Welcome back, Folks!
Today is Patch Tuesday for November, 2020. It’s a big one and many Windows computers will be pushed into v2009 unless they’ve recently installed v2004. With the release of v2009 and the election, there’s a lot going on this month.
This Month in Technology
Aetna has been hacked again, dozens of hospitals (again), Mashable has been hacked, Cisco AnyConnect zero-day still isn’t patched, a Solaris zero-day is being used to hack corporate networks, and billions of credentials have been leaked after a data breach website contents are leaked online, Google Drive is being used to infect hospitals, Cloud Hospitality has exposed customer data for millions of users, Mattel has been hacked, BigBasket has been hacked, WordPress pushed out a sorely broken security update and fixed it the next day, Waze can be used to track you by nearby drivers, and X-Cart sites were hit by ransomware.
Cadillac Fairview has been illegally using secret facial recognition cameras throughout their shopping centres.
Apple has had several outages this month, and their hardware manufacturer was hit by ransomware, while they abandon another for exposed labor abuses (not for the labor abuses themselves, since that’s really within Apple’s wheelhouse), iOS apps will work on Apple Silicon Macs, but many developers are already abandoning the App Store.
Microsoft is blocking upgrades to v2004 and v2009 due to a Thunderbolt compatibility & reliability bug.
Starlink’s beta shows impressive performance (135 Mbps/25 Mbps).
It’s usually best to dismiss anything a politician says, but Biden’s assertion that he has the “most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics” should not be taken with a grain of salt.
After all, there is plenty of evidence of fraud including voter intimidation, terrorism (the “use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”), foreign nation interference, various “software” “glitches” and “bugs,” fake ballots, fake voters, invalidating sharpie ballots, backdating ballots arriving late, an untrustworthy postal system, false witnesses, (literally) blocking access to ballot observers, network and “accidentally mislabeled” ballots, throwing away ballots that poll-workers disagree with, the inability to trust even election judges, and government “open integrity” websites, but the Main Stream Media continues to preach the mantra that there is no evidence of voter fraud (mostly because big tech is censoring most of the evidence) even while Democrat representatives declare voter fraud a “time-honored tradition.”
Awkward: Joe Biden’s (77) Coronavirus task force is being lead by a man that believes people shouldn’t live past 75.
It’s not just the vote tally that’s false, the US Census faked data, too.
Fox News has lost the faith of their viewers and Judge Jeanine.
Twitter continues to demonstrate why you shouldn’t use them.
NetMarketShare had a good run. After 14 years they’ve pulled the plug due to changes in the chromium source, reasonably accurate browser identification will no longer be possible.
The Cult of Branch Covidians continues to demonstrate that science has never been their goal. Medical staff know the truth, and their efforts to save family and the world from masked parasites based on faulty tests and high false-positive rates with severe costs for a virus they’ve never isolated are being blocked and ignored. By the way, did you know that the PCR false-positive rate is as much as 4% and the number of “positive tests” in CA averages 3.7%? A judge that treats people as adults is being investigated for daring not to wear a mask in his own courtroom.
5G is finally being investigated.
The Internet Archive has surrendered to censorship.
0patch to the rescue, again. Microsoft isn’t supporting Office 2010 but don’t let that dissuade you. 0patch has been offering security fixes for many vendors of otherwise unsupported applications.
There’s a workaround for some HP printers that allow you to bypass the ban on third-party ink and toner. This is especially useful since HP Instant Ink is now demanding a ransom to keep using the ink you’ve already paid for.
Now for the good news:
The best news, to me anyway, is that scientists have now regrown optic nerves.
Let’s Get Busy
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
Patch Tuesday this month is very big. The typical computer should see roughly 2.5 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.
Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Flash, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~ 1.1 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.
Apple released updates for macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update, macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update, iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, iOS 12.4.9, watchOS 5.3.9, watchOS 6.2.9, watchOS 7.1, and tvOS 14.2. Expect an update to iTunes, too, in the next few days. These are security updates.
iOS 14.2 and 12.4.9 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.
iPadOS 14.2 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.
watchOS 5.3.9, 6.2.9 and 7.1 are security updates. Use your updated iPhone to install the most current version through the Watch app.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204641
tvOS 14.2 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Updates to install the most current version.
