Updates 2025-01-14

Happy New Year, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for January, 2025.

It’s as safe as it’s going to be to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 or macOS 15/Sequoia.

If your Windows 10 (or older) computer can not be upgraded to Windows 11, or if you used a registry or installation bypass to install an older version of Windows 11 on it that is no longer supported, then it’s time for you to start looking for a replacement computer.
Windows 10 now has only 9 months of support left and I am already seeing availability issues for new computers.

There were 600+ major hacks, and over 300 application updates this month. It’s a “normal” month, with about 4 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

A Bar A Ranch, A Sensitive Touch Home Health, AAA Environmental, Abrasive Supply Corporation, Access TeleCare, Accolent ERP Software, AEP Texas, Aetna ACE, Akantha, Akumin, Inc, Albert Paper Company, Albion College, Alexandria University, Allen Carr’s Easyway, Allendale Long-Term Care Home, Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, Allianz Life Insurance Company, Allied Packing And Rubber Inc, AllyScripts, LLC, Alphastar Home Health Care, Alta Resources Corp, American Addiction Centers, American Associated Pharmacies, American Trust Company, Americhek, Anna Jaques Hospital, AnnieMac, AnyDesk, Aosense, Apache HugeGraph-Server, Apache MINA, Apache Tomcat, Apache Traffic Control, ApolloGames, Apple macOS camera, Archie Cochrane Ford, Ardyss, Arena Technical Resources, Argentina Airport, Arista NG Firewall, Arixa Capital Advisors LLC, Arrotex Pharmaceuticals, Artistic Family Dental, Artivion, Ascension Health, Ascension Living, Asheville City Schools, Ashlar-Vellum Graphite, Astaphans, AT&T, Atos, AudioPrints, Autodesk Navisworks Freedom, AutomationDirect C-More, Auxis, Avana Electrotek, Aviatrix Controller, Avira Prime, Avstar Fuel Systems, 4,000 backdoored backdoors, Badger Popcorn And Concession Supply Company, Bangkok Medical Software HOSxP XE, Bank of America, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Barber Specialties, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, BASC.edu.ph, BayMark Health Services, BCM One, Belen Consolidated Schools, Betterdoor.com, Bettisworth North, Beverly, BeyondTrust, BigCommerce, Billet Precision, Biomedical Caledonia, Bitdefender Virus Scanner, BitView, Black Oak Casino Resort (yes, that one), Blome International, Bluegrass Ingredients, BlueZ Classic HID, Bonneville School District 93, Boone County School District, Borrego Health, Boston University Framingham Heart Study, Brant Catholic school board, Brazilian government, Brighton Jones, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brooklyn Art Library, BrownPacking, Byte Federal Bitcoin ATM platform, Cairo Governorate Education Portal, California Correctional Health Care Services, Cariad, Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic, Casio, CED Solutions Computer IT Training Centers, Cell C, Center for Child Development, INC, Central Valley Meat Co Inc, Chain And Rope Suppliers LTD, Charlie’s Tax Service, Charter, Christ The Redeemer School, CIRCA, Cisco, City of Corvallis, City of Noblesville, City of West Haven, City of Winston-Salem, Cleo Harmony, Cleo LexiCom, Cleo VLTrader, College Hospital Costa Mesa, Collezione, Colombia court system, Community Alliance, Compliance Solutions Inc, Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado, ConnectOnCall, COROB, Costex, Cottrell Fletcher & Cottrell PC, CR&R Environmental Services, CREFSP, Crimson Wine Group, Crown Mortgage Company, Cyberhaven, D&G Enviro-Group, D-7 Roofing, 250,000 Danish consumer records, DAP Health, Davis Products Company Inc, DBM Global Inc, Delap & Waller, Delhi Public Primary School Itarsi, Dell Avamar, Dell’s Update Package Framework, Delta Electronics CNCSoft-G2, Delta Electronics DRASimuCAD, DEphoto, DigiEver DS-2105 Pro DVRs, Dignity Health Lassen Medical Clinic, Discord, District 65, DMM Bitcoin, Dobie Road, Douglas County Department of Health and Human Services, Downey Hospital, Dragonfly Health, Drivestream, Drupal, Drywall Partitions, Duke Energy, DuxHumanHealth, Dynasty Healthcare Company, E-Tank, Eastern Idaho Public Health, Economy Restaurant Equipment And Supply Company, Effortless Office, Eindhoven University of Technology, Ekonika, Energy Capital Credit Union, Enugu State Government, EPS-MTOSB, Espreso TV, European Space Agency, EVAS Group, Evidn, Ex-Times, Exostar, Facebook, Family Help & Wellness, Farline, Farnesina, Federal Bank of India, Fireproof Contractors