Hi, Folks!
It’s not Patch Tuesday, but Microsoft, Apple and Google released out-of-cycle updates today. The typical computer should require less than 50mb of updates. Let’s get started.
Microsoft released an out-of-cycle security update for Windows today, as well as a new baseline for Microsoft Security Essentials. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.
http://update.microsoft.com/
Apple released an update to Mac mini EFI. This is not a security update. Use Apple Software Update to get the most current version.
Don’t forget to check your mobile devices, too! Many updates will also apply to your tablet, phone, kindle or television – so check your device-appropriate App Store and install updates.
Next week Microsoft will release Windows 10, which they’ve called “the last Windows operating system”. Free updates will be available to download for any computer running legal consumer versions of Windows 7 or 8.1. This will be a very extensive update (over 3gb) and will take hours to process. Afterwards consumer versions will have Microsoft updates forced upon them, though they can select the timing of the updates. While other changes will be imposed as well, it’s really the best step forward for both security and stability. My recommendation is to wait until after Patch Tuesday of August before installing the update. While there are thousands of people testing Windows 10 already, it can not be tested with all hardware, so you would be safest to wait until other guinea pigs subject themselves to whatever problems may arise before allowing yourself to suffer potential data loss and frustration.
Important Notes
Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.
Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.
It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.
Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.
Finally, if you’re sick of doing this all yourself, let me! Call or email me any time, and we can set you up with subscription SaferPC updates which will be installed each month whenever necessary. Click, call or email for more details:
https://saferpc.info/updates/
209-565-12PD
shawn@12pointdesign.com
Driver Updates
If you’re using this hardware – these updates are for you.
Intel Driver Update 20150714 adds support for new hardware and software. This is not a security update.
http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect
Browser Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Google Chrome 44.0.2403.89 is a security update. Use Menu, About to get the most current version.
Codec Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Vista Codec Package 6.9.0 updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html
Converter Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
MKVToolNix 8.2.0 provides several fixes to GUI and merge. This is not a security update.
http://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVtoolnix
Utility Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
Bitcoin 0.11.0 introduces validated block file pruning, undo controls, storage allocation preferences, big endian support, memory optimization, improved privacy controls and more. This is a security update.
http://bitcoin.org/en/download
Cygwin 2.1.0 fixes several bugs and adds new APIs. This is not a security update.
http://cygwin.com/
iExplorer 3.7.7.0 adds iTunes 12.2 compatibility and fixes 2 sync bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/
QuickSetDNS 1.10 adds style controls. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/quick_set_dns.html
SimpleWMIView 1.07 adds the ability to copy a sorted column form the GUI. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html
Sysmon 3.1 adds thread initialization tracking for CreateRemoteThread events and changes the format of timestamps to allow for simple string sorting and fixes several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/
LogonSessions 1.3 adds CSV and TSV output. This is not a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/
Developer Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
Inno Setup 5.5.6 improves Windows 10 compatibility, adds several new features and bug fixes. This is not a security update.
http://www.jrsoftware.org/isdl.php
Web Package Updates
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.
phpMyAdmin 4.4.12 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/news.php
Plupload 2.1.8 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.plupload.com/
Postie 1.7.2 fixes a taxonomy compatibility bug and adds a filter for generating galleries. This is not a security update.
That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉
Regards,
Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/