Updates 2024-05-14

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for May, 2024.

There were 580+ major hacks, and over 460 application updates this month. It’s an insanely big month, with about 5 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

First, let me apologize for this list. It’s 3x longer than it was only a couple months ago and that’s not really my fault. I really want to keep sharing the hacked lists but at the rate it’s going 3/4 of the newletter will just be the list by the end of Summer. I’m going to need to rework this next month when I have more time.

1+1 Media, 4LEAF, Inc, A123 Systems, Access Intelligence, Accor, ACFIN SA, Active PCB Solutions, Acurrate Lock & Hardware, ADCOM911, Advanced Business Networks, Advarra, Inc., Aero Tec Laboratories Inc, Aetna ACE, Affordable Payroll & Bookkeeping Services, Agate Construction, Agency for the Sustainable Development of the Saint Nazaire Region, France, AirAsia Group, Airsoft, Allianz Global Risks U.S. Insurance Company, Alltruck Bodies, Alrajhi Bank, Altipal S.A.S, Amazon, Amberstone Security, AMD Radeon DirectX 11 Driver, American Builders Outlet, American Renal Associates, American Renal Management, Andovers Federal Credit Union, APS – Automotive Parts Solutions, Arbitrum, Argentina’s national registry, Army Welfare Trust, Array Networks, Asantee Games, Asbury Automotive Group, Ascension healthcare, Ashley Home Stores, Aspire Health Alliance, Astra Daihatsu Motor (ID), AT&T, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), Aussizz Group, Autodesk Drive, Axip Energy Services, Ayesa, B&G Foods, Badger Tag & Label, Banco Santander, Banten Regional Development Bank Tbk, Barclays Bank, Base Network, Bay Oral Surgery & Implant Center, Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital, Bega Valley Council, Belarusian KGB, Belvedere Vodka UK, BenefitsCal, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, Best Reward Federal Credit Union, BetterHelp, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), BHF Couriers, Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc., Bira 91, Bitfinex, Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Blooms Today, Bluebonnet Trails, Bluegrass Care Navigators, BMW BANK, Bodyartforms LLC, Boeing, Bradford-Scott, Brandywine Realty Trust, BreachForums, Bridgeway Center, Inc., British Columbia, Canada, Brocade SANnav SAN Management Software, Brovedani Group, Bundeswehr, Byron council, Café Soluble, California library system, Calumet Civil Contractors, Inc, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Canatal Industries, Canberra club, Cannes hospital, Cariboo library system, Carpetright, Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Catholic Medical Center (CMC), CCM Health, Central Bank Argentina, Central Carolina Insurance Agency Inc, Central Florida Equipment, Central Power Systems & Services, Central Virginia Federal Credit Union, Change Healthcare, Channel Logistics LLC, Chemring Group, Cherry Health, Chicony Electronics, Chirp Systems, Christie’s Auction House, Cisco Duo, Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC), City of Buckeye, AZ, City of Donges, France, City of El Cerrito, California, City of London, UK, City of Pensacola, Florida, City of Wichita, Kansas, Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Community First Credit Union, Confins Transport, Consensus Medical Group, Consol Energy, Continuum Health, Coppel, Coradix-Magnescan, CorporateStack, Costa Edutainment SPA, Council for Relationships, County of Coffee, Georgia, County of Hernando, FLCounty of Jackson, MOCounty of Los Angeles, CA, Department of Health Services, County of Robeson, NC, County of San Bernardino, CA, CrushFTP, Cushman Contracting Corporation, CyberPower UPS, D-Link Devices, Daoust, Dawson Creek, Deeside Timberframe, Delinea Secret Server, Dell, Dental Group of Amarillo, Dental Health Services, DES Architects and Engineers,
Designed Receivable Solutions, Deutsche Telekom, Digi Yatra Foundation, Dijk, Discord, District of Columbia’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), DocGo, Dominican Republic vaccination data, Donco Air, Doyon Drilling, Drive Sally LLC, DRM Arby’s, Dropbox Sign, Duvel Moortgat, D’amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, E-ZPass, East Central University, OK, Eden Project, Edlong and Holstein Association USA, Educational Computer Systems, EduMarket, Efrat Airlines, Egypt Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, El Salvador, El Salvador’s Chivo Wallet, Electric Mirror, Empath Health, Engineered Automation of Maine, Enstar, Epilepsy Foundation of Metro NY, EqualizeRCM and 1st Credentialing, Ernest Health, Eucatex, European Parliament, Europol, EvoBanco, F5 Central Manager, Feldstein & Stewart, Fic Expertise, Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS), Firstmac, FiXBET, Floirac, Footdistrict, Fort Worth, Texas, Foxit Reader, French Ministry of Agriculture, Frontier Communications, FrotCom, GBI Genios, Gerber Life Insurance Company, Giant Tiger, GitHub Search, GitLab, Glendale Unified School District, Glints, Global Tel Link, Google Chrome, Google, Graphic Solutions Group Inc, Grassroot DICOM, Great Firewall of China, Green Diamond Resource Company, Greylock McKinnon, Grindr, Grodno Azot, Group Health Cooperative of South-Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW), Guadeloupe, Canada, Guardant Health, Inc., Guardian Analytics, Hapy Bear Surgery Center, Hardeman County Community Health Center, Hedgey Finance, Helapet Ltd, Helsinki Education Division, Heritage Cooperative, High Performance Services, Hillsong Church, Hirsh Industries, Hit Promotional Products, Home Depot, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong College of Technology, Hong Kong Fire Department, Hong Kong Union Hospital, Hooker Furniture, Hosocongty, Hospital Simone Veil, 100 hotels in Japan, Houser LLP, Hoya Optics, HP, HPE ArubaOS Devices, HSBC Bank, HTW, Hub International Limited, Human Events, IBM’s Enterprise Terminal, iCabbi, ICICI Bank, IDS Michigan, Illinois State Credit Union, Illinois Tollway, In The Know, India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India’s HRYLabour, India’s ICICI Bank, Ingo Money Inc, Inland Physicians Billing Services, Intel CPUs (Spectre v2), Intel Hardware Firmware, Interim Healthcare of Lubbock, International Baccalaureate Exam, Inventum Øst, Iranian Pipeline Company, Iress Ltd, Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), Israeli Real Estate Companies, ISTA International GmbH, It4 Solutions Robras Corp, Italian Red Cross Network, Ivanti Avalanche, J.P. Morgan Chase, JE Owens, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Kameymall, Kansas City Scout System, Keenan & Associates, Kintetsu World Express, Kisco Senior Living, KISTI SMART K2C, Kowloon Shangri-La, La Chapelle-des-marais, France, Ladakh Social Welfare Department, Lamont Hanley & Associates, Latvian TV Channels, LDLC, Le Slip Français, Leicester City Council, Lenovo Hardware Firmware, Lewis & Clark College, LG TVs, Lieberman LLP, Lilly Drogerie, Lincoln Project, LiteSpeed Cache, LivaNova, LiveHelpNow, LocalPlace JP, London Drugs, London Stock Exchange Group, Lopesan Hotels, Lotz Trucking, Lpdb Kumkm, LRB Info Tech, Lukfook Jewellery, Lumina Americas, Luxor, LYON TERMINAL, M2E Consulting Engineers, Macedonian Joint Stock Company, Madata, Magnet+, Malone & Co, Manchester’s Catholic Medical Center, Marpai Health, Mauritzon, McKinley Packing, Medequip Assistive Technology, Medical Home Network, MediExcel, Medios de Prevención Externos Sur SL, MedStar Health, Meduza, Mellitah Company, Mercedes, Merchants Benefit Administration, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure Entra ID, Microsoft Outlook, Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Moldova Government, MoldTech, Molen & Associates, Monash Health, Monday.com, MongoDB, Monocon, Montoir-de-Bretagne, France, Moscow Moskollector, MovieBoxPro, MRA – The Management Association, Mt Hira College, Myers Automotive Group, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), Nespresso, Nestle, New Boston Dental Care, New Hudson Facades, New Mexico Administrative Office of the District Attorneys, New Mexico Highlands University, New York’s state legislature, Nexperia, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NK Parts Industries, NorthBay Health, Nota by M&T Bank and TTEC Databases, Nothing, Nova Scotia Health, NRS Healthcare, Numotion, NVIDIA, OakBend Medical, Octopharma Plasma, OE Federal Credit Union, Ogero, Ohio Lottery, Okta, Olson Steel, Olympus Group, OracleCMS, OraSure, Original Herkimer Cheese, OrthoConnecticut, Outabox, Pacific Guardian, Pak Suzuki, Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS, Panda Restaurant Group, Pandemonium Rocks, Panoramic Health, Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Parklane Group, Patricia AI, Paychex, Inc., Paytm, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Peplink Smart Reader, Persyn, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philips Respironics, Phoenix Business Consulting, PHP, Pifer’s Auction & Realty, Pilot, Pinnacle Engineering, Pinnacle Orthopaedics, Pioneer Oil Company, Inc, Piping Rock, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Porniche, France, Pratham, Precision Fluid Controls, Premier Dermatology, Prisma Finance, Pro Metals LLC, Process Solutions, Procuraduría General de la República, Profile Products, Progress Flowmon, Promarka Peru, Pub And Club, Public service of Wallonia, PWS – The Laundry Company, Qantas, QNAP, Quebec CEGEPs, RAF El Salvador, Randolph Health, RaySharp, RB Woodcraft, Reading Electric, Rebound Orthopedics & Neurosurgery, Recology, Redwood Coast Regional Center, Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico, Reliable Networks, Rocky Mountain Sales, Roku, Romeo Pitaro Injury and Litigation Lawyers, Rushd Bookstore, Rutgers University, Räddningstjänsten Vä stra Blekinge, Sachkhere, Sahara Bank, Saint-Nazaire, France, Sanok Rubber Company, Saudi Water Facilities, Scanda Group, Scigames, Scottish health board, Seaman’s Mechanical, SEK Studio, Seneca Nation Health System, Sentry Data Management, Servicio Móvil, Shadow, Siemens Manufacturing, Sigmund Espeland, Signature Healthcare Services LLC, SigningHub, Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC, Singapore’s Ministry of Education, Singapore’s Mobile Guardian, SinglePoint Outsourcing, Inc., SIS Automatisering, Sisense, Skanlog, Sleep Data Holdings, LLC, Sleep Management Institute, Smoke Alarm Solutions, SOA Architecture, Softura, Somerset Dental Las Vegas, Somerville, Sonadev, France, South Africa’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC), South Korean courts, South Korean cable & satellite, South Korean Defense Companies, South Texas Oncology and Hematology, Space X, Space-Eyes, Speedy France, Sri Lanka’s visa system, SSCL, SSS Australia, St-Jerome Company, St. Helena Public Library, Stainless Foundry & Engineering, StarWallets, States of Guernsey, Sterling Holidays, Sterling Plumbing Inc., Studio LAMBDA, Swisspro, SynLab Italia, Sysmex America, Inc, T2 Tea Australia, Tamil Nadu Police, Tappware, Targus, Tatarstan, Russia, Taxi Software, Ted Brown Music, Telecom Argentina, Telit Cinterion modems, Texas Retina Associates, The Epilepsy Institute, The Georgia Institute for Plastic Surgery, The Heritage Foundation, The Kennedy Collective, The Lagunitas Brewing Company, The Line Up, Inc, The May Institute, Inc., The Philadelphia Inquirer, PBC, The Post and Courier, The Post Millennial, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, The State of Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, The Tech Interactive, Theatrixx Technologies, Therapeutic Health Services, 50,000 Tinyproxy servers, Tipton Municipal Utilities, IN, Toolmarts, Toronto Transit Commission, Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Trib Total Media, True Homes, LLC, TRUE Solicitors, Trylon Srl, Tyler Technologies, UAE Government, UK Government’s System Database, UK Ministry of Defence, UK Royal Mail, 20 Ukrainian Energy and Water Sites, Ukrainian TV, United Nations Development Programme, University of Alabama, University of Alberta, University System of Georgia (USG), US Air Force Academy (USAFA), US Atlantic Fisheries, US Coast Guard Reserve, US Consumer Database, US Health and Human Services (HHS), US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Medicare, US Patent and Trademark Office, US Space Forces (USSF) Military Bases, USA Health Providence Hospital, Utica Mack, Valley Mountain Regional Center, Valley Veterinary Clinic, LLC, Van Gogh Museum, Varo Bank, N.A., Veeam, Velvet Capital, Verizon, Victorian Ambulance Union, Virginia Union University, VirtualBox, Visionary Integration Professionals, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware ESXi, VMware Fusion Pro/Fusion, VMware Workstation Pro/Player, Void Interactive, Volkswagen, VPN traffic (TunnelVision), VTRP, W.I.S. Sicherheit-Service GmbH & Co. KG, Washington State’s Swinomish Casino and Lodge, WebTPA Employer Services, LLC, WEL Partners, Wells Fargo, Welsh Government, Wescom Central Credit Union, West Idaho Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Westboro Baptist Church, WhatsApp, Windows, Windows Apps, Windows Print Spooler, WOM, World Architects, World-Check, WP Forminator plugin, WP-Automatic Plugin, Xiaomi, Yale Mortgage, YRW Limited – Chartered Accountants, ZA Government Employees Pension Fund’s (GEPF), ZircoDATA, and Zscaler Inc have reported hacking or compromises this month.