Inc, Flamco, FlashFiber, FoodMap, Fortinet Wireless Manager, Forum Architecture & Interior Design, Four-Faith routers, Foxit PDF Reader, Frameworks, Fraunhofer IAO, Free Telecom Raises, Freightliner of Savannah, French Citizens, French Tennis Federation, Fukoku Co, Fullmer Construction, FunFun688, Gammal Tech, Geisinger, General Digital, General Dynamics, Genie Healthcare, GeoVision GV-ASManager, Gerber Life Insurance, GFI Archiver, GFI KerioControl, Gilbarco Veeder-Root Orpak, Giordano, DelCollo, Werb & Gagne, LLC, GLAMIRA, Golden Age Home Health Inc, Golden Hills School, Good Neighbors Credit Union, Good Samaritan Hospital, Google Chrome, GPM Lawn Sprinkler Supply, Granite School District, Gravy Analytics, Great Star Tools USA, Green Bay Packers store, Greene Supply Company, Grocy, Grupo Buddemeyer, Guardian.com, Gunnar Prefab, Habib’s, Halton Long Term Care, Hammons Supply Company, Hapn, Happy Magic Trick Shop, Harley-Davidson, Hartson-Kennedy Inc Group Benefit Plan, HealthEquity, Inc, Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, LLC, Helena Public Schools, HemenBahis, Heritage Bank, Hi-Raise Constructions Holding, Hide-A-Way Lake Club, Holton Public Schools, Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong Insurance Authority, Hong Kong Urban Renewal Authority, Hopamedia, Horizon Oil, Howell Township Public Schools, HRB Tax Group, Inc, Huaxia School, Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li, Huntington Hotel Group, Hyperice, I, Librarian, IHIO, Ikav Global Energy, Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, LLC, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illumina’s iSeq 100 DNA gene sequencer, Imperial Valley Respite, In-Home Attendant Services, INBAL, Indian government websites, 3.69 million Indian property records, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indonesia Government, InfoCert, Informaticarecoleta, Instagram, Insured Recovery, International Coffee & Tea, LLC, Internxt VPN, Inverclyde Council, Israel Defense Forces, Italian banks and government agencies, Italian Foreign Ministry, Ivanti Avalanche, Ivanti Connect Secure, Izmocars, Japan Airlines, Jared Beschel and Associates, Jay Enn Corporation, Jet Edge, Jim Thompson, JRT Automatisation, Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa, Kaizen Pharmaceuticals, Kansas City Hospice, Inc, KBanknow, Keeco, LLC, Kenton County School District, Kern Services, Khalil Center, Kilgore Industries, Kiswire, Kitsap Mental Health Services, global Know Your Customer (KYC) account data, Krispy Kreme, Kyndryl, LA Financial Federal Credit Union, Lake Shore Public Schools, Lancaster City Schools, Laramie County Library System, Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, Latitude, LCPtracker, Inc, Le Coq Sportif, Lebanese Intelligence Dept, LegalNurse, Lelivrescolaire, Lexington Diagnostic Center, Leyman Manufacturing, Linux Kernel Bluetooth, LKQ Corporation, Lokdal, Luxion KeyShot Viewer, Luxury Yacht Group, Lyons Specialty Co, macOS SIP, Madhya Pradesh’s child welfare agency, over 3,000,000 mail servers, ManageEngine Analytics Plus, Manens-Tifs SpA, Manitou Springs School District, Martin Sprocket & Gear, Inc, Maverick Constructors, MC2 Data, McCormick & Priore, McCray Lumber, McDonald’s, McFarlane, Medusind, Meezan Bank, Megaexit, Menorah Life, Inc, Metalmatrix Clamps, MetLife, mi.edu, Microsoft Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Azure MFA, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft PC Manager, Microsoft Purview, Microvision, Mission Bancorp, MLP Tax & Financial Services, Modern Automotive Network, Modern Dental Group Limited, Mohawk Valley Cardiology, Moneytor, Montreal North, Mossad, Moxa, MSI, MyGiftCardSupply, Nara, Nash Brothers Construction, Nathan American Academy, National Atomic Energy Commission, National Commission of Markets (Spain), National Library of Peru, Natomas Unified School District, Nikki-Universal, Nirjai, Niva Bupa Insurance Group, Nodex, Nominet, North Los Angeles County Regional Center, Northern Lights Electric, Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center, Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District, Norwex USA, Inc, Novati Constructions, Nuclei, NY & WY Orthpaedics Specialists, Obltelecom, OL Products, Omaha Surgical Center, OmniRide, Omnitravel, One Airline, OneBlood, Onecare, OpenWrt, Oppo, Ott Cone & Redpath, PA, Pacific Pulmonary Medical Group, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor, Palo Alto Networks Expedition, Panda Security Dome, ParrotTalks, Path of Exile 2, Patriarche Office of Architecture, Peikko, Pembina