Windows PowerShell now warns when running Invoke-WebRequest scripts

Microsoft says Windows PowerShell now warns when running scripts that use the Invoke-WebRequest cmdlet to download web content, aiming to prevent potentially risky code from executing.

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 461 - Week Ending December 12, 2025

Here are this week's top links from the Morning Dew. Thanks for following!

DOWST.DEV | December 12, 2025

PowerShell Weekly for December 12, 2025 - programming.dev

## Announcements! - Invoke-WebRequest Breaking Change [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/powershell-5-1-preventing-script-execution-from-web-content-7cb95559-655e-43fd-a8bd-ceef2406b705] Windows PowerShell 5.1 now displays a security confirmation prompt when using the Invoke-WebRequest command to fetch web pages without special parameters. ## Blogs, Articles, and Posts - Create Web Links as HTML Files using PowerShell [https://tommymaynard.com/create-web-links-as-html-files-using-powershell/] You know, I’m not even sure of my visitor count these days, but last I looked this site still receives a few hundred pages views per week. Something like that, at least. I wrote something at work today that brought me over here, as it may help others. I guess I still do care enough - PowerShell String Manipulation: Swap Lines [https://sid-500.com/2025/12/09/powershell-string-manipulation-swap-lines/] In this article I will show you how you can swap lines. I will use an example and show you what is important. Let’s dive in. - Checking Where Tenant Users Go as Guests [https://office365itpros.com/2025/12/09/external-guest-activity/] After all the fuss about Teams users inviting people to chat via email, tenant administrators realize that knowing where users are active as guest accounts is not as easy as it might seem. Part of the problem is that data about user activity is mostly controlled by host rather than home tenants. However, it’s possible to extract some information from audit sign-in logs to figure out where tenant users go as guests. - When Santa brings you a work request: Searching GitHub Repos and Gists for Text Patterns with PowerShell [https://skatterbrainz.wordpress.com/2025/12/11/when-santa-brings-you-a-work-request-searching-github-repos-and-gists-for-text-patterns-with-powershell/] This is my feeble attempt at blogging again. Now that blogging is out of fashion and we trust AI to tell us what to think, drink and eat, it’s probably as good a time to do it as ever. So, th… ## Projects, Scripts, and Modules - Entra ECMA2Host Tools PowerShell Module [https://blog.darrenjrobinson.com/entra-ecma2host-tools-powershell-module/] If you’ve ever worked with the ECMA2Host for Entra Outbound Provisioning you’ll be immediately presented with a lack of visibility of the connectors. Especially if you’ve previously used Microsoft / Forefront Identity Manager. - PowerShell OSD Frontend Project [https://garytown.com/powershell-osd-frontend-project] Hey Folks, so I recently had the need for a front end, so I looked at the regular community ones, but they didn’t fit my needs. - Deploying and configuring uBlock Origin Lite with PowerShell and Microsoft Intune [https://www.imab.dk/enterprise-ad-blocking-deploying-and-configuring-ublock-origin-lite-with-powershell-and-microsoft-intune/] Introduction Ad blocking is often dismissed as a convenience feature for users tired of intrusive banners and pop-ups. But in 2025 – almost 2026 – it’s time to reframe the conversation: ad blocking is a fundamental security control every organization should implement. - Servers101 [https://github.com/PowerShellWeb/Servers101] Simple Servers in PowerShell. ## Books, Media, and Learning Resources - Invoke-WebRequest Just Started Asking Questions [https://youtu.be/JcrSg2hCJAg] This video explains the new security prompt added to Invoke-WebRequest in Windows PowerShell 5.1 and shows how to prevent it from affecting any of your automations. - Building Custom MCP Tools in PowerShell Universal [https://youtu.be/E4U6z6Dqemc] In this video, we look at how to build custom MCP tools using PowerShell Universal. It leverages the experimental MCP plugin to expose PowerShell scripts as tools. As an example, we quickly build a system monitoring dashboard. ## Community - Cryptography, Cracking Codes, and Breaking CBC with Dr. Al Carlson [https://powershellpodcast.podbean.com/e/cryptography-cracking-codes-and-breaking-cbc-with-dr-al-carlson/] In this episode of The PowerShell Podcast, host Andrew Pla welcomes Dr. Al Carlson, a cryptographer, mathematician, and engineer whose career spans more than four decades in military intelligence, embedded systems, and advanced encryption research. Dr. Carlson explains how set theory and mathematical patterns underpin all cryptography, breaking down complex systems like AES into understandable concepts. He discusses his groundbreaking work on isomorphic cipher reduction, polymorphic encryption, and how simplicity, not complexity, is often the key to true security. - The Cmdlet Decision: When to Be Weird [https://www.jsnover.com/blog/2025/12/11/the-cmdlet-decision-when-to-be-weird/] I’ve spent a lot of time, and acquired a lot of scar tissue, in this industry, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that most people are terrified of looking different. People hug the cente… ## Fun - Saving Christmas with PowerShell: Building a Reusable Matching Algorithm [https://youtu.be/4uwQh6Nap5M] What starts as a simple Secret Santa script quickly turns into a full-blown constraint-based matching engine. ## Events - PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit 2026 [https://www.powershellsummit.org/] April 13-17, 2026 in Bellevue, WA - PSConfEU 2026 Call for Speakers [https://sessionize.com/psconfeu26] Submissions must be posted by this Sunday, 14 Dec 2025 Check out psweekly.dowst.dev [https://psweekly.dowst.dev/] for all past editions as well as a searchable archive.

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 461 - Week Ending December 12, 2025

Here are this week's top links from the Morning Dew. Thanks for following!

[Boost]

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