Central Power Systems & Services, Final Fantasy, Frontier Communications, Kansas City’s official website, Ogero, Reddit, and Telegram have suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke Outlook, Windows (thanks ManageEngine), and VPN connections.

An update to ManageEngine has caused thousands of Windows machines to fail to boot. I guess that’s one way to make sure that they can’t be hacked through ManageEngine vulnerabilities?

Windows has officially added advertisements to the Windows 11 Start Menu.

The PuTTY Pageant key generation weakness will require millions upon millions of certificates to be rekeyed.

The Windows Boot Manager update released in January still has no automated fix from Microsoft. Third parties have created several methods of installing the update, and the closest-to-perfect automation yet requires seven (7!) restarts.

Microsoft has announced plans to implement fully locked down DNS via a pairing of DNS and the firewall, branded Zero Trust DNS – ZTDNS.

A recent technical paper described the process of using LLM (GPT-4) to automate the process of building exploits for newly discovered vulnerabilities. Reviews of the paper tend to acknowledge that it can be used in this fashion but focus instead on the use of the word “autonomously” which they treat as sentience. No guys, the paper isn’t saying that Skynet is here, just that LLMs are getting to the point where they can build functional exploit code based on brief descriptions of vulnerabilities.

I first saw the description of “Kobold Letters” a couple months ago. While a very creative use of CSS and an interesting idea, what are the chances that this kind of thing would actually be used in real life? 100%. I’ve now seen this behavior on three different client mail accounts in Microsoft Online and Gmail.

The founder of Telegram has publicly reported that the FBI pressured an employee to build a backdoor into the system. They refused.

Thunderbird has added Microsoft Exchange support. This means you won’t be forced to use the “New Outlook” crapp to access your Microsoft Exchange accounts. 🙂

Now for the good news:

We won. Sony caved on the Helldivers 2 privacy-violating “account linking” change. 🙂

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is insane this month. The typical computer should see roughly 5 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to address 67 vulnerabilities in .NET and Visual Studio, Azure Migrate, Microsoft Bing, Microsoft Brokering File System, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows SCSI Class System File, Microsoft Windows Search Component, Power BI, Visual Studio, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows CNG Key Isolation Service, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows Cryptographic Services, Windows Deployment Services, Windows DHCP Server, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Kernel, Windows Mark of the Web (MOTW), Windows Mobile Broadband, Windows MSHTML Platform, Windows NTFS, Windows Remote Access Connection Manager, Windows Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS), Windows Task Scheduler, Windows Win32K – GRFX, Windows Win32K – ICOMP, and MSRT. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Oracle released 441 security updates this quarter to address vulnerabilities in 119 applications.
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2024.html

Apple released updates for iOS 16.7.8, iOS 17.5, iPadOS 16.7.8, iPadOS 17.5, iTunes 12.13.2 for Windows, macOS Monterey 12.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.5, macOS Ventura 13.6.7, Safari 17.5, tvOS 17.5, and watchOS 10.5. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 16.7.8 and 17.5 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 6.7.8 and 17.5 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 10.5 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 17.5 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 124.0.6367.154 and 120.0.6099.310 are security updates. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Fedora 40-1.14 is a major update, replacing BerkeleyDB with alternatives, updating libraries, and including adding new features and defaults. This should be treated as a security update.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/

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 Sonoma (14.x) means that macOS Big Sur (11.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Monterey (12) 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 — and final — release of the Windows 10 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. All non-LTS versions of Windows 10 other than v22H2 are now out of support, upgrade to v22H2 now. If you aren’t sure whether you are using LTS, you aren’t. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v23H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

Windows 11 is now stable and can be upgraded to if your hardware supports it, but I recommend you continue to use Windows 10 until early 2025 before you consider switching to it.

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.

AMD Adrenalin 24.4.1 adds support for new software, performance improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Daemon Tools Lite 12.1.0 improves tooltips, and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite

Dymo Connect for Desktop 1.3.2.18 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dymo.com/label-makers-printers/labelwriter-label-printers/dymo-labelwriter-450-duo-thermal-label-printer/SAP_1752267.html

TP-Link Archer AX55 v1 240325 adds almost a dozen new features, improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-ax55/v1/#Firmware

TP-Link Archer AX73 v2.0 240323 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-ax73/v2.0/#Firmware

UniFi Network Server 8.1.127 enhances firewall rules visibility, adds tunnel IP addresses, OSPF dynamic routing support, and resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ui.com/download/releases/network-server

VIISAN OfficeCam 7.1.19.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.viisan.com/en/download/type1.html

Wacom Driver 6.4.6-1 adds support for newer hardware, resolves several bugs and improves stability.
https://www.wacom.com/en-us/support/product-support/drivers

Xerox Smart Start 2.0.34.0 doesn’t provide a change log 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 1.65.133 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Firefox 126 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 115.11.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Google Chrome 124.0.6367.207 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 124.0.2478.97 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Vivaldi 6.7.3329.29 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Spark 3.15.5.72973 resolves several AI-related bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.15.5.72972 resolves several AI-related bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 115.10.2 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 8.0.10 is a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk (macOS) 8.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

Dropbox 199.4.6287 removes a cosmetic defect. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 211.0.0.18.236 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FileZilla Client 3.67.0 is a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FileZilla Server 1.8.2 is a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 13.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 90.0 resolves several bugs. This is the last version to support macOS 10.15 – if your hardware can not support macOS 11 you should have already removed it from the Internet, but if not, please take this as one more signal that it’s time to replace it.
https://drive.google.com/start

Microsoft Teams 1.7.00.10152 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 29.0.0 is a major update, resolving dozens of bugs, updating libraries, and improving workflow and design. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Nmap 7.95 adds over 6,500 more fingerprints, new scripts and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://nmap.org/

PuTTY 0.81 is a security update.
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html

Signal 7.8.0 adds emoji call responses and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 7.6.2 adds emoji call responses, adds sent message editing, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Skype 8.116.0.213 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.27.7 resolves a potential security bug.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 5.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

USB Drive Log 1.13 adds black background support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_drive_log.html

Z-Library 1.02 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://z-library.se/z-access#desktop_app_tab

Zoom 6.0.4.38135 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 4.0.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Bitwig Studio 5.1.9 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

Grayjay 240 adds several new features, sources, improvements, and resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://grayjay.app/index.html

iTunes 12.13.2.3 is a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Plex Desktop 1.92.1.140 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.60.1.134 updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.40.2.8395 resolves several bugs, including an installation path issue. If you used a custom path you will need to uninstall and reinstall in order for future automatic updates to work correctly. 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.

