The Windows 10 update for May 2020, also known as Windows 10 2004, started rolling out to users today.
This new version of Windows 10 comes with many new features, detailed in a previous ZDNet article here, including a revamped network status page, adding GPU card temperatures to Task Manager and a new Cortana experience.
However, Windows 10 2004 also includes security improvements, which Microsoft says will help keep Windows 10 users safe in the future.
Below is a list of all the new features, which we plan to update as we discover new features in the coming days.
Windows Sandbox improvements
Last year, Microsoft introduced the Windows Sandbox on all versions of Windows with the release of the v1903. The Windows Sandbox component allows users to launch a virtual machine running a light version of Windows 10. Since its launch, the Windows Sandbox has gained popularity among the company’s user base because it allows users to run dangerous applications in an isolated environment, without damaging their main installation of Windows 10.
Although the Windows Sandbox component is not comparable to other sandbox software, work on it did not stop once it came with a version of Windows 10. Today, Microsoft has rolled out a series of new features, which will facilitate application automation in enterprise test environments.
- Support for configuration files so you can configure certain aspects of the sandbox, such as vGPU, networking, and shared folders.
- Microphone support.
- The ability to configure the audio input from the configuration file.
- Activate the Ease of Access dialog with Shift + Alt +[print screen].
- Enter and exit full screen mode with CTRL + Alt +[break].
WiFi 6 and WPA3 support
Windows 10 v2004 now supports the latest versions of the WiFi and WPA wireless communication standard, the protocol used to authenticate WiFi connections.
Both protocols include protections against a series of attacks, such as DragonBlood, KRACK, etc., allowing Windows 10 users to connect to WiFi networks more securely.
System Guard improvements
Microsoft says it has also upgraded System Guard Secure Launch, a feature that checks whether the device firmware has been loaded securely without being corrupted.
In Windows 10, version 2004, Microsoft indicates that the secure launch of System Guard now measures more parameters than before. However, this feature requires modern hardware and may not work on all devices.
New security bases
We also have new security baselines (drafts for now) for Windows 10 and Windows Server installations.
Security baselines are basic operating system configurations that system administrators can deploy to their IT assets and ensure that basic security features are enabled.
Windows Hello extended
Windows Hello is a feature that allows users to log on to their Windows computers using biometric methods (fingerprint scanning, face scanning) or without a password (PIN code).
In Windows 10 v2004, once enabled, Windows Hello connection options also appear for computers started in safe mode.
In addition, Windows Hello passwordless authentication methods can also be used as an alternative to passwords when users log into their Microsoft accounts.
More FIDO2 support
Windows 10 supports FIDO2 security keys as a form of passwordless authentication.
Starting with Windows 10 v2004, Microsoft says that support for FIDO2 “security keys has been extended to include Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) hybrid devices, allowing even more customers to take an important step in their journey to environments without passwords. “
Secure kernel updates
Microsoft says devices that work with AMD’s new Ryzen Pro 4000 chipsets are now compatible with its new secure core technology. The secure kernel is a feature of Windows 10 PCs that includes additional protection against attacks that alter the hardware components, firmware or internal components of the processor of a device.
New operating system “cloud recovery option”
Windows 10 now has a cloud recovery option in the “Reset this PC” section.
Until now, the option “Reset this PC” had only one option – namely to do a local reinstallation where it would create a new Windows installation from existing Windows files. Starting with Windows 10 2004, users can select the cloud recovery option, which will ask Windows to download the files necessary for reinstallation from Microsoft servers.
This option is recommended only for users with a fast Internet connection.