Trails School Division, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, Peugeot Dealership, PharmaNewsOnline, PHG CPAs, Philippine Statistical Association Inc, PhoneMondo, PIH Health, Pinger USA, PingMoney, Pinno Construction, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Platinum Celebs, Positive Behavior Supports Corporation, PowerSchool (this affects potentially millions of school districts across the globe), PracticeSuite, Press Color, ProCaps Laboratories, Progress Software WhatsUp Gold, Psychogen, PT Pertamina, PT PINS Indonesia, Qualcomm chips, Qualinet, Rainy River public school, Ramos Law, Rancho Santa Fe School District, Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union, Randys Transmissions, Rapido, Realme, Regional Care, Inc, Relate Infotech, Reliance Connects, Rent-2-Own, ReutOne, Revolution Beauty, Rhode Island’s RIBridges, Richmond University Medical Center, River Region Cardiology, Riverina Medical, Rivers Casino Philadelphia, RM Group, Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation, Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Associates, RocSearch, Rosreestr, Rozavam, Rspack, Ruby, Ruijie Networks, Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc & Affiliates Benefits Plan, Rutherford County Schools, Rydox, SAIC in Brazil, Samsung Devices, schenkYOU, Schneider Electric, Scholastic, Scottish rail network, SeaLandAire Technologies, Self Esteem Brands, LLC, SENATI, Senior Citizens, Inc, Senior Dating, SERGAS Group, Sheyenne Tooling & Manufacturing, Sidney Health Center, Siemens User Management Component, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School, Skoda cars, Skopos, Slawson Companies, Slovakian land registry, SmartLynx Airlines SIA, Smith Tank & Steel, Solaris Pharma, SolGeo AG Baugelogie and Geotechnik, SonicWALL NSv, Sony XAV-AX8500, Sophos Firewall, Sparkling Smiles Family Dentistry, Spectrum, SpeedLine Solutions, Spelpaus, Sri Lanka Government Printing Department, Sri Lanka Police, SRP Federal Credit Union, Stanford University, Starbucks, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (SOCSD), State Registers of Ukraine, STIIIZY, Stillwater Area Public Schools, Summit Medical Group, PLLC, Sunflower Medical Group, Suno India, SuperDraft, Supreme Court of India, Surface Combustion, Swedish Gambling Authority, Synology, T Smiles Dental, T.Hasegawa USA, T1, Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal Co Inc, Talentely, Tarnaise des Panneaux SAS, Tayfa Denizcilik, Tecta America Corporation, Teedy, Telcel, Telecom Namibia, Telefónica, Tenable Nessus update system, Tesla Wall, Teton Orthopaedics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Thailand Department of Mineral Fuels, Tharisa, The Baker Center for Children and Families, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Thomas Cook, Thomas J. Henry Law, Tibber, Tibbo Aggregate Network Manager, Toscano Law, Total Patient Care LLC, Town of Ponoka, Town of Webster, Trend Micro Apex One, Trend Micro Deep Security, Trev Deeley Motorcycles, Trifecta, TruBridge, Inc, True World Holdings LLC, Trussville City Schools, Try.gov.hk, Tumeny Payments Limited, Tungsten Automation Power PDF, Turks and Caicos, Tycon Medical Systems, UGKK, Unisource Information Services, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), University of Baghdad, University of Tasmania, US Committee on Foreign Investments, US EPA, 261,000 US insurance agents, 350,000 US mobile homeowners, US SSA, US Treasury, US Veteran Affairs, UT Southwestern Medical Center (fourth time in 18 months), Uvoice, Valio, Vallianz, Value Dental Center, Vaultwarden, Venki Supravizio BPM, Venntel, Veritas Enterprise, Verizon, Verosa LLC, VESD, Vickers Engineering, Village Community School, Village Fertility Pharmacy Group, VIP, VisionPoint Eye Center, VO Baker, VPNCity, VW Group, Wacom Center WTabletServicePro, Walker County Schools, Warid Telecom, Water Utilities Corporation, Waterstones, Watertown Public Schools, Watsonville Community Hospital, Webmin, Weininger Metall System GmbH, Western Montana Mental Health Center, Westerville City Schools, WhatsApp, Whittier Hospital, WilsonSD, Windows Active Directory Domain Controllers, Windstream, WireGuard Portal, Wood County, Word & Brown Insurance Administrators, Inc, World Leadership Academy, WSO2 API Manager, WY88 Casino, Xanthops, Xstrahl eBt Therapy Equipment, Xtream, XWiki, Yaaka, Yat Siu, Yonéma, YorkTest Laboratories, Young Life, Young Living Essential Oils, Youngs Counseling, PLLC, Youth Eastside Services, ZAGG Inc, and Zeifmans have reported hacking or compromises this month.