GameMaker Studio 2024.4.0.137 changes homepage. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.3.201 resolves several bugs and improves interface. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.20.81.01 does not provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

Minecraft Server (Java) 1.20.6 does not provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server

Nintendo Switch 18.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 2024.430 resolves several bugs and improves hardware support. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2024-05-13 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110
By the way, we won. Sony caved on the Helldivers 2 privacy-violating “account linking” change. 🙂

SteamOS SteamDeck Update 2024-05-03 is a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 24.002.20759 and 20.005.30636 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb24-29.html

Adobe Aero 0.24.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/aero/apsb24-33.html

Adobe Animate 23.0.6 and 24.0.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb24-36.html

Adobe Dreamweaver 21.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dreamweaver/apsb24-39.html

Adobe FrameMaker 2020.6 and 2022.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb24-37.html

Adobe Illustrator 28.5 and 27.9.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb24-30.html

Adobe Substance 3D Designer 13.1.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_designer/apsb24-35.html

Adobe Substance 3D Painter 10.0.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_painter/apsb24-31.html

Aronium 1.43.0.2 adds dual currency and night theme, improves refund behavior, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://aronium.com/

Audacity 3.5.1 adds a bunch of new features and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Calibre 7.10.0 adds export support, spell check, color inversion and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Columns++ 1.0.6 improves wrapped line caompatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Coises/ColumnsPlusPlus

Formatta Filler 8.19.0.4 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://formatta.com/formatta-products/complete-submit/

GIMP 2.10.38 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.gimp.org/

Java 8u411 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

JShelter 0.18 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://jshelter.org/install/

Kdenlive 24.02.2 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

Kindle for PC 2.3.70840 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

LibreOffice 7.6.7 resolves over 40 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 24.2.3 resolves over 75 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 24.5.13.1531 adds several new features and improves email integration and display. This is not a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.13.0 resolves dozens of bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.6.7 improves multiedit and language support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

PDF-XChange Editor 10.3.0.386 adds page extraction, label modification, improves sort and group behavior and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

QuickBooks Pro 2022 20240509-R15_25 updates to backend processes. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 20240509-R12_15 updates to backend processes. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

Security Software Updates

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

Chainsaw 2.9.0 adds native rules, timezone improvements, and adds ability to change default conditional when searching. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

Microsoft Edge Policy 2024.05.07 updates policies. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/Edge-Enterprise/blob/public/edgeenterprise/microsoft-edge-policies.md

OpenSSL 3.3.0 is a security update.
https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html

ProtonVPN (macOS) 4.2.2 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

RogueKiller 15.16.1 updates engine and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Stinger 13.0.0.118 adds support for more detections. This is not a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

SuperAntiSpyware 10.0.1266 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.superantispyware.com/download.html

Tails 6.2 is a security update.
https://tails.net/install/download/index.en.html

Velociraptor 0.72 adds EWF support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Velocidex/velociraptor/releases/latest

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SnagIt 24.1.3 improves OCR, performances, updates libraries and resovles several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 13.0.1.7 resolves several couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

StreamFab 6.1.7.7 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 2.0.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password 8.10.32 improves compatibility, adds support to import from more third-party platforms, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

Agent Ransack 2022.3434 adds support for OneNote and resovles several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

AOMEI Partition Assistant 10.4.0 improves the user interface. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

Bitwarden 2024.4.2 improves passkeys support and secrets manager, and adds a new Authenticator app. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

BulkFileChanger 1.73 resolves a timezone-related bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/bulk_file_changer.html

CCleaner 6.23.11010 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

DesktopOK 11.21 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.1.92.0 resolves a .git/.gitignore bug, updates .NET library and translations. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

ExplorerPatcher 22621.3527.65.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3434 adds support for OneNote and resovles several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

FoneTool 2.6.1 adds iOS Data Recovery and resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.fonetool.com/download.html

Git SCM 2.45.0 adds dozens of new features and behaviors, and resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

Go 1.22.3 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.6.5 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

HWiNFO 8.02 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

InstalledAppView 1.08 resolves a CLI bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/installed_app_view.html

IsMyHdOK 3.96 improves performance and testing accuracy. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

LessMSI 2.0.1 updates dependencies and build environment, and resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

NirCmd 2.87 adds and resolves ~$ variables. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html

NTLite 2024.5.9931 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

osquery 5.12.1 is a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PingInfoView 3.05 adds option to map source IPv4 Address. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multiple_ping_tool.html

PowerToys 0.80.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

PSAppDeploy 3.10.1 adds a dozen features and parameters, improves stability and reliability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/

RoboForm 9.5.8 improves GUI. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

ScreenConnect 24.1.7.8892 resolves dozens of bugs and improves compatibility. This should be treated as a security update.
https://screenconnect.connectwise.com/download

Starwind V2V Converter 9.444 adds support for new conversions. This is not a security update.
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-v2v-converter

WinGet 1.7.11261 fixes elevation issues, updates dependencies and libraries. This is a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WinScan2PDF 8.81 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WUMT 04.22.2022 improves Windows 11 compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.oldergeeks.com/downloads/file.php?id=1366

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

.NET Runtime 8.0.5 is a security update.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

Android Studio 2023.3.1 adds device streaming for testing, integrates crashlytics, improves App Quality Insights, and adds audio redirection. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

AutoHotkey 2.0.14 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

cx_Freeze 7.0 updates dependencies and libraries and resolves hundreds of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

GitHub Desktop 3.3.17 removes support for older macOS versions, resolves a dozen bugs and improves user interface. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Godot 4.2.2 improves CLI support, resolves the audio bug, and more than 200 other issues. This is a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.4.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

MySQL Server 8.0.37 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

NASM 2.16.03 improves the build process. This is not a security update.
https://www.nasm.us/index.php

Node.js 18.20.2 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 20.13.1 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 21.7.3 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 22.1.0 is a major update. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Redemption 6.5.0.6294 improves integration and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dimastr.com/redemption/

Rustup 1.27.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rust-lang.org/

SQLite 3.45.3 adds new JSON handling behaviors and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

TortoiseGit 2.16.0 resolves a dozen bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://tortoisegit.org/

TortoiseSVN 1.14.7 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

Visual Studio Code 1.89.1 adds support to exclude content from Copilot and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.40 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 7.0.18 resolves over a dozen 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.

HumHub 1.15.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en

Joomla 5.1.0 adds more than a dozen features and code and performance improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

MAMP 5.0.6 updates dependencies. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.mamp.info/en/mamp/windows/

phpList 3.6.15 is a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

Piwigo 14.4.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

WordPress 6.5.3 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

BuddyPress 12.4.1 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Contact Form 7 5.9.4 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Duplicator 1.5.9 improves compatibility and resolves a bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/#developers

My Sticky Bar 2.7 resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mystickymenu/

Postie 1.9.69 should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/postie/

Slider Revolution 6.7 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

Social Post Feed 4.2.4 improves integration. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-facebook-feed/

Sucuri Security 1.8.44 improves API key controls. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sucuri-scanner/

W3 Total Cache 2.7.2 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 8.9.0 improves compatibility and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WPBakery 7.6 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

WPtouch 4.3.59 adds support for Reddit, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2024-03-12

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for March, 2024.

There were 300+ major hacks, and over 175 application updates this month. It’s a small month, with about 2.3 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

Ace Air Cargo, Air Methods, Aleo, AlgoSec, Alliance Solutions Group, American Express, American Vision Partners, Android and iOS biometric information (GoldPickaxe), AnyCubic Kobra 3D printers, APK.TW, Apple Shortcuts, Assurance IQ, Auxo, Azure AD/Entra ID (Silver SAML), Baesman Group, Inc., Bangalore One, Bank of America, 61 Brazilian Banks, Bay Area Anesthesia, LLC, Benefit Design Group, Inc., Biomedical Research Institute, BlueCare Plus Tennessee, Booking.com, Bradford-Scott Data, Bright Wires, Capita, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan – District of Columbia, CareTree, Inc., Carnet-AMM, Casino Del Sol, Cencora, Centre Hospitalier D’Armentieres, CGM, Inc., Change Healthcare, Cheat-Database, Chunghwa Telecom, CIPC, CISA, Citrus Diagnostic Center, City of Dubuque Fire Department, City of Hamilton, Ontario, City of Oakley, CA, City of Pleasant Hill, CA, Coffee Beyers, Cogdell Memorial Hospital, Coinsquare, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, Concord Music Group, Inc., ConnectWise Control/ScreenConnect, Continental Aerospace Technologies, Crossroads Equipment Lease & Finance, LLC, CUSO Financial Services, Cutout.Pro, CVS Pharmacy, Inc., David’s Bridal, Davlyn Investments, Denninger’s, Department of State Hospitals (DSH), DGA-Producer Pension & Health Plans, Dignity Health Welfare Benefits Plan, DiVal Safety Equipment, Inc, DJI, 8,000 major brands’ DNS, Duvel Moortgat Brewery, Eagers Automotive, East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, Eastern Radiologists, Inc, EasyPark, EdisonLearning, Inc., Egyptian Health Department, EKEN cameras, El Al Airline, Election Commission of India, Elemetal, LLC, Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, Employee Benefits Corporation of America, ETISALAT, Ewig Group, Facebook Marketplace, Fairway Independent Mortgage, FBI, FBinsure, fckeditor, Federal Communications Commission, Fidelity Investments Life Insurance, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), FixedFloat, Fortinet FortiOS, Fortinet FortiProxy, Framwellgate School, FullPress, Future Generations Foundation, GCA Nederland, Gilroy Gardens, Gixen, Global Tel*Link, Golden Corral, Grace Lutheran Communities, Group Health Cooperative, Grupo Bimbo, Habib’s, Haivision MCS, Hampton County School District, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, HAWITA Group, Health NZ, Hessen Consumer Center, Highland Health Systems, Hochschule Kempten, Hospice of Huntington, Houser LLP, Human Affairs International of California, HWL Ebsworth, Imaging Data Commons libdicom, InfoSys McCamish, Infraestructura Portuaria Mexicana, Insomniac Games, Institute of Food Technologists, Insurance ACE/Humana Inc., INTEGRIS Health, Interventional Pain and Regenerative Medicine, iSoon, Ivanti Pulse Secure, Jaypee University, Jersey’s Financial Services Commission, JFSC, Joomla, Jovani Fashions, Juniper Support Portal, JVC Kenwood, Kick, Kids Care Dental & Orthodontics, KNS Bank, La Bonne Alternance, LDLC, Leicester City Council, Lena Pope Home Inc., LenDenClub, Lindsey Municipal Hospital, Liquid Environmental Solutions, Littleton Regional Healthcare, llama.cpp GGUF library, Llamaya, loanDepot.com, LLC, Loghman Pharmaceuticals, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Malawi’s passport system, Maranhao Military Police, Maryville Addiction Treatment Centers, Maryville, Inc., McKenzie County Healthcare System, Inc., MedQ, Inc., Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama, Inc., Merchant.ID, Microsoft (yet again!), Microsoft .NET Framework, Microsoft Azure, 97,000 Microsoft Exchange servers, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Streaming Service, MicroStrategy, Ministry of Planning, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Mirtylla, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Mr. Green Gaming, NALS Apartment Homes LLC, National Police of Peru, Netgear RAX30, NewGen Administrative Services, LLC, North Hill Employee Dental Plan, North Hill Home Health Care, Inc., North Hill Needham, Inc., Northeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, PLLC, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, NVIDIA drivers, Oculus Meta, Odette, Online Trade (Онлайн Трейд), Opensea, Orlando VA Medical Center, P-Fleet, Pakistan National Bank, Paragon Technology and Innovation, Paul Davis Restoration, Paysign, Pennsylvania’s State Courts, PetSmart, Philips Respironics, PlayDapp, PowerRail, Prague Regional Memorial Hospital, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, Prudential Financial, PSI Software SE, QEMU, QNAP NAS devices, Qualcomm Incorporated, RCI, LLC, Redis servers, Redwood Coast RC, Revolut, Richland Community College, Rio Hondo Community College, RMH Franchise, Robert Half, Roblox, Roku, Inc., Romanian medical facilities (approximately 100), Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Russian Ministry of Defense (Minoborony), SAFE Credit Union, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Samsung Electronics, Santa Clarita Community College District, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, SCEVN, Schneider Electric, Seminole County Public Schools, Seneca, Seven Seas Group, Shein, SK Hynix, smartphone voice assistants (VoltSchemer), SolarWinds Access Rights Manager, Sony’s Insomniac Games, South Korean President, Southern Water, Spectrum Vision, SPMundi, Superior Communications, Tangerine, TeamCity, Tehachapi Unified School District, Tesla Phone Key, Texx Offroad, Thai Summit, The Biosig Project, The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (twice), ThyssenKrupp, Toner-dumping, Tornado Cash, Tracy Unified School District, Trans-Northern Pipelines, Tshwane University Of Technology, TTM Technologies, U-Haul, U.S. Department of the Interior, UAE’s IEMS, Ubiquiti Edge OS routers, UC San Diego Health Hillcrest – Hillcrest Medical Center, Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspector, UniCredit, Unisys, UNITE HERE, University of Cambridge’s Clinical School Computing Service, University of Machester, University of Wolverhampton, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Customs Enforcement, Valorem Reply, VARTA AG, Veeco, Vi Senior Living, Victor Valley Union High School District, Victoria Police, Virgin Hotels, Virginia Farm Bureau, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware ESXi, VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation, VSexShop, Ward Transport & Logistics, Washington County Hospital and Nursing Home, Watson Clinic, WayForward, Webber International University, WebMarketPoint, Welltok, Inc., Western National Group, Western Union, Weston Embedded, Williamson County, TX, Windows AppLocker, Windows Defender SmartScreen, WordPress Brick Builder Theme, WordPress LiteSpeed Cache, WordPress Popup Builder, WordPress Ultimate Member, WoTLabs, Wyze, Yakima Valley Radiology, PC, YX International (2FA provider for Facebook and WhatsApp, Google, TikTok, and others), Zenlayer, Zoom, Zyxel firewalls, and ​​Harvard Pilgrim Health Care​ have reported hacking or compromises this month.

