January 24 Tech news roundup: New Windows 11 bug could freeze your PC, TikTok US deal sealed, NVIDIA to take on Intel and AMD with its own ARM processor

Microsoft confirms Windows 11 bug that freezes PCs

A new bug has been found in Windows 11 that could affect many users. The issue affects file operations like load, save, in cloud storage apps. When a user attempts to save a file from cloud storage, or load a file from the cloud, the computer could freeze and become unresponsive. It appears that this problem isn’t limited to the OneDrive app, third-party apps are also affected by it, including Dropbox.

Microsoft has officially acknowledged the bug, and says that it affects several versions of Windows including Windows 11 version 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, and Windows 10 version 22H2. Some older versions of Windows 10 LTSC, as well as Windows Server 2019, 2022, 23H2, 2025 are also impacted by the bug. Unfortunately, there is no workaround for the problem yet, but the Redmond company is investigating the problem, and is expected to release an update to patch it out.

Microsoft has been criticized for poor quality updates that have continued to worsen over the past few years, and users are left to ponder whether this will ever be fixed.

TikTok US deal closes, but users are concerned about privacy

It’s official, TikTok’s US operations are now owned by American firms. The short-video platform ran into trouble in 2020, and has been under constant scrutiny in the US, which was worried about Chinese propaganda. After facing a ban, ByteDance, the China-based company which owned TikTok, agreed to sell its US operations to continue providing its services in the Country. Following a lengthy process, a deal worth reportedly $14 Billion has been sealed.

Oracle, The Silver Lake, and MGX will each own a 15% stake in TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture LLC. ByteDance LLC will own a 19.9% stake in the company. The joint venture will oversee the operations in the US. However, the new terms of service, and privacy policy mentions that the company now collects the precise geolocation of the user, providing the user consents to the telemetry. It also collects data about users’ interaction with AI such as prompts, questions, files, etc.

LastPass issues warning about an active phishing campaign

LastPass has released a statement to warn users about a phishing campaign that is targeting its users. A report published by LastPass Threat Intelligence, Mitigation, and Escalation (TIME) team revealed that the phishing campaign started last week. The attackers are sending emails to users of the password manager service, claiming that LastPass is conducting maintenance, and urges users to backup their vaults in the next 24 hours. This is not a real message.

LastPass says that it is an attempt by malicious actors to create a sense of urgency, thus cause users to panic and to trick them to click on the link. If that happens, your passwords and logins could be compromised, which may result in identity theft, fraud, etc.  Users are advised to not click on any links in such mails.

LinkedIn users are being targeted by phishing attacks

LastPass isn’t the only service that is being targeted by malicious actors. Hackers are focusing on LinkedIn to phish executives, and admins. According to ReliaQuest, threat actors are zeroing in on high value targets by sharing fake job ads. This sophisticated attack consists of a payload that is injected using remote access trojans, RATs. When the user clicks on the shared archive, it auto extracts the data, and places a fake PDF reader in the folder. Opening this file loads a malicious DLL that runs the malicious code.

Security experts warn that online threats are evolving, and hackers are expanding phishing attacks beyond email inboxes, and social media like LinkedIn are among many platforms that modern attackers use for their nefarious purposes.

Anthem is back thanks to fan servers

A couple of weeks ago, Electronic Arts shut down the servers for its loot shooter game, Anthem. The game, which debuted in 2019, has had its fair share of flaws, but still managed to attract a cult following. But it never really picked up the pace, which eventually led to EA and Bioware abandoning it. One of the game’s producers, Mark Darrah, had even mentioned that Anthem could survive if it had a single player mode. Darrah claimed that the process would be relatively cheap, and would allow fans to continue playing the game. But it came to no avail, and the game was shut down. However, Anthem was given new life thanks to some fans, who have managed to create a private server to play the game.

It’s not an official solution, and reports indicate some of the online features don’t work. It’s more or less a proof of concept to show that it’s a way to play the game. This private server was demoed on a YouTube channel, for research purposes. Perhaps this could convince EA to revive the game, but it’s a long shot.

NVIDIA is set to enter the CPU market with ARM chips for laptops

Intel and AMD may be looking at some unexpected competition, as GPU maker NVIDIA is prepping to enter the CPU market for laptops. Specifically, it is focusing on an ARM-based architecture, instead of x86. Reports indicate that high-performance ARM chips made by NVIDIA could be launched in Q2, 2026. A leak suggests that the first chip is called N1/N1X. Lenovo is working on a Legion gaming laptop that will ship with the new chip. However, there may be more models in the works. A dataminer unearthed some Lenovo laptop models from the Ideapad Slim, and Yoga Pro lineup, which are said to be powered by the N1/N1X chips.

NVIDIA is also said to be developing a second gen chip called N2/N2X, and these could debut in Q3, 2026. This isn’t NVIDIA’s first foray into the world of processors, the company made the Tegra 4 chip which was used on the Microsoft Surface 2 in 2013. NVIDIA’s ARM chips will focus on AI. Can NVIDIA deliver better performance than Intel and ARM? It may prove to be a challenge, especially considering the current situation of rising RAM, SSD, NAND prices. Is this the right time for NVIDIA to step up?