Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for August, 2021. It’s a big one. There have been a series of Apple, Microsoft, and various hardware vulnerabilities, as well as the quarterly Oracle updates that kept the industry hopping. Couple that with Black Hat 2021 last week, which kept reminding us how poorly those who design our technology have done and continue to do.

This Month in Technology

Apple devices via Pegasus, IOMobileFrameBuffer, and Wi-Fi names, Atlassian, Charming Kitten (hacking group), Cloudstar, cdnjs, FortiNet FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, HP (and Samsung and Xerox) printer driver, Illinois State Police, Linux via Sequoia, Pulse Connect Secure, SonicWall Secure VPN, Swisslog Healthcare’s Translogic PTS, VMware ESXi, Windows via a SAM security bug, Hello, PrintNightmare (x3+), and PetitPotam, and a new exploit method for wiretapping DNS.

Apple announced a new feature where they scan your content “only” for images of child exploitation provided by an unaccountable third-party, while they assure their customers’ “screeching voices” that they won’t allow governments to directly access the data or feed the database or algorithms (uh-huh), just remember that this is the same company that vowed to silence online dissent and already works with governments to expose their users’ activity. Oh, and they’re launching their own VPN service which they claim even they won’t know what you’re using it for. Wink, wink.

While I’m on the subject of VPNs, Windscribe (a “secure” VPN service) servers were seized and were discovered to not use encryption. Talk about a false promise of privacy!

Now let’s do security. If you still thought Avast (the “get hacked every year” anti-virus company) was worth anything, knowing that Norton (the “we’ll just run our own crypto mining software on your hardware and you can pay us for it” people) was in talks to buy them for about $8B should make your skin crawl. Zoom lost an $85 million class-action cybersecurity lawsuit, and Colonial Pipeline is being targeted now.

The US Federal Government received a C- grade for their IT security. Half of the agencies tested received D grades. These are the same agencies that recently made a claim about the most secure election in history. Pay no attention to the missing 95% of ballots or remote access to voting machines. Or else!

Edward Snowden has a great writeup of physical vs theoretical security concerns,
and another on how the “security” industry is failing everyone. Regular maintenance (of everything!) is critical to technology security. Stale hardware & software are responsible for nearly every security incident. This is what we do and why this newsletter is even being published.

There was a major outage at Akamai that took down a large portion of the Internet.

Google broke ChromeOS twice this month for many users, once by preventing users from being able to login due to a single character coding error. I’m reminded of a Mark Twain quote: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

The thing about someone willing to buy your ransomware: when they feel wronged they’re likely to betray your ransomware gang.

Amazon is losing employees while CNN is firing them. Property owners are being ripped off by the state, and their tenants. There are child predators at Disney World.

There’s now a lawsuit over CDC under-counting vaccine deaths, meanwhile they’re over-counting infections, ignoring the risks, downplaying the ineffectiveness of the vaccine-induced herd immunity, and mandating cancer in children. Multiple pharmaceutical giants neglected to keep records of which “vaccines” were placebos and the European Parliament is being held liable for vaccine injuries and deaths. At least there has been victory in Alberta. It’s hard to take them seriously when they’re demonizing free will, treating dictates as law, government agencies are concealing their own violations of international law, mandating doctors violate their medical licenses in order to keep them, while flip-flopping like fish, and imposing prison time for unlawful parading. Would you trust someone with your life who thinks you should be in prison for disagreeing with them? It’s not enough for government to take 13%+ of what you pay at the pump (most gas stations profit is 1% or less) and force you into electric vehicles that they can pull the plug on anytime, they want to charge you for every mile you travel, too, personal or business.

Now for the good news:

Andy’s Mountain Grill & Deli is coming back! Starlink is growing fast and improving reliability and environmental tolerances.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is huge. The typical computer should see roughly 3.0 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1, macOS Big Sur 11.5.1, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, Security Update 2021-005 Mojave, watchOS 7.6.1, tvOS 14.7, Safari 14.1.2, and iTunes 12.11.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.7.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.7.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 7.6.1 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 14.7 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 92.0.4515.130 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 Big Sur (11.x) means that macOS High Sierra (10.13) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Mojave (10.14) 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 (v21H1) is very large, for the first time it’s actually smaller than the previous release, but it will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 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. This includes “free” applications like Avast, OpenOffice, and games you do not actually play.