AT&T, Change Healthcare, Facebook, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Instagram, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook Exchange via ActiveSync, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), US military pharmacies, WhatsApp, and Wyze have suffered from outages this month.

Citrix and Sophos (both companies over 29 years old) suffered from leap year bugs this year.

Microsoft has announced they’re throwing support behind the “privacy-preserving ads API” which is designed to “less uniquely” identify users. The new system is still designed to collect and share all your interests and internet activity (in fact, the one that will be used in Edge will share your desktop/mobile experience as well as activity in other applications, as Edge does now), but it will not be used to “uniquely” identify you, rather it will collect all this information about your activities and assign your profile to various collections through a process known as meta tagging, and these tags will be used to market to you.

In this way, they’ll be able to tell you’re a divorced Christian 40-something year old female with 2 children, dark hair, wears a size 3, prefers red wine, lives within a 2-block radius of Bank of America in Modesto, orders from Papa Johns once per month and only votes every other election cycle, but they won’t know it’s “you.” Please use an ad-blocker and disable all these metric and ad-measurement features.

The “new Outlook” by Microsoft is collecting logins from third-party accounts and storing them in the Microsoft Cloud without telling their users. Email, contacts and other information from third-party accounts, as well.

While I’m on the topic of Microsoft email…after pushing for better validation and spam controls among their industry partners, Microsoft Exchange is still responsible for a large amount of spam.

Microsoft is also making another push to upgrade those still on Windows 10 to Windows 11. For some devices this means they will be aggressively force-upgraded as happened to Windows 7 users win Windows 10 was released and to some Windows 10 users when Windows 11 was released.

Apple has disabled the Epic developer account, again, claiming that they can’t be trusted. Pot, kettle?

Google Pay is shutting down in the US. If you’ve stored money within this platform you need to move it out before early June. They couldn’t keep their own payment platform alive, but Google believes their AI should be trusted with direct access to information about all hacking incidents so it can be used “for defense.” Somehow I’m just not buying it.

The first publicly known AI prompt injection worm has been created and shown to self-propagate by telling the AI to send a copy of itself through to other AI nodes.

Troy Hunt has a great write-up that demonstrates why it is so easy for scammers to get away with text scams. The vendors suck.

Now for the good news:

Bitcoin broke $73,000 yesterday for the first time, which is $30,000 more than it was at the beginning of the year and $50,000 more than it was a year ago. If you’re looking to sell, don’t. But if you must, we still have about a month of growth yet before the bull run is over. I would be surprised if it doesn’t break at least $82,000 by the first week of April.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is small this month. The typical computer should see roughly 2.3 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to address 69 vulnerabilities in .NET, Azure Data Studio, Azure SDK, Microsoft Authenticator, Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service, Microsoft Django Backend for SQL Server, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft QUIC, Microsoft SharePoint Server, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft WDAC ODBC Driver, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows SCSI Class System File, Open Management Infrastructure, Outlook for Android, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Servicing Stack Update, Servicing Stack Updates, Skype for Consumer, Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC), Visual Studio Code, Windows AllJoyn API, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows Composite Image File System, Windows Compressed Folder, Windows Defender, Windows Error Reporting, Windows Installer, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel, Windows NTFS, Windows ODBC Driver, Windows OLE, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Standards-Based Storage Management Service, Windows Telephony Server, Windows Update Stack, Windows USB Hub Driver, Windows USB Print Driver, Windows USB Serial Driver, and MSRT. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.8.2, iOS 16.7.6, iOS 17.4, iPadOS 16.7.6, iPadOS 17.4, macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, Safari 17.4, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, and watchOS 10.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.8.2, 16.7.6 and 17.4 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 16.7.6 and 17.4 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 10.4 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 17.4 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

visionOS 1.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 120.0.6099.301, 121.0.6167.188 and 122.0.6045.214 are security updates. 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 Sonoma (14.x) means that macOS Big Sur (11.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Monterey (12) 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 — and final — release of the Windows 10 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. All non-LTS versions of Windows 10 other than v22H2 are now out of support, upgrade to v22H2 now. If you aren’t sure whether you are using LTS, you aren’t. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v23H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

Windows 11 is now stable and can be upgraded to if your hardware supports it, but I recommend you continue to use Windows 10 until early 2025 before you consider switching to it.

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.

AMD Adrenalin 24.2.1 improves stability and resolves more than a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.7.3 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Nvidia Driver 474.89 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.63.169 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 122.0.6261.111 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 122.0.2365.80 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 123.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 115.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Opera 108.0.5067.24 is a security update.
https://www.opera.com/browsers/opera

Opera GX 107.0.5045.60 is a security update.
https://www.opera.com/gx

Vivaldi 6.6.3271.48 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Spark 3.14.3.67453 improves AI training process. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 115.8.1 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

Dropbox 193.4.5594 resolves stability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 206.0.0.8.218 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FreeFileSync 13.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 88.0 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

MeshCentral 1.1.21 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://meshcentral.com/info/downloads.html

Microsoft Teams 1.7.00.6058 adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 28.0.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Omada Software Controller 5.13.30.8 adds support for newer hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Rclone 1.66.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 7.1.1 is a major update, adding username support, improved privacy controls, new emoji, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 7.0.2 is a major update, adding username support, improved privacy controls, new emoji and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Skype 8.113.0.210 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.27.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 4.15.1 adds Telegram Business features and adds emoji. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Telegram (Android) 10.9.1 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://telegram.org/apps

WinSCP 6.3.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.17.11.34827 improves AI and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 4.0.2 improves face detection, lip sync, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

darktable 4.6.1 improves performance and resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/

Grayjay 236 adds cache support, improved performance, adds watch filters, and resolves several cosmetic bugs. This is not a security update. They also announced that Grayjay Desktop will be available in the coming months. Yay! 🙂
https://grayjay.app/index.html

Kodi 20.5 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://kodi.tv/

Plex Desktop 1.88.1.96 improves stability and resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.57.1.100 updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

TuneIn 1.28.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://tunein.com/radio/home/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

GameMaker Studio 2024.2.0.132 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.3.194 adds notification support, QRCode support, one-click iOS export, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.20.71.01 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

PS3 4.91 adds support for the latest BluRay encodings and improves perofrmance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps3/system-software/

PS5 24.01-08.60.00 improves Parties, hardware support, and performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2024-03-07 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110

SteamOS 3.5.17 resolves dozens of bugs and improves compatibility and stability. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Animate 23.0.4 and 24.0.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb24-19.html

Adobe Bridge 13.0.6 and 14.0.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb24-15.html

Adobe ColdFusion 2021.13 and 2023.7 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb24-14.html

Adobe Experience Manager 2024.03 and 6.5.20.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb24-05.html

Adobe Lightroom 7.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/lightroom/apsb24-17.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 23.6.4 and 24.2.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb24-12.html

Calibre 7.6.0 adds profile support, merge support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Columns++ 1.0.5 resolves a tab-to-spaces bug and adds support for notifications coming in the next version of Notepad++. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Coises/ColumnsPlusPlus

Ghostscript 10.03.0 resolves several bugs and improves OCR support. This is not a security update.
https://www.ghostscript.com/releases/gsdnld.html

ImageMagick 7.1.1-29 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://imagemagick.org/

Kdenlive 24.02.0 is a major update, adding native support for DirectX, Metal and Vulkan, Apple Silicon support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

LibreOffice 7.6.5 resolves over 90 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 24.2.1 resolves almost 100 bugs. This is a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided by most people.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 24.3.10.1347 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.12.1 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.6.4 resolves a focus bug. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 5.0.13 resolves a couple bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

