 Exchange security updates on October 13. Build and KB for each version, the six CVEs, how to read your...
Active Directory
CVE-2026-70229: Critical Active Directory Domain Services RCE Fixed in October 2026, Is Your Domain Controller Below the Fixed Build?
CVE-2026-70229 is a critical Active Directory Domain Services remote code execution flaw fixed on October 13, 2026. A PowerShell build check for your domain...
Abdalla AI Server
Our own AI assistant for IT questions, built and run by us. It is being upgraded right now and will be back soon. See what is coming →
Abdalla M. Elmorsi
Senior Systems Administrator based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working across Active Directory, Exchange, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Azure, and VMware and Hyper-V virtualization. This site is where the troubleshooting checklists and scripts from that work get written up properly.
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