Skip to main content TechRadar the technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming Amazon Prime Day Back to school Nintendo Switch 2 NYT Wordle today Best laptop Best web hosting Recommended reading Windows 11 24H2 update arrives in preview with important fix for blue screen crashes – but I still wouldn’t rush to install this upgrade Still on Windows 11 23H2 because you’re worried 24H2 is a disaster for PC gaming? Microsoft’s latest update could persuade you to finally upgrade New update for Windows 11 24H2 is the most feature-packed for some time, delivering some seriously useful additions Is your Windows 11 PC crashing a lot since the latest update? Microsoft admits bug with blue screen crashes, and has rushed out a fix Windows 10’s latest update packs a nasty bug, and while your system might be safe, it’s vital you check now Time to see Windows 11 as a transformation accelerator – not a drag on resources Can’t securely login to your PC using facial recognition anymore? New Windows 11 update patch is likely to blame – if you can install the update at all If you haven't upgraded to Windows 11 24H2 yet, Microsoft's giving you a good reason to do so - better security Darren Allan 10 July 2025 New move with 24H2 makes it 'harder for malicious scripts to exploit the system' When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan) Windows 11 24H2 now has better security levels This is down to Microsoft improving the scripting engine in the OS As a result, hackers will find it more difficult to discover and leverage exploits in Windows 11 Windows 11 just got a move to tighten security, but Microsoft has only applied this to the latest version, 24H2. So, if you've yet to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 - perhaps because you've heard about some of the bugs in this version of the desktop OS - now might be a good time to finally pull the trigger (especially given that some nifty new features have just arrived). Neowin reports that Microsoft announced a switch in the default scripting engine in Windows 11, from the JScript runtime to the newer JScript9Legacy. You may like Windows 11 24H2 update arrives in preview with important fix for blue screen crashes – but I still wouldn’t rush to install this upgrade Still on Windows 11 23H2 because you’re worried 24H2 is a disaster for PC gaming? Microsoft’s latest update could persuade you to finally upgrade New update for Windows 11 24H2 is the most feature-packed for some time, delivering some seriously useful additions If that sounds like gobbledegook, the long and short of it is that this is the engine that runs JScript, Microsoft's own take on JavaScript for use within Windows (and Internet Explorer back in the day). Any apps or web pages leveraging JScript will be more performant with the new version, and security will get a boost - there will be less chance of holes in JScript popping up in Windows 11 that attackers might capitalize on. Microsoft explains: "JScript9Legacy is designed to be more compatible with modern web standards, which helps mitigate the risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) and other web-based attacks. "The new engine incorporates advanced security features such as improved handling of JavaScript objects and stricter execution policies, which make it harder for malicious scripts to exploit the system. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. "By replacing JScript.dll with JScript9Legacy.dll, the operating system can better defend against a wider range of security threats, ultimately providing a more secure environment for users." Analysis: Making life harder for hackers (Image credit: Getty Images) All of this happens in the background, so you won't notice any difference to your experience on the desktop. You will, however, be more secure with Windows 11 24H2 now (without having to do anything). As Neowin points out, Windows has been vulnerable to exploits leveraged by this scripting engine in the past - there was a flaw that allowed for remote code execution (an attacker remotely running code on the host PC to nefarious ends) a year ago. That was patched, naturally, but having JScript with much tighter defenses by default, so fresh attacks are less likely to succeed in the first place, is obviously very worthwhile. So, Windows 11 24H2 now has tighter security than 23H2 by default, and this is a good enough reason to consider an upgrade if you've been hanging back. And I get why you might be cautious, too, given the prevalence of some quite nasty (and odd) bugs plaguing those who made the leap to 24H2 (particularly gamers). However, those glitches have settled down somewhat - so it's perfectly possible you won't run into any stumbling blocks at this point. Of course, at some stage, you're going to have to upgrade to version 24H2 anyway - Microsoft recently made the update compulsory. Indeed, Windows 11 25H2 is now on the horizon (packing the same security improvement we see here, naturally). You might also like... No, Windows 11 PCs aren't 'up to 2.3x faster' than Windows 10 devices, as Microsoft suggests – here's why that's an outlandish claim Windows 11 desktop PCs could soon get Copilot+ AI powers, as Intel might radically switch tactics with next-gen CPUs macOS Tahoe 26: here's everything you need to know about all the new features See more Computing News Darren Allan Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013). You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Windows 11 24H2 update arrives in preview with important fix for blue screen crashes – but I still wouldn’t rush to install this upgrade Still on Windows 11 23H2 because you’re worried 24H2 is a disaster for PC gaming? Microsoft’s latest update could persuade you to finally upgrade New update for Windows 11 24H2 is the most feature-packed for some time, delivering some seriously useful additions Is your Windows 11 PC crashing a lot since the latest update? Microsoft admits bug with blue screen crashes, and has rushed out a fix Windows 10’s latest update packs a nasty bug, and while your system might be safe, it’s vital you check now Time to see Windows 11 as a transformation accelerator – not a drag on resources Latest in Windows New Windows 11 update delivers a host of new features and fixes - here are 4 things I'm looking forward to Windows 11 could get AI-powered dynamic wallpapers - I just hope Microsoft doesn't kill off this idea It only took four years, but Windows 11 is now the most popular desktop OS - and time is running out for Windows 10 Windows 11 search just got more powerful courtesy of Copilot - and I think this is a great use of AI, even if there'll still be haters Confused by a mysterious update that's suddenly appeared on your Windows 10 PC? Don't panic – here's what you need to know Microsoft just gave the Windows 11 Notepad app a controversial feature that people are either loving or hating Latest in News I’m a huge Big Bang Theory fan, but HBO Max's Stuart Fails to Save the Universe spinoff series makes me nervous The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold just got benchmarked – and it’s no match for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Naughty Dog's latest update for The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered lets you play the story in a chronological order but I think this risks blunting the emotional impact of the whole narrative Many SMBs say they can't get to grips with AI, need more training Samsung promises that it hasn't forgotten about the Galaxy tri-fold or the Galaxy Tab S11 – here's when to expect them Forget Google Chrome – OpenAI will reportedly launch its own web browser soon, and it could be a game-changer with one drawback LATEST ARTICLES Nvidia briefly became the first ever $4 trillion company I'd love to snap up this awesome Prime Day deal on the charming iPad mini, but I'd have to hop on a plane Naughty Dog's latest update for The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered lets you play the story in a chronological order but I think this risks blunting the emotional impact of the whole narrative I can’t afford an air conditioner right now – but these 5 tech tips are making things more bearable during this heatwave The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold just got benchmarked – and it’s no match for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Web notifications Accessibility Statement Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...