QuickBooks Pro 2022 20231120-R13_69 no longer provides a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 20231107-R9_133 does not provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

Security Software Updates

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

Gpg4win 4.3.1 adds support for new smart cards, Windows root CAs, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html

iOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

iPadOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

macOS 14.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201541

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.6.9 prepares the software for the v5 release. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

OnionShare 2.6.1 updates dependencies, updates release process, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

ProtonVPN (macOS) 4.1.7 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

RogueKiller 15.15.3 updates engine, improves exclusion and configuration controls, adds support for multiple threat names and multiple schedules. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

SanDisk PrivateAccess 6.4.10.0 does not provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48025

Stinger 13.0.0.72 adds support for new detections. This is not a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

Symantec Norton Removal Tool 20240303
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v60392881

Tails 6.0 is a major update, improving persistent storage support, external mounting, session resumption, and application and library updates. This is a security update.
https://tails.net/install/download/index.en.html

tvOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT202716

uBlock Origin 1.56.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

watchOS 10.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204641

Wireless Network Watcher 2.41 adds option to scan IPv6 addresses. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SnagIt 24.1.1 updates libraries, improves mute detection, camera mode swapping, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 13.0.1.3 adds support for new encodings and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

StreamFab 6.1.6.8 improves compabitility. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 2.0.1.2 improves enlarger and upscaling, improves performance for deinterlacer and denoiser, and resolve several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.35 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility, and updates signature. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.zotero.org/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password 8.10.27 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

Agent Ransack 2022.3425 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Bitwarden 2024.3.0 adds passkey support to self-hosted version, improved 2FA, redesigned interface. This is a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CalyxOS Device Flasher 1.0.9 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://calyxos.org/install/

CCleaner 6.21.10918 resolves several bugs and improves software udpater. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

Cygwin 3.5.1-1 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 11.17 resovles several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.1.27.0 improves plugin support, adds sticky scrolling, extends date filters, improves installer and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

ExplorerPatcher 22621.3007.63.2 improves compatibility, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3425 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

FileTypesMan 2.00 adds option to exclude loading of icons which might cause it to hang or crash. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/file_types_manager.html

Fing 3.6.2 updates signature, improves service not found page, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

Git SCM 2.44.0 resolves several bugs and improves syntax. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

Go 1.22.1 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.5.8 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Hiren’s BootCD PE 1.0.8 updates drivers. This is not a security update.
https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/

Homedale 2.11 improves channel width display. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWMonitor 1.53 adds hardware support. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

MobileFileSearch 1.48 resolves a bug in export content. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mobile_device_file_search.html

NConvert 7.172 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/nconvert/

NetworkOpenedFiles 1.62 adds sort button to toolbar. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_opened_files.html

OSFMount 3.1.1003 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html

OSForensics 11.0.1006 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

PowerToys 0.79.0 rsolves dozens of bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ScreenConnect 23.9.10.8817 is a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Starwind V2V Converter 9.413 adds support for converting VMs to and from VirtualBox. This is not a security update.
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-v2v-converter

Sysmon 15.14 resolves crash bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

Unity 2023.2.12 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

WifiInfoView 2.93 adds support for 8.2.11be. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

Windows Migration Assistant 3.0.0.0 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/118595

WinGet 1.7.10582 is now officially stable, updating libraries and resolve dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WinRAR 7.00 is a major version, increasing the maximum dictionary size, maximum path length, improved security tagging (MotW), and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rarlab.com/

WinScan2PDF 8.72 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.19 adds quick and dirty duplicate detection (name patterns only!) and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

XnConvert 1.100.1 improves batch operation. This is not a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/

ZoomText 2022.2402.1.400 improves tracking, compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

ZoomText 2023.2402.1.400 improves tracking, compatibility 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.

.NET Runtime 8.0.3 is a security update.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

ADB 35.0.0 resolves compatibility bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Android Studio 2023.2.1.23 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

GitHub Desktop 3.3.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Node.js 18.19.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 20.11.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 21.7.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Rustup 1.27.0 improves compatibility, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rust-lang.org/

SQLite 3.45.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.87.2 is a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VMware Workstation Player 17.5.1 is a security update.
https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads/#all_products

Web Package Updates

These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

Invision Community 4.7.16 is a security update.
https://invisioncommunity.com/

Joomla 5.0.3 and 4.4.3 are security updates.
https://www.joomla.org/

Piwigo 14.3.0 is a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

Autoptimize 3.1.11 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

BuddyPress 12.3.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Contact Form 7 5.9.2 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

My Sticky Bar 2.6.8 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mystickymenu/

Theme My Login 7.1.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-my-login/

W3 Total Cache 2.7.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 8.6.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WPBakery 7.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

WP Mail SMTP 4.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/

WP Plugin Update Checker 5.4 improves detection and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/YahnisElsts/plugin-update-checker/releases/latest

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2022-12-13

Merry Christmas, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for December, 2022.

This month brings a new version of Windows 10 (v22H2), critical security updates for all supported Apple products, and (literally) new security updates every single week since the last update cycle on November 8th. That’s on top of the 150+ major hacks, and over 165 application updates this month. Prepare yourself, there will be about 4 GB of updates for most devices this month.

This Month in Technology

Over 15,000 websites, Abandonia2022, ABB Totalflow, Accuro, Acer UEFI Secure Boot, dozens of apps using the Algolia API, Amazon ECR, Amnesty International Canada, Android, Android OEM certificates, André-Mignot Hospital, Ankr, Antwerp, Belgium, Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Atlassian Bitbucket Server, Bahrain, Bank of Russia, Boa web server, California’s Department of Finance, Canadian Teachers Union, Canon hardware, CareFirst Administrators, CCA Health Plans of California, Inc d/b/a CCA Health CA, Central Depository Services Ltd, Chiropractic Board of New Zealand, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cisco IP phones, Citrix ADC and Gateway, CloudSEK, Codesys, CoinTracker, CommonSpirit Health, Community Health Network, Inc. as an Affiliated Covered Entity, Connexin Software, Consumer Directed Services In Texas, Inc., CorrectCare Integrated Health Inc, County of Tehama, California, Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District, Deribit, Dermatology & Skin Cancer Ctr, PC, Dialpad, Inc., Dietitians Board of New Zealand, Docs Medical Inc, Doctors’ Center Hospital, Dr. Douglas C. Shoenberger,PC, Durham District School Board, Dutch LNG Terminal, Easton Cardiovascular, Ellen M. Field, M.D., Epic Management LLC, European Parliament, F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ, Fars News Agency, Festo, FortiOS SSL-VPN, FTX, GATE Petroleum Company Employee Benefits Plan, Gateway Rehabilitation Center, General Council of the Judiciary, GGCorp, Google Pixel 5 and 6, Google’s Looker Studio, GoTo, Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Health Care Management Solutions, LLC, Health New Zealand, Hope Health Systems Inc., Hospital Center of Versailles, HP hardware, Hyundai and Genesis cars, Indian Central Board of Higher Education, Indian Community Health Network, Indian Council of Medical Research, Indian electrical grid operators, Innovative Service Technology Management Services, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., Keralty Group, Lake Charles Memorial Health System, LastPass (again), Lehigh Valley Women’s Specialties, Lenovo UEFI Secure Boot, Lexmark hardware, Magento 2, Manassas Surgery Center Anesthesia Services, MaryAnne Freeman Brndjar, DO, PC, Medibank, Mena Regional Health System, Mercury IT, Microsoft Exchange, Mikrotik hardware, NETGEAR hardware, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New Zealand Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Psychologists Board, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, a NY salon, NU House Calls, PC, Nuance Communications, Inc., OakBend Medical Center, One Brooklyn Health System, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board of New Zealand, Oracle Fusion, Orange Telecom, Orlando Health, Pendurthi Surgical Associates, Peter J. Isaac, D.O., Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand, Plascar Participacoes Industriais, Podiatrists Board of New Zealand, Polsinelli PC, Quarkus Java Framework, Rackspace, Radio Free Asia, Receivables Performance Management, Restaurants in Cincinnati, Roman Catholic Church, Rosenfeld VanWirt, PC, Royal Mail, Samsung Galaxy S22, Sequoia One, Seville Urban Transport Company, Silverstone Circuit, Sobeys, Sonder, Sonos hardware, South Staffordshire Water, South Walton Fire District, Southampton County, Virginia, Sree Saran Medical Centre, Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, Inc., Synology hardware, Tata Power, Telstra, The Smith Family, TP-Link hardware, Tuloso-Midway Independent School District, Twitter, Uber, Ubiquiti hardware, University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, UOB KayHian, Uruguay’s Ministry of Transport and Public Works, the US government, VMware ESXi, VTB Bank, Western Digital hardware, Whoosh, Work Health Solutions, Wright & Filippis LLC, Xavier College, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, Yale University, and the Zwijndrecht police have reportedly been hacked or compromised this month.

There’s another novel method for exfiltrating information from air-gapped devices: the power supply. Most US DoD contractors fail to implement basic security controls.

Windows updates last month broke DirectAccess, gaming performance, ODBC database connections, Remote Desktop, Task Manager, Windows Kerberos, caused Windows freezes and domain controller freezes.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) has acknowledged they’ve been used by the US Military for propaganda

Now for the good news:

Apple is finally adding end-to-end encryption for some iCloud backups.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is huge this month. The typical computer should see roughly 4 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to address 57 vulnerabilities in .NET Framework, Azure, Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS), Microsoft Bluetooth Driver, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Windows Hyper-V, SysInternals, Windows Certificates, Windows Contacts, Windows DirectX, Windows Error Reporting, Windows Fax Compose Form, Windows HTTP Print Provider, Windows Kernel, Windows PowerShell, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Projected File System, Windows Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP), Windows SmartScreen, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Terminal and MSRT (~ 2.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iCloud for Windows 14.1, iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2, iOS 16.1.2, iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, macOS Big Sur 11.7.2, macOS Monterey 12.6.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, Safari 16.2, tvOS 16.1.1, tvOS 16.2, and watchOS 9.2. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.7.2, 16.1.2, and 16.2 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.7.2, 16.1.2, and 16.2 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 9.2 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 16.1.1 and 16.2 are security updates. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 108.0.5359.75 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Fedora 37-1.7 is a major update, adding support for Raspberry Pi 4, new editions, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/

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 Monterey (12.x) means that macOS Mojave (10.14) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Big Sur (11) 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 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 12 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 will 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.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

Windows 11 is still very young so I encourage you to wait a few more months before you consider switching to it.

