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Updates 2022-12-13

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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

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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 Health, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, All in One SEO, Amedia, Andrew Sauchelli, DMD, Apache httpd, Apple Blossom Family Practice, Azure App Service, Bansley and Kiener (B&K), Belgium’s Military, Bernalillo County, BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy Services LLC, Brazil’s Health Ministry, Broward Health, C.E. Niehoff & Company, Chaddock, Ciox Health, Commission on Elections, COVID-19 Home Tests, Crawford County Assessors Office, Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc., DatPiff, The De Montfort School, Douglas C Morrow ODPC, Duneland School Corporation, Evanston Township High School, Expresso and SIC, Fertility Centers of Illinois, PLLC, FinalSite, FlexBooker, Florida Digestive Health Specialists LLP, Forensic Science Ireland, Fresenius Kabi infusion pump systems, Garrett metal detectors, Georgia Bone & Joint Surgeons, P.C., Google Docs Comment Platform, Grass Valley, CA, Gumtree, H2 Database, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Impresa, Inetum Group, iPhone 13, James Kagan, MD, Jefferson Surgical Clinic, Kearsarge Regional School District, LastPass, Log4j (several times), Loyola University Medical Center, Luxemburg-Casco School District, macOS powerdir, McMenamins, MedQuest Pharmacy, Inc., Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Teams, Monkey Kingdom (via Grape), Monongalia Health System Inc., Monroe Public Schools, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Netgear Nighthawk, Northwest Broward Orthopaedics Associates, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, OG department store, ONUS, Oregon Eye Specialists, Peck & Associates, PC, Pithadia Medical Professional Services, Inc., Protemps, PulseTV, QNAP, Ravkoo, RedLine Stealer, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Running Warehouse LLC, Sainsbury’s, Saltzer Health, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, SEGA, Shelley School District, Shutterfly, Skate Warehouse LLC, Skin Care Specialty Physicians, Sotheby’s Realty’s Brightcove, Southern Orthopaedic Associates, Spar Stores, Standard Bank, Superior Plus, Surgery Group SC, T-Mobile, Tackle Warehouse LLC, Tennis Warehouse LCC, Tiyuli and Lametayel, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, Uber, Ubisoft, UK Defence Academy, Ultimate Kronos Group, US Commission on International Religious Freedom, UScellular, Utah Department of Health, Virginia Division of Capitol Police, Virginia General Assembly, Volvo, Walgreen Co., WD MyCloud, Welfare, 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.

Cloudflare, AWS, 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

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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.

32red, Accellion, Allergy Partners, Apple, Bombardier, CA DMV, Clubhouse Chats, Covenant HealthCare, CSX, D-Link devices, Ecuador’s Ministry of Finance and Banco Pichincha, the European Banking Authority, EXMO, Experian (again), France’s Ministry of Health, Georgetown County (SC), Hipcam (and other baby monitors), Humana, IBM, over a hundred Italian banks, KeepChange, Kia, Kroger, Lakehead University, Malaysia Airlines, Ness Digital Engineering, Ninja Forms, Ngrok, NurseryCam, Oxford University, RealPage, RIPE NCC accounts, Rockwell Automation PLCs, Maza, a Russian Cybercrime forum, Singtel, SITA (an airline service provider), SolarCity, PayPal, Qualys, Sendgrid accounts (to send spam – how could anyone tell the difference?!), Sequoia Capital, Signal, T-Mobile, TMS, 15 UK schools, Underwriters Laboratories, Universal Health Services, VMWare vCenter Server, Washington State Unemployment Department, Wawa, 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 hacked. This 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 selfish! Masks 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 6 “riot“. 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/

Updates 2015-11-10

Posted on by
Reply

Hi, Folks!

It’s Patch Tuesday! The typical computer should see roughly 350mb in updates today spread across dozens of updates. Let’s get started.

Windows 10 is about as stable as it’s going to get. In the next few months, it will be switched from an “optional” update to an “important” update for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, which means that it will attempt to automatically install whenever you install updates, and will also download (~3gb!) whether or not you plan to install it. The privacy controls for some features are buried in places most people won’t look, and the defaults for some options are very insecure. My recommendation is to make some time to install it. Immediately after installation go to All Settings and review every single option. If you have problems with Windows 10, revert to your existing OS. If you need help blocking the upgrade, contact me.

