Welcome back, Folks!
It’s not Patch Tuesday, but updates from Microsoft, Apple, Google, Mozilla, and many others have triggered an out-of-cycle update.
This Month in Technology
Hackney Council has been hacked, Dickey’s BBQ has been hacked, Carnival Corp was hacked, a Finland psychotherapy center was hacked and the stolen data is being used to blackmail patients, SonicWall VPN Portal can be easily hacked, there’s yet another Bluetooth vulnerability (in all but the latest Linux kernel), dozens of government networks have been targeted (and some hacked) by a “Russian hacker group” (though it’s hard to believe that the Russians are behind anything anymore), and President Trump’s campaign website was hacked. Any password you can remember is a bad password. Even if you’re the President. Or a multinational security company.
Some nutjobs are still supporting the lockdowns, even though the half-baked science encouraging lockdowns and masks have been proven false again and again, but that won’t stop authoritarians from treating people as terrorists.
Facebook is permabanning users for buying $300 VR hardware Facebook sells. Really. That’s okay, it’s time for VR to abandon Facebook anyway.
An overzealous Apple security feature (XProtect) has blocked access to HP printers, Amazon Music and more. They’re humorously contradicting themselves about security. On the one hand, they advise users to never plug any device into a non-Apple power adapter, and on the other hand they say they’re saving the planet by not including power adapters anymore.
Epic Games founder and chief executive Tim Sweeney observes:
“What’s most disturbing about Apple’s position is that they seem to truly believe they “own” all commerce involving phones they make, characterizing direct payment as theft, smuggling, and even shoplifting. It’s a crazy, misguided view.”
Yes, in June T-Mobile broke the entire US cell network. No, they won’t be punished.
Twitter and Facebook are actively censoring actual news based on false claims of hacking and sensitive information…but even if it were true, they didn’t seem to mind when the target of the hacking was of a different political persuasion. Twitter acknowledges that Joe Biden is a child sex predator. It should go without saying that social networks will never treat everyone the same. The FCC and President Trump have repeatedly asserted that they will be “clarifying” Section 230. Wouldn’t it be better if they just enforced it?
Not to be outdone by mere social media, the RIAA has demonstrated that it has too much power. Google has demonstrated that they can control what the world knows and believes, which has painted them into a corner for a federal antitrust case.
Orca Security has a great write-up about Palo Alto Networks defective (and illegal) pursuit of security-by-obscurity.
Now for the good news:
Energy scavenging may soon be a reality, hopefully it won’t be used to send us back to the 18th century like in the TV series Revolution. Isn’t it time that we pedaled for power?
Let’s Get Busy
Microsoft released the newest build of Windows 10 v2009, which isn’t that different from v2004. It’s another minor “major” update that streamlines several features and improves overall performance.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Apple released updates for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, iTunes, and Apple Music 3.4.0 for Android. These are security updates.
iOS 14.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.
iPadOS 14.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.
watchOS 7.0.3 is a security update. Use your updated iPhone to install the most current version through the Watch app.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204641
Google Chrome OS 86.0.4240.112 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.
Fedora 33-1.2 adds PARSEC support, improves interoperability and development environment, updated libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/
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.
Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.3.4 improves removal capabilities. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu
MS Mouse and Keyboard Center 13.0 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/downloads/mouse-keyboard-center
Logitech Options 8.34.82 (and 8.34.91 for macOS) resolves several bugs, adds support for new hardware and plugins, and implements the new permissions options for macOS Mojave compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/options
Browser Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Brave 1.16.68 is a security update.
https://brave.com/
Google Chrome 86.0.4240.111 is a security update.
Microsoft Edge 86.0.622.56 is a security update.
Firefox 82.0.2 is a security update.
Firefox ESR 78.4.0 is a security update.
Vivaldi 3.4.2066.86 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/
Internet Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
BrowsingHistoryView 2.45 adds an option to display QR codes for selected URLs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html
curl 7.73.0 resolves over a hundred bugs and adds several new switches, improving help and error handling. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/
Dropbox 108.4.453 does not provide a detailed changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/
FileZilla Client 3.51.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/
TrueNAS 12.0 is the merger of FreeNAS and TrueNAS to build a much more powerful whole. This major update improves quality, reliability and performance, adds and improves support for new file systems and dataset encryption, improves diagnostics, 2FA, API support, quotas and much more. This is not a security update.
https://www.truenas.com/download-truenas-core
Technitium DNS Server 5.4 resolves several bugs, adds QNAME randomization and PTR zone creation. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/
WinSCP 5.17.8 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php
Zoom 5.4.58636.1027 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/
Java 8u271 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp
Media Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
iTunes 12.10.10 is a security update. Use Apple Software Update to get the most current version.