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.

AMD Adrenalin 22.11.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.5.9 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

DS4Windows 3.1.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/releases/latest

Garmin Express 7.15.2 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/software/express/

NVcleanstall 1.14.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-nvcleanstall/

Nvidia Driver 474.06 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Drivers by Seagull 2022.3 adds support for over 200 new devices. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/

Wacom Driver 6.4.0-11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.wacom.com/en-us/support/product-support/drivers

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.46.134 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 108.0.5359.98 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 108.0.1462.46 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 108.0 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Vivaldi 5.6.2867.40 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.10.7 resolves a couple bugs and improves cosmetic options. This is not a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

OutlookAttachView 3.47 adds option to cancel scan with Esc key. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Spark 3.2.1.40643 resolves many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.2.1.40641 resolves many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 102.6 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk (macOS) 7.0.0 resolves several bugs and improves interface and Settings. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

BrowsingHistoryView 2.53 adds multiple profile support to several browsers and adds the ability to cancel scan with the Esc key. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

DNSDataView 1.70 adds support for collecting A records of all PTR record. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dns_records_viewer.html

Dropbox 162.4.5419 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 172.0.0.23.215 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FileZilla Client 3.62.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FileZilla Server 1.6.1 resolves an installation bug and improves certificate controls. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.28 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 68.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Microsoft Teams 1.5.00.33362 adds HOSI support for compatible hardware. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Minds (Android) 4.30.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.minds.com/

Nextcloud Server 25.0.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Omada Software Controller 5.7.4 improves the user interface, adds several new options, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Pocketnet-Core 0.20.29 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

Pocketnet-GUI 0.8.34 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

Qbox 4.0.5.35 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.coraltreetech.com/qbox

Rclone 1.60.1 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 6.0.1 adds Stories support. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 6.3.6 adds donation support. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Skype 8.91.0.404 adds universal translation and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.22.2 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 10.0.1 adds several features and resolves bugs. This is a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 4.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Telegram (Android) 9.2.1 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://telegram.org/apps

TP-Link Archer AX21 v1.3.6 is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-ax21/v1.20/#Firmware

WinSCP 5.21.6 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.12.9.10650 improves policy controls, CC and translation, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Bitwig Studio 4.4.3 fixes a couple stability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

Picard 2.8.5 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Desktop 1.59.1.3398 adds support for AV1 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.30.1.3391 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.30.0.6486 adds pattern matching, improves scheduled tasks, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

VLC Media Player 3.0.18 is a security update.
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

GameMaker Studio 2022.11.0.54 resolves dozens of bugs and improves usability. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.1.152 adds new features, including monetization through assets, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Lego Studio 2.22.12.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd

Steam 2022.12.01 resolves 20 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://steamcommunity.com/news/client

SteamOS SteamDeck Update 2022-11-21 resolves many bugs including hardware compatibility, performance and stability issues. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Campaign Classic 7.3.2 and 8.4.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/campaign/apsb22-58.html

Adobe Experience Manager 2022.10.0 and 6.5.15.0 resolve almost three dozen security vulnerabilities.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb22-59.html

Illustrator 2023 27.0.1 and 2022 26.5.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb22-60.html

Artweaver 7.0.14 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Atom 1.63.1 is the final release of Atom before it is to be EOL in a couple days. Please switch to another editor.
https://atom.io/

Audacity 3.2.2 adds VST2 realtime effect support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Calibre 6.9.0 adds signing to all binaries and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Inkscape 1.2.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://inkscape.org/release/

Kindle for PC 1.39.65383 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

LibreOffice Fresh 7.4.3 resolves 100 bugs. This is a security update. Remember that the Fresh line is beta software. Most users should use the Still line.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.6.4 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

Security Software Updates

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

Chainsaw 2.3.0 improves culprit tracking. This should be treated as a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

HTTP Toolkit 1.12.1 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://httptoolkit.tech/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware Mac 4.17.8 adds support for macOS Ventura/13. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

ProtonVPN 2.3.1 improves user interface. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

ProtonVPN (macOS) 3.0.10 improves the user interface. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

Radmin VPN 1.3.4568.3 adds ability to add exceptions from within the software. This is not a security update.
https://www.radmin-vpn.com/

RogueKiller 15.6.3 updates engine and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Tails 5.7 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html

uBlock Origin 1.45.2 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Velociraptor 0.6.7 adds PGP automation and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Velocidex/velociraptor/releases/latest

WebBrowserPassView 2.12 adds High-DPI support and improves portable browser support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/web_browser_password.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Camtasia 22.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.0.9.4 adds support for new encodings. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

iMazing HEIC Converter 2.0.3 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://imazing.com/heic

IsoBuster 5.1 adds support for reading the FAT directly, improves performance and stability, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.isobuster.com/download.php

PDF Creator 5.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator

StreamFab 6.0.0.7 adds support for new encodings and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.18 resolves a merge bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.zotero.org/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 8.9.10 improves 2FA support and compatibility, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 8.9.10 improves 2FA support and compatibility, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

Agent Ransack 2022.3349 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Bitwarden 2022.11.0 implements 2-step authentication and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.06.10144 adds and improves cleanup for over a dozen applications. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

Cygwin 3.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 10.51 improves compatibility with Windows 11. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 3.1.197.0 adds recycle bin support, resolves several bugs, and improves bookmark behavior. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Etcher 1.10.6 updates dependencies. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3349 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Git SCM 2.39.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

Go 1.19.4 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.1.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 2.04 removes log headers and updates languages. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWMonitor 1.48 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

NetConnectChoose 1.10 adds Metric column and resolves a network selection bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/net_connect_choose.html

NTLite 2.3.9.9018 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

OSForensics 10.0.1006 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

osquery 5.6.0 resolves several bugs, adds new columns and controls. This is not a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

AOMEI Partition Assistant 9.13.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

PointerStick 6.11 improves compatibility with Windows 11. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.65.0 upgrades dependencies and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Explorer 17.02 resolves stability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

RoboForm 9.3.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.21 updates dependencies, libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ScreenConnect 22.9.10589.8370 resolves dozens of bugs including stability and reliability. This is a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Sysmon 14.13 resolves a stability bug. This is a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TeamViewer 15.36.9 improves terminal and scripting support. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

TraceRouteOK 3.22 improves compatibility with Windows 11. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/TraceRouteOK

Unity 2022.2.0 resolves over a hundred bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

WinScan2PDF 8.31 improves compatibility with Windows 11. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.12 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

ZoomText 2022 2022.2211.5.400 improves integration and stability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

ZoomText 2023 2023.2210.28.400 is a new major version adding tethered view and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

AutoHotkey 1.1.36.02 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

Docker Desktop 4.14.1 improves stability and performance, adds WebAssembly support, user interface improvements, upgrades libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Node.js 14.21.2 updates certificates and timezone information. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 16.19.0 updates certificates and timezone information. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 19.2.0 updates libraries and resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.40.0 improves support for data recovery, performance, and reliability. This is a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.74 adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 7.0.4 resolves over a dozen 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.

Drupal 9.4.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.12.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

Joomla 4.2.6 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

jQuery 3.6.2 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.jquery.com/

MailEnable 9.86 is a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

MailEnable 10.43 is a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

ownCloud Client 3.0.0.9215 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

Piwigo 13.3.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

SMF 2.1.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.simplemachines.org/

WordPress 6.1.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Akismet 5.0.2 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/akismet/

Autoptimize 3.1.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

Contact Form 7 5.7 resolves dozens of bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Duplicator 1.5.1 adds support for the latest build of WordPress and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/#developers

Redirection 5.3.6 improves translations. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection/

Register IP – Multisite 1.8.3 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/register-ip-multisite/

Simple Lightbox 2.9.3 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/simple-lightbox/

Sucuri Security 1.8.36 is a cosmetic update. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sucuri-scanner/

W3 Total Cache 2.2.9 improves translation support. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 7.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WPtouch 4.3.46 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2022-01-11

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for January, 2022.

It’s a big one. This month has been insane. There’s always a surge in hacking events near holidays, but this month had almost double the *known* hacking events from previous months. What’s worse is that many of the vulnerabilities used were known weeks and sometimes years in advance, though the patches were not yet installed or the specific applications and services were simply not being maintained or secured. Grrrr.

This Month in Technology

A New Leaf, Inc., Advocate Aurora HealthAlabama Department of Rehabilitation ServicesAll in One SEOAmediaAndrew Sauchelli, DMDApache httpdApple Blossom Family PracticeAzure App ServiceBansley and Kiener (B&K), Belgium’s MilitaryBernalillo CountyBioPlus Specialty Pharmacy Services LLCBrazil’s Health MinistryBroward HealthC.E. Niehoff & CompanyChaddockCiox HealthCommission on ElectionsCOVID-19 Home TestsCrawford County Assessors OfficeDaniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc., DatPiff, The De Montfort SchoolDouglas C Morrow ODPCDuneland School CorporationEvanston Township High SchoolExpresso and SICFertility Centers of Illinois, PLLC, FinalSiteFlexBookerFlorida Digestive Health Specialists LLP, Forensic Science IrelandFresenius Kabi infusion pump systemsGarrett metal detectorsGeorgia Bone & Joint Surgeons, P.C., Google Docs Comment PlatformGrass Valley, CAGumtreeH2 DatabaseHellmann Worldwide LogisticsImpresaInetum GroupiPhone 13James Kagan, MDJefferson Surgical ClinicKearsarge Regional School DistrictLastPassLog4j (several times)Loyola University Medical CenterLuxemburg-Casco School DistrictmacOS powerdirMcMenaminsMedQuest Pharmacy, Inc., Microsoft Active DirectoryMicrosoft TeamsMonkey Kingdom (via Grape), Monongalia Health System Inc., Monroe Public SchoolsMonterey Peninsula Unified School DistrictNetgear NighthawkNorthwest Broward Orthopaedics AssociatesNorth Shore Hebrew Academy High SchoolOG department storeONUSOregon Eye SpecialistsPeck & Associates, PC, Pithadia Medical Professional Services, Inc., ProtempsPulseTVQNAPRavkooRedLine StealerRhode Island Public Transit AuthorityR.R. Donnelley & SonsRunning Warehouse LLC, Sainsbury’sSaltzer HealthSaskatchewan Liquor and Gaming AuthoritySEGAShelley School DistrictShutterflySkate Warehouse LLC, Skin Care Specialty PhysiciansSotheby’s Realty’s BrightcoveSouthern Orthopaedic AssociatesSpar StoresStandard BankSuperior PlusSurgery Group SCT-MobileTackle Warehouse LLC, Tennis Warehouse LCC, Tiyuli and LametayelUAW Retiree Medical Benefits TrustUberUbisoftUK Defence AcademyUltimate Kronos GroupUS Commission on International Religious FreedomUScellular, Utah Department of Health, Virginia Division of Capitol PoliceVirginia General AssemblyVolvoWalgreen Co., WD MyCloudWelfare, Pension and Annuity Funds of Local No. ONE, I.A.T.S.E., and Zoho UEM have been hacked.