Microsoft released a dozen updates to address 53 published vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Edge, Office, Hyper-V, Journal, NDIS, .NET, Skype, various security packages and MSRT (~135mb). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.
http://update.microsoft.com/

Apple released updates for OS X, OS X Server, Xcode, Mac EFI, iTunes, OS X El Capitan 10.11.1, Safari, watchOS and iOS 9.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 9.1 is a security update, and fixes quite a few other issues.

OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 improves stability. It doesn’t feel nearly as sloppy now.

Adobe AIR 19.0.0.241 is a security update.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?air
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?airmac

Adobe Flash Player 19.0.0.245 is a security update.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flash
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flashie
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?flashmac

Adobe is also now pushing Adobe Reader DC as the new baseline Reader version. It’s stable, but the look is very different from 11 and prior.

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.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

Finally, if you’re sick of doing this all yourself, let me! Call or email me any time, and we can set you up with subscription SaferPC updates which will be installed each month whenever necessary. Click, call or email for more details:
https://saferpc.info/updates/
209-565-12PD
shawn@12pointdesign.com

Driver Updates

If you’re using this hardware – these updates are for you.

NVidia 341.92 is a security update.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Samsung SideSync 4.0.2.309 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.samsung.com/us/sidesync

Browser Updates

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

Google Chrome 46.0.2490.86 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.

Firefox 42.0 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.

SeaMonkey 2.39 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.

Email Updates

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

OutlookAttachView 2.85 adds logging support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Internet Updates

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

Skype 7.13.0.101 is a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?skype

Trillian Mac 3.3.0.23 adds several new bug fixes.
https://www.trillian.im/

WinSCP 5.7.6 is a security update.
http://winscp.net/eng/index.php

PuTTY 0.66 is a security update.
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Dropbox 3.10.11 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla 3.14.1 is a security update.
http://filezilla-project.org/

MaxMind GeoIP data updates for November 2015.
http://dev.maxmind.com/geoip/

Adobe Shockwave 12.2.1.171 is a security update. Consider removing Shockwave instead of updating. Chances are very good you don’t actually need it.
https://12pd.com/click?shockwave

Java 8u65 is the quarterly Java security update.
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

CDBurnerXP 4.5.6.5931 updates external libraries. This is not a security update.
http://cdburnerxp.se/

Plex Media Server 0.9.14 is a security update, with dozens of other bug fixes.
https://plex.tv/downloads/1/archive

iTunes 12.3.1 is a security update. Use Apple Software Update to install the most current version.

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

EA Origin 9.10.1.1501 fixes several bugs and improves compatibility with OS X El Capitan. This is not a security update.

PS4 3.11 improves stability, follow and messages. This is not a security update.
http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps4/pc_update/index.htm

SteamOS 2.49 is a security update.
http://store.steampowered.com/steamos/download/?ver=custom

Office Updates

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

Artweaver 5.1.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
http://www.artweaver.de/

Krita 2.9.9.0 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://krita.org/download/krita-desktop/

Notepad++ 6.8.6 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?npp

OpenOffice 4.1.2 fixes many bugs and improves the layout for smaller devices. This is a security update.
http://www.openoffice.org/download/

Adobe Reader DC Patch 15.009.20077 is a security update.
http://get.adobe.com/reader

Kindle for PC 1.13.0 Build 42039 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

Security Software Updates

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

MSRT 5.30 is a security update.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/malicious-software-removal-tool-details.aspx

Avast! Home Edition 11.1.2241 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Wireshark 1.12.8 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.wireshark.org/

Wireless Network Watcher 1.90 adds reassignment support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

SuperAntiSpyware 6.0.1208 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.superantispyware.com/download.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VideoCacheView 2.91 corrects an association bug. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

XSplit Broadcaster 2.6.1510.2621 fixes several bugs and adds several new encodings, features and hardware compatibility options. This is not a security update.
http://www.xsplit.com/get/

