Author: Neel Achary

January 2026 Patch Tuesday: Expert Comment from Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer, Tenable

By— Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer, Tenable

“New reality: 1,000+ CVEs per year is now the baseline. For the second consecutive year, the January Patch Tuesday release has surged, with over 100 CVEs patched in the first update of 2026. This month, 113 CVEs were addressed, including eight rated as critical.

CVE-2026-20805 stands out as a zero-day information disclosure vulnerability in the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), a core component responsible for rendering windows on a user’s screen. Exploitation requires local access, potentially disclosing sensitive information. While DWM has been a “frequent flyer” on Patch Tuesday—20 CVEs have been patched in this library since 2022—this is the first time an information disclosure flaw in DWM has been observed being exploited in the wild. Historically, attackers have leveraged DWM vulnerabilities to escalate privileges (e.g., CVE-2023-36033, CVE-2024-30051).

Microsoft also highlighted that three Windows Secure Boot certificates are set to expire in June and October 2026. These certificates Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011, Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011, and Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011—sign updates for key Windows Secure Boot components, which serve as critical “digital guards” against threats like rootkits and bootkits. It is essential for affected users and organizations to update to the most recent 2023 certificates to continue receiving future security updates.

Additionally, a pair of remote code execution vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office (CVE-2026-20952, CVE-2026-20953) were patched this month. These flaws can be exploited via malicious Office document files, and importantly, through Microsoft’s Preview Pane, meaning attackers can achieve code execution without the user ever opening the file. While rated as less likely to be exploited, these vulnerabilities underscore the risks in today’s threat landscape, where even a brief glance at a file can be dangerous.”

New Issue Brief Warns of Rising Wood Fibre Risks for India’s Packaging and Textile Sectors

Solutions-driven environmental non-profit Canopy, in partnership with Finance Earth, has released Paper Thin Comfort: Wood Fibre Risk in a Finite Forest World. The brief highlights escalating risks for India’s wood-dependent industries at a time when paper demand is increasing by nearly one million tonnes annually.

India’s e-commerce packaging and MMCF textile sectors—including rayon and viscose—are becoming increasingly reliant on imported wood pulp and recovered fibre. Tightening global wood supply, climate-related disruptions, and upcoming EU due-diligence requirements are amplifying cost, continuity, and compliance risks for export-oriented manufacturers. With Asia’s paper production having surged 60% between 2000 and 2021, Indian brands face urgent pressure to strengthen fibre security. The brief encourages a pivot to low-risk alternatives such as textile waste and agro-residues like sugarcane bagasse and rice straw—areas where India holds a natural competitive advantage—for more resilient and circular supply chains.

Jointly developed by Canopy and Finance Earth a social enterprise specializing in investment strategies for nature, climate, and communities the brief reveals that rising demand from bioenergy, construction, and packaging continues to outpace sustainable wood supply. Climate stressors, such as worsening wildfires and increased competition for land, are constraining global pulp availability, echoing vulnerabilities in India’s Northeast forest regions and raising the risks of relying heavily on imported pulp and recovered fibre.

Meanwhile, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), effective December 2026, will require exporters to certify products as “deforestation-free.” This introduces significant market access and compliance pressures for Indian exporters across textile hubs like Tiruppur and Ludhiana, as well as fast-growing packaging clusters serving e-commerce, food, and FMCG sectors.

Key Risks for Indian Industry

• Rising Demand: Global wood demand, driven by energy transition and e-commerce packaging, is outpacing sustainable forest supply, increasing price volatility for India’s $200+ billion textile and paper ecosystem.

• Supply Constraints: Climate stressors, low waste paper recovery rates, and growing import dependence are heightening vulnerability to raw material shortages.

• Compliance Pressures: New regulations such as EUDR and evolving human rights due diligence norms could add to compliance costs and squeeze margins for Indian exporters.

Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy, said:

“India has a remarkable opportunity. With the right collaboration, waste textiles and agricultural residues like bagasse and straw can become the foundation of low-carbon, circular fibre supply chains—reducing pressure on global forests while strengthening industrial resilience in India. Producers and brands can future-proof sourcing, meet rising global expectations, and unlock new competitiveness through materials that are made to perform, scale, and succeed in India.”

The brief outlines a three-part framework to strengthen India’s fibre resilience and export readiness:

1. Scale Alternatives: Accelerate adoption of circular fibres from agricultural residues and recycled textiles to reduce dependence on high-risk forest sources.