Norton 360 is now opting you in for their CPU cryptomining if you have their software installed. The very same software designed to protect you from evildoers that would take advantage of your computer to do this kind of thing…is now doing it. Apple has released an Android app under the auspice of helping users discover Tracker devices that might be tracking them…by enabling your device to allow them to communicate with the Apple Tracker network. Firefox still doesn’t properly support OCSP stapling. Dell BIOS updates are crashing devices. Microsoft has integrated their own financing platform into Edge.

Microsoft rang in the new year by breaking Microsoft Exchange (on-prem) for every server that had filtering enabled (almost all of them). Microsoft acknowledged the problem about 20 hours after it began and released resolution steps by deleting and rebuilding the scanning engine about 31 hours after it began. Sonicwall, too.

CloudflareAWS, Twitch, Zoom, PSN, Slack, Hulu, Imgur have had extended outages this month.

Please, for all that is holy, check your backups!

Phishing is an ever-growing problem. Sophos reminds us how to check for scams like this.

Now for the good news:

Mozilla has added Secure DNS to Firefox, now enabled by default. Unfortunately, this bypasses DNS filtering options you may have assigned yourself – so if you use Firefox you’ll need to enable your own DoH URLs within the settings.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is pretty big. The typical computer should see roughly 3 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for.NET Framework, Microsoft Dynamics, Edge, Exchange Server, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Active Directory, CLFS, Windows Cryptographic Services, Windows Defender, DirectX, Windows Installer, Windows RDP, Windows Remote Desktop, ReFS, Windows Security Center, Windows Storage Spaces, Windows Tile Data Repository, Windows UEFI, Windows User Profile Service, and MSRT (~2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for Safari 15.2. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

Google Chrome OS 96.0.4664.111 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 Monterey (12.x) means that macOS Mojave (10.14) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Catalina (10.15) 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 (v21H2) is very large 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 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 will 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.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v21H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will 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.

Windows 11 is still very young so I encourage you to wait a few more months before you consider switching to it.

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.

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.7 removes support for Vista, updates libraries, and improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.34.80 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 97.0.4692.71 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 97.0.1072.55 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 96.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 91.5.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Iridium 2021.12.96 is a security update.
https://iridiumbrowser.de/

SeaMonkey 2.53.10.2 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 5.0.2497.35 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 91.5.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk (macOS) 6.4.0 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

curl 7.81.0 is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 139.4.4896 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Server 1.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.16 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Omada Software Controller 5.0.29 is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Prosody 0.11.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

Syncthing 1.18.6 improves usability. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 3.4.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Zoom 5.9.1.2581 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

darktable 3.8.0 makes nearly 4,000 changes including performance, bug fixes, new hardware support and more. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/install/

Picard 2.7.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

TuneIn 1.25.0 does not provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://tunein.com/radio/home/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Steam 2022.12.16 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/about/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Reader DC 21.011.20039 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 21.011.20039, 20.004.30020, and 17.011.30207 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb22-01.html

Adobe Illustrator 26.0.2 and 25.4.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb22-02.html

Adobe Bridge 12.0.1 and 11.1.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb22-03.html

Adobe InCopy 16.4.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb22-04.html

Adobe InDesign 16.4.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb22-05.html

Audacity 3.1.3 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Krita 5.0.2 is a major update. This version adds several features, resolves bugs and improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.2.5 resolves almost 100 bugs. This is not a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided in favor of the stable version (“Still”) by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.2 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 4.3.7 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

Security Software Updates

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

elementary OS 6.1
https://elementary.io/

Gpg4win 4.0.0 is a major update adding several new features and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html

KeePass 2.50 improves performance and generator, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://keepass.info/

OpenSSL 1.1.1m is a security update.
https://www.openssl.org/source/

OpenSSL 3.0.1 is a security update.
https://curl.se/windows/

OpenSSL 3.0.1 is a security update.
https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html

ReactOS 0.4.13 provides over 250 bug fixes and improvements. This is not a security update.
https://reactos.org/

RogueKiller 15.1.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Tails 4.26 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

TinyWall 3.2.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tinywall.pados.hu/

uBlock Origin 1.40.6 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ScreenToGif 2.35.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

HandBrake 1.5.1 updates libraries, resolves several bugs and improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://handbrake.fr/

IsoBuster 4.9 adds support for new hardware, new formats, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.isobuster.com/download.php

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

7-Zip 21.07 adds VHDX support, improved parameter handling and compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.7-zip.org/

Agent Ransack 2022.3283 improves performance and reliability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.6.0 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

Autoruns 14.07 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

Active Directory Explorer 1.51 fixes a Windows Store packaging crash. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/adexplorer

CacheSet 1.02 fixes a 64 bit OS regression. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/cacheset

Beyond Compare 4.4.1.26165 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=dl4

ControlMyMonitor 1.31 adds a new parameter for Secondary displays. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html

CPU-Z 1.99 adds support for new hardware and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

DesktopOK 9.51 adds dark mode. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 2.9.482.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Etcher 1.7.3 is a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything 1.4.1.1015 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Everything CLI 1.1.0.21 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3283 provides performance and reliability improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

GoodSync 11.10.0 resolves several bugs and improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 2.02 improves colors. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

Macrium Reflect 8.0.6495 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

NTLite 2.3.2.8526 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

osquery 5.1.0 adds resource limiting, new objects, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PowerToys 0.53.1 adds several new features and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Monitor 3.87 fixes resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

Samsung Magician 7.0.1 is a major update, but doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/

SearchMyFiles 3.16 is a cosmetic update. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

Sysmon 13.31 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TeamViewer 15.25.8 fixes a VOIP bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

TraceRouteOK 2.71 updates language files. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/TraceRouteOK

WifiInfoView 2.72 updates the internal MAC database and resolves a high-DPI bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

ZoomText 2022.2112.10.400 resolves several bugs and improves display. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Maraura 3.9.7 updates Java support and libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
http://arianne.sourceforge.net/engine/marauroa.html

Docker Desktop 4.3.2 updates the scan engine to detect log4j vulnerabilities. This is a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Godot 3.4.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

Node.js 12.22.9 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.18.3 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 16.13.2 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 17.3.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.37.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Web Package Updates

These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

Drupal 9.3.2 resolves a major stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.10.3 is a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

MailArchiva 8.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

ownCloud Server 10.9 is a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

Piwigo 12.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

ScreenConnect 21.14.5924.8013 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

SMF 2.0.19 is a security update.
https://www.simplemachines.org/

WordPress 5.8.3 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Slider Revolution 6.5.14 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

WPBakery 6.8.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

Autoptimize 2.9.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

BuddyPress 9.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Social Post Feed 4.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-facebook-feed/

Postie 1.9.59 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/postie/

NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 4.3.25 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/social-networks-auto-poster-facebook-twitter-g/

Visual Composer 41.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

WooCommerce 6.1.0 is a major update, resolving several bugs and adding features. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WordPress Zero Spam 5.2.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/zero-spam/

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2021-03-09

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for March, 2021.

This Month in Technology

Gab has been hacked at least a couple more times. (Would you trust the security of a Gab-owned bank?)

A new form of “supply-chain” attack demonstrating dependency vulnerabilities has been used against many major vendors, including Microsoft, Apple, Tesla, and dozens more.

32redAccellionAllergy PartnersAppleBombardierCA DMVClubhouse ChatsCovenant HealthCareCSXD-Link devices, Ecuador’s Ministry of Finance and Banco Pichincha, the European Banking AuthorityEXMOExperian (again), France’s Ministry of HealthGeorgetown County (SC), Hipcam (and other baby monitors), HumanaIBM, over a hundred Italian banksKeepChangeKiaKrogerLakehead UniversityMalaysia AirlinesNess Digital EngineeringNinja FormsNgrokNurseryCam, Oxford University, RealPage, RIPE NCC accountsRockwell Automation PLCsMaza, a Russian Cybercrime forum, SingtelSITA (an airline service provider), SolarCityPayPalQualysSendgrid accounts (to send spam – how could anyone tell the difference?!), Sequoia CapitalSignalT-Mobile, TMS, 15 UK schoolsUnderwriters LaboratoriesUniversal Health ServicesVMWare vCenter ServerWashington State Unemployment DepartmentWawa, Apple’s WebKit, and Yandex have been hacked.

According to a study by Bridewell Consulting, 86% of UK critical national infrastructure organizations have experienced cyber-attacks. I think it would be more accurate to present these numbers as, “14% of UKs critical national infrastructure doesn’t have the technology in place to know they were hacked.”

Even more malware related to the SolarWinds hack has been discovered. Since AWS was used for the SolarWinds hack, shouldn’t Amazon shut AWS down, too?

Microsoft is now admitting that Azure and Exchange source code has been compromised by the SolarWinds attackers.

The big news this month is that a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange (coincidence?) has resulted in over thirty thousand servers being hackedThis is huge. So what did Microsoft do? Microsoft has announced it has changed their policy to crack down on hosted email accounts that receive a lot of email. Sigh.

Another interesting new tactic, bitsquatting, has proved far more effective than one would think. The demonstration allowed them to hijack thousands of requests intended for Microsoft. Used maliciously, this method will cause serious damage.

Censorship has finally made it before the Supreme Court, but Dr. Suess is only the latest target, while Facebook allowed actual genocide, but forbade discussion about news articles, Google acknowledges their efforts to perform censorship “better,” and Firefox has released a new extension to aid in censorship, while Streamlabs waited for the payment to clear before censoring one paid user. The Beverly Hills Police Department is using the novel approach of playing copyrighted music to prevent their actions from being observed, and Congress is now violating federal law by demanding censorship of media.

It amazes me that people actually trust “fact checkers.” Censorship doesn’t work!

Poland isn’t taking it anymore. Italy is fining Facebook, too.

Tor was hacked years ago, but new implementations (like that in Brave) are still popping up with their own problems.