3tene 2.0.7 adds 32-bit screen capture, adjusts transition time, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/
Picard 2.5.1 resolves dozens of bugs, improves reliability, and adds improved privacy controls. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/
Game Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
Steam 2020.10.23 is a security update.
PlayStation PS4 8.00 is a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/
Office Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.
LibreOffice 6.4.7 resolves over 70 bugs, including stability and reliability issues. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/
Paint.net 4.2.14 improves performance, adds AV1 support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/
Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.3 and 2.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-desktop-app-download.html
Adobe InDesign 16.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb20-66.html
Adobe Media Encoder 14.5 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb20-65.html
Adobe Premiere Pro 14.5 is a security update.
https://www.adobe.com/in/creativecloud/catalog/desktop.html
Adobe Photoshop 21.2.3 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb20-63.html
Adobe After Effects 17.1.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb20-62.html
Adobe Animate 21.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb20-61.html
Adobe Dreamweaver 21.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dreamweaver/apsb20-55.html
Adobe Illustrator 25.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb20-53.html
Marketo 1.4357 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/marketo/apsb20-60.html
Magento 2.4.1 and 2.3.6 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb20-59.html
Security Software Updates
One or more of these is likely to be of interest to most people.
BelArc Advisor 9.7 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor
RouterPassView 1.90 adds a new display mode including backup files. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/router_password_recovery.html
uBlock Origin 1.30.6 resolves several bugs and adds a click-to-load widget. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest
RogueKiller 14.7.4 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/
HTTP Toolkit 1.0.2 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://httptoolkit.tech/
Capture Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
SnagIt 2021.0.0 is a major update adding several features, updating Templates, Themes, Simplify, Magnify, and the Editor. This is not a security update.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/enu/snagit.exe
Converter Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
DVDFab 12.0.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm
Utility Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
CCleaner 5.73.8130 improves license management. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/
TeamViewer 15.11.6 improves RSA key length, allows flashlight while zooming, and resolves a copy/paste notification bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows/
Fido 1.17 adds support for the latest Windows 10 build, v2010. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases
GoodSync 11.4.1 improves Google Photos FS access, event handling, GsRunner, CCRunner, updates certificate roots, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync
NTLite 2.0.0.7705 updates components and compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/
PointerStick 4.71 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick
Rufus 3.12 adds support for the latest Windows 10 build, v2010, SHA-512 digests, improved Windows To Go support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_IE.html
TaskSchedulerView 1.57 adds options to copy contents of clicked cell. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/task_scheduler_view.html
WinScan2PDF 6.13 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF
VMMap 3.30 identifies .NET Core 3.0 managed heaps. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
RAMMap 1.60 adds customizable map colors and a new empty system working sets. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
Sysmon 12.01 is a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
Developer Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.22 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/
Node.js 14.15.0 resolves several bugs and is now officially in Long Term Support (LTS) status. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/
Node.js 15.0.1 is a major update adding several new features and removing others, updating libraries and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/
Virtual Machine Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
VirtualBox 6.1.16-140961 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Web Package Updates
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.
Dada Mail 11.12.2 resolves a minor bug. This is not a security update.
http://dadamailproject.com/
phpMyAdmin 4.9.7 and 5.0.4 resolve 2FA bug and PHP compatibility, and resolve several other bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/
ScreenConnect 20.11.1385.7587 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download
Nextcloud Server 20.0.1 resolves over 60 bugs and improves performance, reliability and privacy. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/
Akismet 4.1.7 improves integration. This is not a security update.
Contact Form 7 5.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
myStickymenu 2.4.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 4.3.19 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
Redirection 4.9.1 resolves logging and database upgrade bugs. This is not a security update.
Social Post Feed 2.17.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
WooCommerce 4.6.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
WP Mail SMTP 2.5.1 adds password encryption, improves Gmail compatibility, and resolves several bugs. 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/