Docomo, Facebook, Instagram, MI6, Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – effectively blocking access to MS 365, Proton, Threads, and WhatsApp have suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke Windows updates on new installations, Windows 11 Start Menu, Office 365 activation system, Windows 11 HDR, and Windows Bitlocker.

Microsoft is going to force-install “new” Outlook on Windows PCs within the next month.

“When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals.” — Edward Snowden

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is not that bad this month. The typical computer should see roughly 4 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released 70 updates to address 164 vulnerabilities in .NET, .NET Framework, Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Federation Services, Azure Marketplace SaaS Resources, BranchCache, Internet Explorer, IP Helper, Line Printer Daemon Service (LPD), Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU), Microsoft Azure Gateway Manager, Microsoft Brokering File System, Microsoft Digest Authentication, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Access, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office Outlook for Mac, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Windows Search Component, Power Automate, Reliable Multicast Transport Driver (RMCAST), Servicing Stack Updates, System Center, Visual Studio, Windows BitLocker, Windows Boot Loader, Windows Boot Manager, Windows Client-Side Caching (CSC) Service, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows COM, Windows Connected Devices Platform Service, Windows Cryptographic Services, Windows Digital Media, Windows Direct Show, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Event Tracing, Windows Geolocation Service, Windows Hello, Windows Hyper-V NT Kernel Integration VSP, Windows Installer, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel Memory, Windows MapUrlToZone, Windows Mark of the Web (MOTW), Windows Message Queuing, Windows NTLM, Windows OLE, Windows PrintWorkflowUserSvc, Windows Recovery Environment Agent, Windows Remote Desktop Services, Windows Secure Boot, Windows Security Account Manager, Windows Smart Card, Windows SmartScreen, Windows SPNEGO Extended Negotiation, Windows Telephony Service, Windows Themes, Windows UPnP Device Host, Windows Virtual Trusted Platform Module, Windows Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) Enclave, Windows Web Threat Defense User Service, Windows Win32K – GRFX, Windows WLAN Auto Config Service, and MSRT. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 18.2, iOS 18.2.1, iPadOS 17.7.3, iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2.1, macOS 15.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.7.2, Safari 18.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2 and watchOS 11.2. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install the most current versions.