Another 21 million VPN users were taught the lesson about the difference between customers and products. If you’re not the customer, you’re the product.

Instagram (like parent Facebook) is sharing everything you do with law enforcement. So is Apple’s iCloud.

The Windows 10 implementation of web fonts can be used to hack you. Apple M1 chips (less than 6 months old) have been targeted with several pieces of malware, but we should trust the MORPHEUS chip, right? BTW, M1 Macs are eating their (soldered in) SSDs, too.

It’s not just Google. Apple can disable all of your accounts and services on a whim, too. Or for your name.

Amazon has been caught duplicating products, can they be trusted to sell your products or host your content?

Is half a billion dollars enough to get you to rethink a bad user interface?

The whole point of unified interfaces and consistent logins is to ensure a familiar experience so you know whether you’re visiting the real site. Attackers take advantage of this to build their own imagekits and forms, even using their own fake security measures to convince you you’re on the “real” site since they are forced to validate that *you* are really you.

The malicious Gootkit Trojan can help the SEO of your websites. Just not for you.

Never reuse passwords. Or hard-code them. And don’t use obvious passwords either. But if you do, don’t blame a fabricated intern.

Apple claims that a new (available since 2019, but only recently launched on iOS) application execution technique will make it more difficult for iPhones to be hacked,
while yet another iPhone bug has demonstrated to successfully jailbreak every active iOS/iPhone line.

North Dakota and Arizona may save the Internet by forbidding the ability for vendors to force the use of their own app stores.

While many treat Google’s lockdown of their data APIs in Chromium as a bad thing, I see it as getting Google further out of Chromium – which can only be a net positive.

AT&T and Frontier have consistently abandoned phone networks in California, but we knew that: AT&T said they were going to do this when Title II passed. Sometimes the only thing to make a company following through is enough bad press.

Deepfakes for everyone! While most focus on Deepfakes are about their potential for evil, they can be used for good.

On patents: Intel owes $2.2 billion for saving power, and Apple has violated several biometric patents.

Dr. Fauci has known all along that the PCR test was useless. The WHO has launched their own COVID-specific version of “we investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong.” The dystopian concept of vaccine passports has been struck down by the Council of Europe. Unfortunately their power is mostly cosmetic.

The CDC inflated “COVID deaths” over 1600% in violation of multiple federal laws. CDS is real though. COVID has been “really good for CNN ratings,” though. Thousands of people have died in the US from the experimental COVID “vaccines,” (and elsewhere) or suffered from other harm. Many more internationally. Quarantine internment camps are a real thing. People are being harmed from the tests (or forcefully vaccinated), too. You can do something about it. (They sure won’t.) BTW, the CDC has had to remove their claim that vaccines don’t cause Autism.

Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas have joined in on efforts to end lockdown insanity.

Don’t be selfishMasks still don’t work, but masks can kill you. (At least they won’t rape you.)

Keep the pedophile, but ban the words.

Green Energy killed Texas. It shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.

Governors Cuomo and Whitmer are finally being taken to task on their “accidental” murder of thousands of nursing home residents. Don’t expect the President to get involved. Genocide is just “different norms” to him. Instead of those in “National Security” investigating this, they’re convinced their time is better used calling half the population terrorists.

Facebook has had more than 20 million child sex abuse incidents, more than 20x greater than any other website, including Google. Nevertheless, the masses aren’t calling for cancelling Facebook. It’s tolerance when “they” do it.

Speaker Pelosi (who is responsible for security at the House) refused National Guard assistance, supposedly over “optics“, before the staged January 6riot“. Chris Wray lied to Congress about Antifa dressing as Trump supporters. So did former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. They’ve knowingly falsified FISA warrants. So is it really any surprise there are calls to shut down the FBI?

Some states are finally allowing election audits, with evidence of 6% discrepancies in every single race, others as much as 78%, and other serious math problems, while others refuse to release ballots for inspection, purge election data, or allow the FBI to shred ballots without oversight or inspection. Then they poison the people they are forcing to guard them.

Is it any surprise that their Section 230 “reforms” are designed to completely silence online discourse? After all, the President doesn’t understand what “clandestine” means. (Quick tip: If you announce your intentions on the MSM, it’s not clandestine!)

The Babylon Bee is probably the best news site on the Internet, not because they actually have any news, but because they shine a light on the fraud that passes for news today.

Now for the good news:

California has finally been allowed to implement their own brand of Net Neutrality. I strongly oppose Net Neutrality, as getting government involved in something (even under the auspices of protection) always results in unintended consequences. This is, fortunately, no exception. CA Net Neutrality can now be used by myself and others to target Big Tech to penalize them for their continuous acts of censorship.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is huge. The typical computer should see roughly 3 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for macOS Big Sur 11.2.3, watchOS 7.3.2, Safari 14.0.3, iOS 14.4.1 and iPadOS 14.4.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.4.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.4.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 7.3.2 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 88.0.4324.186 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 (11.0) 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 (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 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.

BullZip PDF Printer 12.2.0.2902 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php#download

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.3.7 improves cleanup and adds network path support. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

DirectX 9.29.1974.1 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.

nVidia 461.72 adds support for newer hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.21.74 resolved several bugs. This is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 89.0.4389.82 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 89.0.774.48 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 86.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 3.6.2165.40 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 78.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

Mumble 1.2.19 is a security update.
http://wiki.mumble.info/wiki/Main_Page

Prosody 0.11.8 is a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

Trillian 6.4.0.5 resolves a settings bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.trillian.im/

Dropbox 117.4.378 does not provide a changelog so should be treated like a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FreeFileSync 11.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Zoom 5.5.13142.0301 resolves several bugs, improves grid view, and better indicates when content is being shared. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 2.0.12 adds 3 new types of motion, show/hide shortcut, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Flickr Downloadr 3.3.4.1 updates the Docker image. This is not a security update.
https://flickrdownloadr.com/downloads/

Office Updates

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

Atom 1.55.0 allows git configuration without a repository. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

IcoFX 3.5.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://icofx.ro/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.1.1 resolves almost a hundred bugs. Remember that this is beta software, so should be avoided for the stable version whenever possible. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.1.3 is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 7.9.3 adds new folder features that now prevent it working on Windows XP. If you are still running XP you should really consider switching to Linux, but if you must continue to use XP then use Notepad++ 7.9.2. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?npp32

VideoCleaner 5.8 improves Matrix, Sharpening and Mask features. This is not a security update.
https://videocleaner.com/download.html

Adobe Connect 11.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb21-19.html

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-18.html

Adobe Framemaker 2020.0.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb21-14.html

Security Software Updates

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

Tails 4.16 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

OpenSSL 1.1.1j is a security update.
https://www.openssl.org/source/

RogueKiller 14.8.5 updates core and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Wireless Network Watcher 2.25 improved compatibility with high-DPI. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VideoCacheView 3.06 adds support for the new cache partitioning structure in chromium-based browsers. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

MakeMKV 1.16.1 resolves several bugs and adds ARM support. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?makemkv

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 7.8 adds native M1 support and resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 7.6.793 improves performance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

CCleaner 5.77.8521 improves cleaning and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

ControlMyMonitor 1.28 improves compatibility with high DPI. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html

Coreinfo 3.52 adds reporting for CET (shadow stack). This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/coreinfo

Cygwin 3.1.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

Dell Command Update 4.1 is a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

DesktopOK 8.66 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

Eraser 6.2.0.2992 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://eraser.heidi.ie/download/

Everything Toolbar 0.6.2 adds an installer, drag & drop support, elevation support, and more. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Homedale 1.93 adds an option to set the gps baud rate from the command line. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

IsMyHdOK 3.01 resolves a bug in screenshot generation. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2.0.0.7820 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

OSFMount 3.1.1000 updates drivers and improves CLI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html

PointerStick 5.05 updates language files. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

QuickSetDNS 1.31 adds option to start hidden. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/quick_set_dns.html

TeamViewer 15.15.5 was released. The TeamViewer release notes have been unavailable for months now, so while it might be a security update, it would be safer to remove TeamViewer until these issues are resolved.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows/

TraceRouteOK 2.42 updates language files. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/TraceRouteOK

WinScan2PDF 6.91 adds support for multi-page TIF and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 3.37 improves compatibility, refresh behavior, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wiztreefree.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

AutoHotkey 1.1.33.05 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

Node.js 12.21.0 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.16.0 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 15.11.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

TortoiseSVN 1.14.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

Visual Studio Code 1.54 resolves an extension dependency bug. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PPSSPP 1.11.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://ppsspp.org/downloads.html

Web Package Updates

These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

Adminer 4.8.0 adds several new features and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.adminer.org/en/

Docker Desktop 3.2.1 updates the Docker Engine. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.1.5 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.8.0 adds a bunch of new features, improves permissions, brute force delays, style and administration improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

Joomla 3.9.25 is a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

MailEnable 10.32 resolves several bugs and adds LDAP support. This is not a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

Nextcloud Server 21.0.0 improves performance (up to 10x!), collaboration, groupware and more. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

OpenPetra 2021.02 adds several new features, improvements, and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.openpetra.org/

phpList 3.6.1 improves short URLs, PHP8 support, and security improvements. This is a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

phpMyAdmin 5.1.0 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility, and adds several new options. This is not a security update.
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/

ScreenConnect 21.3.2160.7699 resolves several bugs, renamed End to Delete, and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

YOURLS 1.8.1 improves IDN, UTF8, time zone, and PHP8 support, removes support for PHP 7.2, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://yourls.org/

WordPress 5.7 resolves several bugs and adds a few new features, improving accessibility, and (finally) adding a feature to update HTTP to HTTPS links throughout your site when you switch to HTTPS. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Akismet 4.1.9 improves handling of pingbacks in XML-RPC calls. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 7.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Conditional Widgets 3 improves translation support. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.4 adds Sendinblue support, updates libraries and improves reliability and compatibility. This is not a security update.

Social Post Feed 2.19 improves error handling and reporting, cleanup, resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.

myStickymenu 2.5.1 improves instructions and compatibility. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.9.55 improves compatibility and removes legacy image sizing feature. This is not a security update.

Really Simple CAPTCHA 2.1 improves hash comparison. This is not a security update.

W3 Total Cache 2.1.1 resolves several bugs and adds information links and ogg caching support. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 5.1.0 is a major update. This version improves compatibility, localization, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.0.9 resolves several bugs and improves spam detection. 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/