XSplit Gamecaster 2.6.1510.0741 fixes several bugs and adds streaming bitrate support. This is not a security update.
http://www.xsplit.com/get/

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

MKVToolNix 8.5.2 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVtoolnix

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

CintaNotes 3.0.1 fixes several bugs and improves search and scroll. This is not a security update.
http://cintanotes.com/

7-Zip 15.10 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.7-zip.org/

GoodSync 9.9.33.5 several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

BFGMiner 5.4.0 adds quite a few new performance features and bug fixes. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/luke-jr/bfgminer/

Bitcoin 0.11.1 is a security update.
http://bitcoin.org/en/download

Cygwin 2.3.0-1 improves several functions and adds prlfs support. This is not a security update.
http://cygwin.com/

Everything 1.4.0.709b fixes several bugs, improves options. This is not a security update.
http://www.voidtools.com/

iExplorer 3.8.7.0 now groups notes by account and fixes a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/

FileLocator Pro 7.5.2109 fixes cosmetic bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

DevManView 1.47 now displays an error message on failure to enable or disable a device. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/device_manager_view.html

Password Security Scanner 1.35 adds support for Outlook 2016. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/password_security_scanner.html

QuickSetDNS 1.15 adds registry grouping support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/quick_set_dns.html

SearchMyFiles 2.65 adds duplicate name search functionality for quick location of duplicate files. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

SimpleWMIView 1.09 is a cosmetic change. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html

USBDeview 2.50 adds Driver Inf* details. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html

WifiChannelMonitor 1.40 improves diagnostics and reliability. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_channel_monitor.html

ProduKey 1.81 adds JSON export support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

CCleaner 5.11.5408 improves compatibility with various apps. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?ccleaner

Rufus 2.5 fixes a minor bug and adds several new security checks. This is a security update.
http://rufus.akeo.ie/

GPU-Z 0.8.6 adds support for DirectX 12, improves stability and reliability, adds support for new hardware, and adds CLI support. This is not a security update.
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/

Autoruns 13.5 now shows 32-bit Office addins and font drivers, and enables resubmission of known images to Virus Total for a new scan. This is a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

Sigcheck 2.30 now includes updated Windows 10 certificate OIDs, support for checking corresponding MUI files, and now shows the version company name as well as signature publisher for signed files. This is a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

RAMMap 1.4 is compatible with Windows 10 and includes a crash bug fix. This is a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

BgInfo 4.21 now correctly reports Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, and fixes a display bug on high DPI devices. This is not a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

Sysmon 3.11 fixes a memory leak for DLL image load event monitoring and removes a misleading warning when processing configuration files. This is a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

SystemRescueCD 4.6.1 is a security update.
http://www.sysresccd.org/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Redemption 5.10.0.4312 fixes a significant stability bug. This is not a security update.
http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VMware Player 12.0.1 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/

VirtualBox 5.0.10-104061 fixes many bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

ownCloud Client 2.0.2 fixes dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

phpList 3.2.2 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.phplist.com/download

TinyMCE 4.2.7 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.tinymce.com/download/download.php

Drupal 7.41 is a security update.
http://drupal.org/download

phpMyAdmin 4.5.1 fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/news.php

ScreenConnect 5.4.9849.5781 fixes several bugs.
http://www.screenconnect.com/Download

Joomla 3.4.5 is a security update.
http://www.joomla.org/

Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 4.5.1 updates available shortcodes. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.7.22 is a cosmetic and security update.

Redirection 2.4.3 changes requirements, improves URL checks. This is not a security update.

Theme My Login 6.4.1 is a security update.

WooCommerce 2.4.10 is a security update.

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2014-06-10

Posted on by
Reply

Hi, Folks!

It’s Patch Tuesday!

It’s been a month already, so if you haven’t changed all your passwords, please do it now. Then come back. I’ll still be here.