iOS 18.2.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 17.7.3 and 18.2.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 11.2 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 18.2 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

visionOS 2.2 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google ChromeOS 131.0.6778.241 and Google ChromeOS LTS 126.0.6478.261 are security updates. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Don’t forget to check your mobile devices, too! Many updates will also apply to your tablet, phone, kindle or television – so check your device-appropriate App Store and install updates.

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

The release of macOS Sequoia (15.x) means that macOS Monterey (12.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Ventura (13) on your Mac then you should immediately remove your device from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

The now-current — and final — release of the Windows 10 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. All non-LTS versions of Windows 10 other than v22H2 are now out of support, upgrade to v22H2 now. If you aren’t sure whether you are using LTS, you aren’t. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v24H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need or use, reducing the attack surface. This includes “free” applications like Avast, OpenOffice, and games you do not actually play.

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

Finally, if you’re sick of doing this all yourself, let me! Call or email me any time, and we can set you up with a SaferPC Subscription and we will install updates 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.

Daemon Tools Lite 12.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite

UniFi airMAX NanoStation 5AC Loco 8.7.15 is a security update.
https://www.ui.com/download/software/loco5ac

UniFi Network Server 9.0.108 adds zone-based firewall, CyberSecure, Network Application API and resolves several bugs. Thsi is not a security update.
https://www.ui.com/download/releases/network-server

VIISAN OfficeCam 7.2.5.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.viisan.com/en/download/type1.html

Wacom Driver 6.4.8-6 improves compatibility and 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 1.73.105 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 131.0.6778.264 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Firefox 134.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 128.6.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.20 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 7.0.3495.29 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.15.0 is a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Spark 3.19.2.94903 improves AI controls, user interface improvements and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.19.2.94902 improves AI controls, user interface improvements and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 128.6.0 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.

curl 8.11.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

DNSDataView 1.76 adds DMARC support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dns_records_viewer.html

Dropbox 214.4.5217 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Google Drive 102.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Grocy Desktop 2.11.0 updates Grocy and Barcode Buddy to their latest releases and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/grocy/grocy-desktop

MeshCentral 1.1.38 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://meshcentral.com/info/downloads.html

Microsoft Teams 1.7.00.33761 adds brand filtering and web-based screen controls. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 30.0.4 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Omada Software Controller 5.15.6.7 adds support for additional hardware, SAML SSO support, DSL Gateway configuration and improvces RADIUS support. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Pocketnet-Core 0.22.11 improves jury and moderation, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

Pocketnet-GUI 0.9.107 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

Rclone 1.69.0 is a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 7.37.0 improves visual feedback and macOS compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 7.28.4 adds chat folders and group grouping. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Syncthing 1.29.2 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 13.3 resolves several bugs, including stability and denial of service. This should be treated as a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 5.10.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Zoom 6.3.6 resolves several bugs, including a fix for a defect in the automatic update system, and makes cosmetic changes. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

darktable 5.0.0 is a major update, including over 1,700 changes, 500 camera model improvements, user interface improvements, performance improvements and much more. This is not a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/

Grayjay 278 adds and removes Apple Podcasts, and resolves several several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://grayjay.app/index.html

KaraFun Player 3.4.6.81 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.karafun.com/karaoke-windows/

Plex Desktop 1.106.0.276 adds Share button and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.69.0.264 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.41.3.9314 is a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.21.51.02 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

SteamOS SteamDeck Update 2024.12.12 is a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Animate 23.0.10 and 24.0.7 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb25-05.html

Adobe Illustrator for iPad 3.0.8 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator-mobile-ios/apsb25-04.html

Adobe Photoshop 26.2 and 25.12.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb25-02.html