Adobe Flash Player 32.0.0.453 is a security update. Since Flash is going the way of the dodo along with the Year from Hell, this could very well be the last time you may have to install a Flash update. You’re still better off removing it instead of updating. 🙂
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flash
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flashie
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?flashmac
Google Chrome OS 87.0.4280.47 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.
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.
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.
The release of macOS Catalina (10.15) means that macOS Sierra (10.12) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS High Sierra (10.13) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.
The now-current release of the Windows 10 (v2009) is huge (about 18% larger than v2004, which was 25% larger than any prior build) so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.
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 or use, reducing the attack surface.
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.
nVidia 457.30 adds support for CUDA 11.1, new hardware, new game profiles, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Daemon Tools Lite 10.14.0 resolves several bugs and adds streaming and theme controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite
Browser Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Brave 1.16.72 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
https://brave.com/
Google Chrome 86.0.4240.193 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
Microsoft Edge 86.0.622.63 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download
Firefox 82.0.3 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
Firefox ESR 78.4.1 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
Iridium 2020.11.85 is a security update, but Iridium runs behind with chromium so should be avoided.
https://iridiumbrowser.de/
Vivaldi 3.4.2066.99 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
https://vivaldi.com/
Email Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Thunderbird 78.4.2 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the current version.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/
Internet Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.
Dropbox 109.4.517 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/
FreeFileSync 11.3 resolves several bugs and improves cosmetics. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php
Zoom 5.4.58740.1105 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/
Media Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
iTunes 12.10.10.2 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
Office Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.
Adobe Reader DC 20.013.20064 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to install the most current version.
Atom 1.53.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/
Krita 4.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/
LibreOffice Fresh 7.0.3 resolves over 90 bugs. This is not a security update. Remember that ‘Fresh’ is the beta version, so should be avoided by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/
Nextcloud Desktop 3.0.3 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/
Notepad++ 7.9.1 resolves over 20 bugs, including several stability and reliability issues, and adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?npp
Security Software Updates
One or more of these is likely to be of interest to most people.
TinyWall 3.0.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tinywall.pados.hu/
Capture Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
SnagIt 2021.0.1 adds new quick styles, direct theme access, resolves compatibility with YouTube and several bugs. 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 12.0.0.5 improves hardware support, resolves several bugs, and adds support for new encodings. 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 5.74.8184 improves application compatibility, automatic update controls, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/
DesktopOK 7.99.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK
DMDE 3.8.0.790 adds APFS support, image preview, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dmde.com/
Eraser 6.2.0.2991 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://eraser.heidi.ie/download/
Etcher 1.5.110 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/
GoodSync 11.4.5 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync
RoboForm 8.9.5 resolves several bugs and improves Most Popular calculations. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?rf
AD Explorer 1.50 adds support for exporting data from the “Compare” dialog. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
Disk Usage 1.62 adds support for the MFT and removes the MAX_PATH limitation. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
VMMap 3.31 fixes a Thread Environment Block bug on Windows 10 systems. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
Sysmon 12.02 fixes several configuration parsing bugs. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/
Developer Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.
ADB 30.0.5 improves performance and error handling. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Android Studio 4.1.1.0 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio
Node.js 15.1.0 adds diagnostics_channel (experimental), new spawn event, DNS resolver control, and several V8 options. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/
Redemption 5.25.0.5826 resolves 9 bugs and adds several new objects. This is not a security update.
http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/
Visual Studio Code 1.51 integrates a terminal, improves intellisense, Git, tab pinning and more. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/
Web Package Updates
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.
Docker Desktop 2.5.0.1 updates libraries, system requirements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
HumHub 1.7.0 resolves two minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download
OpenPetra 2020.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.openpetra.org/
ScreenConnect 20.11.1479.7606 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download
WordPress 5.5.3 resolves several security issues and automatic update failures.
bbPress 2.6.6 doesn’t have a current changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
Multisite Enhancements 1.5.3 resolves several bugs and improves cosmetics. This is not a security update.
Redirection 4.9.2 improves compatibility and cosmetics. This is not a security update.
WooCommerce 4.6.2 resolves an account creation bug. 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/