Microsoft released 7 updates for Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. This includes security updates (~60mb). A reboot is required. Some of the vulnerabilities these updates resolve apply to Windows XP but will never be patched on that platform. Upgrade to Windows 7 NOW or switch to a new computer.
http://update.microsoft.com/

Apple released updates for Safari, OS X, Java, iTunes and MacBook Air SMC. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

Adobe Flash Player 14.0.0.125 is a security update.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flash
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flashie
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?flashmac

Adobe AIR 14.0.0.110 is a security update.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?air
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?airmac
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.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

Finally, if you’re sick of doing this all yourself, let me! Call or email me any time, and we can set you up with subscription SaferPC updates which will be installed each month whenever necessary. Click, call or email for more details:
https://saferpc.info/updates/
209-565-12PD
shawn@12pointdesign.com

Driver Updates

If you’re using this hardware – these updates are for you.

BullZip PDF 10.6.0.2267 adds support for Ghostscript 9.14 and fixes installation error. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?bullzippdf

nVidia 337.88 provides universal performance improvements with all DirectX environments/games, updates device compatibility, improves specific gaming performance and other fixes. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?nvidia

Samsung Kies 20140527 does not provide a changelog (or even version information!) so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.samsung.com/ca/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/JSP

PlayStation 4 1.71 adds changes to support existing PSN features and improves stability. This is not a security update, but is required for continued online functionality.
http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps4/index.htm

Browser Updates

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

Google Chrome 35.0.1916.153 is a security update. Use Menu, About to get the most current version.

Firefox 30.0 fixes over 3,600 bugs (yes, really), including scripting, debugging, plugin behavior and much more. While none of the bugs are flagged security, the scope of changes suggest this should be treated as a security update. Use Help, About to get the most current version.

Opera 22.0.1471.50 is a security update. Use Menu, About to get the most current version.

HTTrack 3.48.13 corrects several bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
http://www.httrack.com/page/2/en/index.html

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 24.6.0 is a security update. Use Menu, About to get the most current version.

OutlookAttachView 2.68 adds secondary column sorting support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Internet Updates

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

Adobe Shockwave 12.1.2.152 is a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?shockwave

Java 7u60 updates time zone data, changes expiration behavior, and fixes well over 100 bugs. This is not a security update. If you do not need Java, or do not have Java installed, DO NOT INSTALL IT NOW!
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Mumble 1.2.6 is a security update.
http://blog.mumble.info/

Evernote 5.4.0.3698 improves offline security. This is a security update.
http://www.evernote.com/

BrowsingHistoryView 1.52 corrects an access bug with remote viewing. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

IPNetInfo 1.55 adds the ability to automatically retry failed queries. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ipnetinfo.html

Dropbox 2.8.3 does not provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?dropbox

FileZilla 3.8.1 is a security update.
http://filezilla-project.org/

WinSCP 5.5.4 is a security update.
http://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Codec Updates

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

Win7 Codec Package 7 Codecs Advanced 4.6.4 updates included codecs. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application.
http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

CDBurnerXP 4.5.4.4852 updates libraries, fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?cdbxp

iTunes 11.2.2 is a security update. Use the Apple Software Updater to get the most current version.

Office Updates

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

Notepad++ 6.6.4 adds the ability to centralize your settings via Dropbox. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?npp

IcoFX 2.7 improves crop, trim, color dialog, rounded rectangle behavior, and others. This is not a security update.
http://icofx.ro/

SketchUp 14.1.1282 corrects several dozen non-security bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.sketchup.com/

Scribus 1.4.4 corrects a number of bugs, improves several features and adds PDF/X-1a export, integrated barcode support, full support for OpenICC, and more. This is not a security update.
http://www.scribus.net/

Security Software Updates

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

OpenSSL 1.0.1h is a security update.