Adobe Reader DC (Mac) 24.004.20272 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Reader DC 24.005.20320 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Substance3D Designer 14.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_designer/apsb25-06.html

Adobe Substance3D Stager 3.1.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_stager/apsb25-03.html

Audacity 3.7.1 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Calibre 7.24.0 adds read-aloud and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

ColdFusion 2021.18 and ColdFusion 2023.12 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb24-107.html

GnuCash 5.10 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.gnucash.org/

Kdenlive 24.12.1 adds ASS subtitle support, resolves a bunch of bugs, and updates libraries and dependencies. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

LibreOffice 24.8.4 resolves over 50 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 24.8.4 resolves over 50 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 25.1.14.2025 improves inventory costing and controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.15.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.7.5 resolves over a dozen bugs and regressions. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 5.1.2 improves performance and reduces resource requirements, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 10.5.0.393 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

QuickBooks Pro 2022 20241217-R18_40 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 20241217-R15_29 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

Scribus 1.6.3 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.scribus.net/

Operating System Updates

These are for specific Linux flavors and alternative operating systems and, sadly, are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ChromeOS 131.0.6778.241 is a security update.
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/search/label/Stable%20updates+ChromeOS

iOS 18.2 and iOS 18.2.1 are security updates.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

iPadOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.1 are security updates.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

macOS 15.2 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201541

Tails 6.11 is a security update.
https://tails.net/install/download/index.en.html

tvOS 18.2 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT202716

watchOS 11.2 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204641

Security Software Updates

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

Chainsaw 2.11.0 improves MFT parsing. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

MalwareBytes Desktop Security 5.2.4.157 rebrands from “Anti-Malware,” improves notification behavior, and now requires autorun for the VPN Kill Switch capability. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

ProtonVPN 3.5.0 improves stability and reliability in censored countries. Thsi is not a security update.
https://github.com/ProtonVPN/win-app/releases/latest

Stinger 13.0.0.254 improves detection. This is not a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

uBlock Origin 1.62.0 improves syntax and reliability and resovles several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 13.0.3.4 improves NVIDIA AI conversion. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

IsoBuster 5.5.1 adds dozens of new features, new media formats and mappings, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.isobuster.com/download.php

StreamFab 6.2.1.3 updates engine, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. Thsi is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 3.0.0.1 is a major update and improves upscaling, performance and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password 8.10.56 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

GadgetPack 38.0 rebrands from 8GadgetPack, adds Windows 11 support, updates graphics and cosmetics, and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gadgetpack.net/

Agent Ransack 2022.3503 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

AOMEI Partition Assistant 10.7.0 adds 1-click space fix and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

BatteryHistoryView 1.06 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/battery_history_view.html

Bitwarden 2024.12.1 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.31.11415 improves cleanup. Thsi is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CPU-Z Installer 2.13 adds support for newer hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Cygwin 3.5.5 resolves over a dozen bugs. Thsi si not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 11.51 updates definition file options and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.2.121.0 updates libraries and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

ESEDatabaseView 1.76 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ese_database_view.html

FileLocator Pro 2022.3503 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Fing 3.8.0 improves Network Insights feature and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

GoodSync 12.8.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

HWiNFO 8.20 improves hardware support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

LessMSI 2.4.0 adds xo option to extract and overwrite. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

NTLite 2025.01.10258 updates Windows 11 24H2 support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Open-Shell 4.4.195 improves Windows 11 24H2 support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

PingInfoView 3.20 adds dark background support and alternating row colors. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multiple_ping_tool.html

PointerStick 6.46 adds a new pointer option and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.87.1 improves stability and resolves issues in many of the included tools. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

PSAppDeploy 4.0.4 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/

TeamViewer 15.61.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

WifiInfoView 2.96 updates the internal MAC database. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

WinScan2PDF 9.19 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

ZoomIt 9.0 adds live draw support. This is not a security update.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/zoomit

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Android Studio 2024.2.2.13 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

GDevelop 5.5.221 improves 3D physics tracking and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

GitHub Desktop 3.4.12 resolves a merge bug. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Inno Setup 6.4.0 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.jrsoftware.org/isdl.php