2. De-Risk Wood: Strengthen sourcing through FSC certification, full traceability, and assessment of ecological and social risks, including impacts on Indigenous and forest-dependent communities.

3. Future-Proof: Use scenario planning to anticipate regulatory shifts, climate shocks, and demand surges, guiding investment toward sustainable fibre technologies and domestic fibre scaling.

Canopy will engage Indian brands, manufacturers, investors, policymakers, and innovators to accelerate adoption of these solutions—protecting forests while enhancing India’s position as a competitive, low-risk supplier to global markets.

Muthoot Microfin Recognized as Financial Inclusion Institution of the Year

Mumbai, Jan  15 : Muthoot Microfin Limited (NSE: MUTHOOTMF, BSE: 544055), among India’s leading Non-Banking Financial Company-Micro Finance Institution (NBFC-MFI), has secured two prestigious national awards at the Inclusive Finance India Awards 2025, presented at the Global Inclusion Finance Summit 2026.

Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor of India, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, presented the dual honors alongside Vipin Sharma, CEO, ACCESS Development Services, and Hitendra Dave, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC India. The summit was organized by ACCESS Development Services in partnership with GoI Ministry of Finance and HSBC, bringing together leaders from banking, microfinance, fintech, and policy-making circles.

Muthoot Microfin was recognized as, Financial Inclusion Institution of the Year, and along with it, was also awarded for Responsible Finance for Sustainability.

The Financial Inclusion Institution of the Year award recognizes Muthoot Microfin’s unwavering commitment to transforming lives at the grassroots by expanding access to formal credit and financial services. Through its extensive on-ground network of 1,718 branches spread across 21 states and 392 districts, the company currently serves 33.6 lakh active customers, empowering underserved communities and small entrepreneurs, with a Gross Loan Portfolio of INR 12,558.8 crore as of September 30, 2025.

The Responsible Finance for Sustainability award validates Muthoot Microfin’s concrete sustainability initiatives in FY25 including operating 50+ solar powered branches, disbursing ₹306.5 crore in sanitation loans and INR 29.2 crore in solar product loans, and supporting clients through more than 90,000 natural catastrophe insurance claims. The company is steadily embedding the SDGs into its core operations and service, currently impacting 14 UN SDGs.

The awards acknowledge the company’s impact in serving women borrowers across rural India through its Joint Liability Group (JLG) model. By focusing exclusively on women from low-income households, Muthoot Microfin has enabled micro-enterprises, from vegetable vending and tailoring units to dairy farming and agriculture-linked activities, to grow with dignity and financial independence.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Sadaf Sayeed, CEO, Muthoot Microfin Limited, said

“We are honored to receive these recognitions at a time when microfinance plays a vital role in advancing India’s financial inclusion agenda. The ‘Financial Inclusion Institution of the Year’ recognition is an acknowledgement of how deeply financial inclusion is embedded in the way Muthoot Microfin operates. Our focus has been on reaching women who are often excluded from formal finance and supporting them in building stable livelihoods through responsible, transparent lending. For us, inclusion is not measured by scale alone, but by the resilience it creates at the household level, whether through sustained income, access to essential services, or protection during periods of uncertainty. Our approach to responsible finance integrates livelihood support with sustainable practices, whether through clean energy solutions, sanitation financing, access to healthcare, or protection during times of distress. We remain committed to growing responsibly, ensuring that every initiative strengthens the communities we serve and contributes meaningfully to a more inclusive and sustainable economic ecosystem. These recognitions support our belief that long-term value for the institution is created when growth is aligned with trust, care, and meaningful impact on the communities we serve.”

The Inclusive Finance India Awards, instituted by ACCESS Development Services, a leading development sector support organization, recognize excellence, innovation, and responsibility across the financial inclusion ecosystem. The awards celebrate organizations that demonstrate outstanding impact in making finance accessible, affordable, and sustainable for underserved communities.

Budget 2026 Poised to Boost Housing Growth Beyond Metros

By:–  Prakhar Agrawal, Director, Rama Group

“Budget 2026 presents a pivotal opportunity to shape India’s housing story beyond the metros. Tier-II and Tier-III cities are witnessing rising aspirations and end-user–driven demand, and the right policy measures can accelerate this growth. Strategic interventions such as GST rationalisation on construction, enhanced homebuyer tax incentives, and realistic affordability benchmarks, coupled with sustained investment in urban infrastructure and connectivity, will not only make housing more accessible but also unlock the next wave of real estate growth across the country.”