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 471.68 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Xerox Smart Start 1.6.25.0 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/content/143617

Browser Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Brave 1.27.111 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 92.0.4515.131 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 92.0.902.67 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 91.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.13.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.8.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 4.1.2369.16 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://vivaldi.com/

Internet Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

AnyDesk for macOS 6.3.0 improves scam handling, adds PKG release, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

curl 7.78.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 128.4.2870 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.55.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Google Earth 7.3.4 is a security update.
https://earth.google.com/

Java 8u301 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Nmap 7.92 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/

Prosody 0.11.10 is a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

PuTTY 0.76 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Rclone 1.56.0 adds many new features, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Skype 8.73.0.124 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Telegram 2.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

WinSCP 5.19.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.7.4.804 improves notifications and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Email updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Thunderbird 78.13.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to get the most current version.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Flickr Downloadr 3.4.1.1 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://flickrdownloadr.com/downloads/

iTunes 12.11.4 is a security update.
https://apple.com/itunes

Plex Media Server 1.23.6.4881 resolves several bugs and improves scanner. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Epic Games 12.2.12 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.epicgames.com/

Nintendo Switch 12.1.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.

Steam 2021.07.21 resolves a path bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/

Office Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.

Adobe Connect 11.2.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb21-66.html

Adobe Magento Commerce 2.4.3, 2.4.2-p2, and 2.3.7-p1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-64.html

Adobe Reader DC 21.005.20060 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Atom 1.58.0 improves cosmetics and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

Audacity 3.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 2.93.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Krita 4.4.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.1.5 resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided for the stable release.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.3.0 resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.1.2 improves dark mode. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Security Software Updates

One or more of these is likely to be of interest to most people.

DNSQuerySniffer 1.85 adds sort menu options and improves high DPI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dns_query_sniffer.html

elementary OS 6 is a major update that integrates several new features and controls and a simplified installer. This is not a security update.
https://elementary.io/

RogueKiller 15.0.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.37.2 resolves several books. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Tails 4.21 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Elgato Game Capture HD 3.70.51 adds PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to input and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.elgato.com/en/game-capture-software

ScreenToGif 2.33.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

SnagIt 2021.4.3 is a security update.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/enu/snagit.exe

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

HandBrake 1.4.0 adds several new filters, improves hardware encoding, resolves several bugs, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://handbrake.fr/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Dell Command Update 4.3 is a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

DesktopOK 9.15 improves compatibility with Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

GoodSync 11.8.0 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 1.98 improves CLI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

IsMyHdOK 3.33 improves compatibility with Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2.2.0.8152 adds several new features, improves performance, updates libraries and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.4 adds Disk Defrag and resolves a bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

ProcDump 10.1 adds an option to specify a dumpfile comment and supports triage dumps. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

PowerToys 0.43.0 improves stability and accessibility, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

RDCMan 2.82 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

RoboForm 9.1.9 resolves several bugs. This follows shortly after a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.15 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en/

Sigcheck 2.82 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

Synergy 1.14.0 is a security update.
https://symless.com/synergy/

Sysmon 13.23 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

ZoomText 2021 2021.2107.13.400 adds support for new hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Node.js 16.6.1 resolves several bugs. This build closely follow 16.6.0, which was a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.17.4 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 12.22.4 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Visual Studio Code 1.59 improves extensions, finalizes the Testing API, adds Remote Containers, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.14 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 6.1.26-145957 resolves several bugs. This is not 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 11.14.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 3.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.2.3 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

MailArchiva 8.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

Nextcloud Server 22.1.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

ownCloud Server 10.8 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

phpList 3.6.4 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

ScreenConnect 21.10.4238.7885 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.8 integrates Blocks into Widget logic, adds new patterns, and styles. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Antispam Bee 2.10.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Autoptimize 2.9.0 improves customization and controls. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 9.0.0 improves compatibility, block support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Interactive World Map 3.1.9.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

myStickymenu 2.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.9.56 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

Redirection 5.1.3 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

Social Post Feed 2.19.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.27 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

Visual Composer 38.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

W3 Total Cache 2.1.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 5.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.0.13 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 3.0.3 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/