Node.js 22.13.0 updates dependencies and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 23.6.0 updates dependencies and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.48.0 adds several new features, syntax support, and performance and memory improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.96.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Web Package Updates

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

Grocy 4.3.0 improves stock management, grouping, recipes, userfields, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/grocy/grocy

HumHub 1.17.0 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en

Joomla 5.2.3 is a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

OpenCart 4.1.0.0 makes over six hundred changes and updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.opencart.com/

Piwigo 15.3.0 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

Autoptimize 3.1.13 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

Contact Form 7 6.0.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Sucuri Security 1.9.7 adds CSP reporting header support. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sucuri-scanner/

Theme My Login 7.1.10 resolves several bugs, including a nonce issue. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-my-login/

WP Cerber Security 9.6.5 removes dependency on wordpress.org, adds several new widgets and improves role support. This is not a security update.
https://wpcerber.com/

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2024-10-08

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for October, 2024.

Windows 11 24H2 is out. So is macOS 15/Sequoia. iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 11 are out now.  The first set of security updates for each of these are released now, too.

All versions of Windows 11 prior to 23H2 are no longer be supported. Upgrade to 23H2 now, then do not upgrade to 24H2, yet. Let everyone else be the guinea pigs. It’s already showing quite a few issues.

All versions of macOS prior to 13/Ventura are no longer supported. If you can’t upgrade your Mac to Ventura you need to permanently take it offline and/or replace it.

Windows 10 now has only 12 months of support left. If your computer can not be upgraded to Windows 11 either start planning now for a switch to Linux or replacing your computer.

There were 505+ major hacks, and over 395 application updates this month. It’s an enormous month, with about 4 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