MalwareBytes’ Anti-Malware 2.0.2 corrects more than a dozen bugs, improves reliability, stability and performance, as well as cosmetic improvements. This is a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?mbam

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Open Broadcaster Software 0.624 Beta corrects several stability and sync bugs. This is not a security update.
http://obsproject.com/

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 9 9.1.5.0 fixes several stability and reliability bugs, adds support for new discs. This is not a security update.
http://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Synergy 1.5.0 makes progress on the sticky key bug. This is not a security update.
http://synergy-project.org/

RoboForm 7.9.7 fixes stability problems with Firefox & Chrome and improves accessibility. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?roboform

GoodSync 9.8.6 restores direct command-line functionality, improves UI, provides improved self-diagnostics. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

CintaNotes 2.6.1 improves search, selection, and provides a number of usability fixes. This is not a security update.
http://cintanotes.com/

CCleaner 4.14.4707 improves Firefox support, adds new application support, minor UI improvements and bug fixes. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?ccleaner

WifiChannelMonitor 1.0 is a new release from Nirsoft. WifiChannelMonitor is an amazing utility for troubleshooting and scanning your Wi-Fi networks. This is the first release but it has quite an amazing feature set already.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_channel_monitor.html

MyEventViewer 2.11 adds secondary column sorting support and the ability to hide events meeting certain conditions. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/my_event_viewer.html

WifiInfoView 1.60 adds percent column, fixes command-line scanning and adds the ability to scan repeatedly via the command line. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

Autoruns 12.0 now reports the presence of batch file and executable image entries in the WMI database, a vector used by some types of malware. This is a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

Procdump 7.0 improves support for lightweight reflection dumps on Windows 7 and Windows 8, adds debug print statements as a new trigger type, has support for memory commit duration triggers, and now includes an option to unregister Procdump as the system last-chance exception debugger. This is not a security update.
http://sysinternals.com/

BFGMiner 4.1.0 provides several bugfixes. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/luke-jr/bfgminer/

Hamachi 2.2.0.193 improves error reporting. This is not a security update.
http://help.logmein.com/SelfServiceDownloads

LogMeIn Mac 4.1.4401 and LogMeIn Win 4.1.4400 are security updates.
http://help.logmein.com/SelfServiceDownloads

Recover Keys 8.0.3.110 doesn’t provide a distinct changelog so should be treated as a security update.
http://recover-keys.com/en/download.html

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SQLite Database Browser 3.1.0 adds plotting, SQLite 3.8.2 grammar fix, file association fix for OS X, and updated license. This is not a security update.
http://sqlitebrowser.org/

MySQL 5.6.19 corrects a number of stability and reliability bugs, including crash bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

TortoiseSVN 1.8.7 corrects several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

TortoiseGit 1.8.9.0 corrects over a dozen bugs, primarily related to UI and usability. This is not a security update.
http://code.google.com/p/tortoisegit/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 4.3.12-93733 corrects a couple dozen stability and reliability bugs. This is a security update.
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Dada Mail 7.0.4 corrects a bug with Amazon SES. This is not a security update.
http://dadamailproject.com/download/

phpMyAdmin 4.2.3 corrects a handful of bugs and imposes new minimal PHP (5.3) and MySQL (5.5) version requirements. This is not a security update.
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/news.php

Plupload 2.1.2 does not provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.plupload.com/

Autoptimize 1.8.5 improves Apache compatibility, updates libraries, adds improved exclusion filters, and treats multisite sites distinctly for cache purging. This is not a security update.

bbPress 2.5.4 corrects several bugs. This is not a security update.

Cloudflare Cache Purge 1.0.7 fixes ajax bug. This is not a security update.

Conditional Widgets 1.8 simplifies UI. This is not a security update.

Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 4.3.1 fixes bugs and updates design. This is ot a security update.

Email Log 1.7.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

Front End Upload 0.6.1 updates included libraries. This should be treated as a security update.

Multisite Enhancements 1.0.5 adds favicon support and fixes active plugin list. This is not a security update.

Quick Cache 140605.1 adds 404 caching, branched cache structure, auto-caching, auto-purge of specific sectional pages, improved compatibility, debugging, and several bug fixes. This is not a security update.

Smart YouTube 4.2.4 makes og:image optional. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 2.1.10 provides a number of new features and bug fixes, including some major performance improvements for very large sites. This should be treated as a security update.

WP Edit 1.9 fixes RSS feed, makes cosmetic changes. This is not a security update.

WPtouch 3.3.4 updates libraries, improves mobile detection, adds WP 3.9.1 compatibility, fixes several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.

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

Regards,

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