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So long and thanks for all the fish: Peter Williams admits to selling unpatched iPhone bugs to a shady Russian broker.
The post US Defense Contractor Boss Sold Zero Days to Russia — Cops a Plea appeared first on Security Boulevard.
We usually tell our faithful readers to install updates as soon as possible, but this time there’s an exception. Microsoft’s October security update has disabled USB mice and keyboards in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
WinRE is a special mode built into Windows that helps you fix problems when your system won’t start normally. Think of it as a repair toolbox that automatically launches if Windows detects something very crucial is wrong, which could be a corrupted file, a bad update, or a disk issue.
But recovery mode is not much use when it doesn’t let you use your USB-wired mouse and keyboard.
The security update that broke this functionality is published under the KB5066835 October 2025 security updates as Microsoft revealed:
“After installing the Windows security update released on October 14, 2025 (KB5066835), USB devices, such as keyboards and mice, do not function in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).”
So, to be clear, this isn’t an immediate problem for everyone. As long as your machine behaves normally, it’s not an issue. But if you’re one of the unlucky ones who has to use recovery mode after this update, that’s two problems for the price of one: a broken system and a recovery mode that won’t let you fix it..
Even if you have a Bluetooth mouse lying around, it won’t help. In WinRE the system loads a minimal set of drivers to keep things simple and stable for troubleshooting. Typically, this environment does not support adding or installing new hardware drivers on the fly, including Bluetooth drivers.
Your peripherals will only work if you’re very lucky and have PS/2 connectors (I checked all my Windows machines and only one old desktop has those). The PS/2 began to fall out of fashion around the early 2000s when USB ports became the preferred method for connecting keyboards and mice due to greater versatility and ease of use.
The issue is known to affect both client (Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 11 25H2) and server (Windows Server 2025) platforms.
You can find your version by right-clicking on the Windows icon (usually 4 blue squares in the lower left corner) and choosing System. From there scroll down to “Windows specifications.”
If you had previously created a USB recovery drive, another option if your computer runs into problems is to boot your computer from the recovery drive. This will take you directly to WinRE with restored USB functionality.
If you have a stable system and already installed the update, I would not go as far as to uninstall it, but if you’re worried, you can:
Generally speaking, keep an eye out for Microsoft’s fix—the company has not yet released a timeline.
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If you’re into MMOs, then you need a proper mouse to fire all your skills and spell combos with ease. The Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed is the mouse for that, and right now it’s available for 38% off. That means you can grab it for just $62.49, considerably less than its original $99.99 and close to its cheapest sale price of all time.
The Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed isn’t just uber-fast with a 30K optical sensor, but it also comes with an insanely high number of programmable buttons. I’m talking a total of 19 buttons that you can set up to do whatever you need, with 12 of them being on the side of the mouse. Just imagine playing World of Warcraft and cycling through your action rotation without touching your keyboard. Fantastic!
The Naga V2 HyperSpeed also features Razer’s HyperScroll technology, which allows you to quickly scroll through all the content you need at blazing speed, even entering free-spin mode. It’s totally wireless—with both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth options—also has excellent battery life, with a single AA battery providing almost 400 hours of usage, which is pretty great because you won’t be spending a fortune on batteries.
If you’re into MMOs, you’ll love the convenience of a button-loaded wireless mouse like this. Get the Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed for $62.49 while you still can and level up your MMO experience!
The Razer Naga V2 HyperSpeed is a dream for all MMO gamers
In the market for a budget-friendly wired gaming mouse? The Razer Basilisk V3 is one of our favorites, and it just keeps getting more and more affordable. Right now, it’s down to its all-time best price of just $29.99 on Amazon—that’s a whopping 57% off its original $69.99. Prime Big Deal Days might be over, but hot deals still abound!
That’s an incredible price for a mouse with a maximum DPI of 26,000, offering extreme responsiveness and speed that’ll give you an edge over your competition no matter what game you’re playing. Other nice features include 11 programmable buttons, ergonomic grip, HyperScroll Tilt Wheel, and Chroma RGB lighting. It’s wired-only though, which might be a deal-breaker for wireless gear fans.
We reviewed the Razer Basilisk V3 a while back and it utterly won us over, earning a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice award. We appreciated its “faultless performance” and gorgeous RGB lighting, as well as the HyperScroll Tilt Wheel that makes it easy to zip through content. The numerous programmable buttons are also great for both gaming customizations and productivity macros.
If you want a newer, wireless version of this mouse, the Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed is on sale for $37.99 (or 46% off from $69.99). Otherwise, act fast and snag the Razer Basilisk V3 for $29.99 while you can!
No other budget-tier gaming mouse can match this for the priceIf neither of these are to your tastes, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best budget gaming mice, best wireless gaming mice, and best overall gaming mice.
Logitech just launched the MX Master 4 mouse, which is a big deal if you spend most of your days glued to a computer screen. This is the first MX mouse with customizable haptics, which means you’ll feel vibrations when you scroll and select things. If you’re a designer or video editor, you definitely shouldn’t sleep on this, as it could make your life a heck of a lot easier.
One of the coolest features is the Actions Ring. Essentially, it’s a digital overlay that appears on your screen containing all of your much loved shortcuts. This overlay lets you assign commands for Photoshop, Excel, or whatever else you’re working with that day. Logitech claims it can cut down repetitive mouse movements by 63 percent.
Connectivity gets a nice boost, too. With this model, you’re getting a high-performance chip as well as better antenna placement, which means, according to Logitech, you’re getting twice the connection strength compared to previous iterations. You can also easily pair it with laptops or desktops via USB-C.
Durability’s a big deal here as well. The MX Master 4 has a stain-resistant finish and a sturdy construction. Logitech even used some recycled materials for the mouse and made the packaging easy to toss into the recycling bin. We love to see efforts being made in the sustainability space here!
Other neat bits? The scroll wheel can whiz through 1,000 lines per second, and its 8,000 DPI sensor makes tracking very precise on most surfaces like glass or wood. And Logitech says clicks are 90 percent quieter, which is ideal for shared workspaces.
The MX Master 4 costs $119.99 and it comes with a one-month Adobe Creative Cloud trial. Colorways include Black, Graphite, and Pale Grey for the folks in North America. There’s also an MX Master 4 for Mac ($119.99) and it’s available in White Silver or Space Black.
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