4B Components, 5.11 Tactical, A1 Mobile Locksmith, Access Ambulatory Surgery Center, LLC, Access Sports, Accurate Railroad Construction Ltd, Acuity Advisor, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Commerce & Magento stores (5% of all their commerce sites!!!),  Adobe Media Encoder, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, ADT, Advanced Sterilization Products, Inc, Affirm Agency, AFP, air-gapped government systems, Akromold, Al Rajhi Bank, Albany College of Pharmacy, Alliance, Ally Bank, Alshaya Group, Altman Plants, Alvan Blanch, American Water Works, Amgen Inc, Amplitude Laser, Andamen, Andantex USA, Anniversary Holding, Apache Avro, Apache HugeGraph-Server, Apex Softcell, Aramark myPay, Arc browser, Arelance Group, Around the Clock Companies, Asheville Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, PA, AT&T, ATG Communications Group, Atrium Health, Autel Maxicharger, Auto Recyclers, AutoCanada, Autodesk Navisworks Freedom DWF, automatic storage tank gauge (ATG) systems (6 models), Avi Resort & Casino, Avis, Balboa Bay Club Ventures LLC, Banana Gun, Bangladeshi government, Barbados Revenue Authority, Barnes & Cohen, Batcom, Battle Lumber Co, Bay Ridge Automotive Management Group, Bazooka, Bel-Air Bay Club, BELL DATA, Inc, Benny Gantz, Bethalto Community Unit School District, Betterhalf, Bharat Petroleum, BingX, Bloom Hearing Specialists, Blundstone USA Inc, BNBuilders, BotSpace, Branhaven Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Brechbuhler Scales Inc, BroadGrain Commodities, Broward Realty Corp, Brown Bottling Group, Brown Integrated Logistics, Brunswick Hospital Center, BSH Soft, BudTrader, C&L Ward, CaleyWray, Calibrated Healthcare, LLC, California Department of Social Services, Cameroon’s pension fund, Canstar Restorations, Capgemini, Capital Printing, Carlile Group, Cascade Columbia Distribution, Casino Fandango, Casio, Caterpillar Inc, Cellular Plus, CentralTickets, CF Medical, Charles Darwin School, Chernan Technology, ChiceDNA, Chinese government, a Chinese government botnet, Chrome, Chunghwa Telecom Data, Cincinnati Public Schools, City of Aberdeen, WA, City of Forest Park, City of Pleasanton, CA, City of Richardson, TX, CK Associates, CKS Packaging, Classic Business Products, CobelPlast, Cohesive Networks VNS3, Comcast Cable Communications, Community Clinic of Maui, Inc, Community Hospital of Anaconda, Compass Group, Concord Management Services, Condere IP, Conductive Containers, Inc, Connally Memorial Medical Center, Control Panels USA, CopySmart LLC, Corantioquia, Creative Consumer Concepts, Creative Playthings, CrediHealth, Crown Mortgage Company, CSG Consultants, D-Link routers, DATASUS, Daughterly Care, David’s Bridal, Del Valle Independent School District, Delaware Library system, Dell (twice in a week),  Deloitte, Delta Prime, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippines, DETRAN, Detroit Public TV, Diamond Contracting, LLC, Didi Chuxing, digiDirect, Dimensional Merchandising, DINAS Corp, Divine Interprises INC, DJH Jugendherberge, Domain Industries, DotPe, DPC DATA, Dr. Web, DrayTek routers, Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture, Duopharma Biotech, Dutch Police, EasyMPS, Edge Imaging, eFile.com, EigenLayer, Elgin Separation Solutions, Elitecare Emergency Hospital, Elitecare, Empereon Marketing, English Football League, Enterprise Outsourcing, EnviroNET Inc, Environmental Code Consultants Inc, Erasmus+, ETC Companies, Ethena Labs, Eurobulk, Evans Distribution Systems, Experience Engine, Express Services, Fabrica Industrial Machinery & Equipment, FastStone Imave Viewer, Fazenda Brazil government, FBCS, Fedbank Financial Services, Feeld, Feldstein & Stewart, Fireworks Software, First Choice, Fleet Equipment, FoccoERP, Forshey Prostok LLP, Fortinet, Fortive, Foundation, Foxit PDF Reader, Freshstart Credit Repair, Frigocenter, Fritzøe Engros, FTV Employment Services LLC, Fylde Coast Academy Trust, G/S Solutions, Galloway MacLeod, Games Box, GameVN, Garvey, GenPro Inc, GitLab, GNOME Project G, GoDaddy, Golden Age Nursing Home, Gough Construction, Graminex, Graybill Medical Group, Greene Acres Nursing Home, Guerriere & Halnon, GW Mechanical, Hair Club for Men, Hamel Cranial Chiropractic & Wellness INC, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvey Nichols, HDI, Hertz, Hezbollah, Hindle Group, Holmes & Brakel, Howard CPAs, HPE Aruba Networking, Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti, Hunter Dickinson Inc, HuntStand, I-MED, Ibermutuamur, ICBC London, IDEALEASE INC, Idre Fjäll, Indian Supreme Court, Indodax, Infosys McCamish Systems, Instituto Nacional de Deportes de Chile, Insurance Agency Marketing Services, Inc, InteriorWorx Commercial Flooring, iOS Password Manager, 260,000 IoT devices (Raptor Train), Iron Metals, Isola, Israel Defense Minister, Israel Foreign Affairs Minister, Israel Harel Insurance, Israel Prime Minister, an Israeli analytics company, Israeli defense companies, Israeli Industrial Batteries, Istrail, Italian Ministry, Ivanti Cloud Services Appliance, Ivanti Endpoint Manager, Ivanti Workspace Control, Jackson Paper Manufacturing, Jacobsen Construction Co, Inc Health Plan, Joe Swartz Electric, Johnson & Wales University, JTaylor & Associates LLC, Juice Generation, Kawasaki Motors Europe, Keller Williams Realty Group, Kennedy Funding, Keuka College, Keya Accounting and Tax Services LLC, Kia dealer portal, Kia vehicles (again), KintApp, Kravit, Hovel & Krawczyk SC, KukuFM, Kuwait Health Ministry, LA Financial Federal Credit Union, Labib Funk Associates, Ladov Law Firm, Lakeland Chamber, Lancaster Royal Grammar, three-quarters of law firms (which explains a lot of the hacks this month), Law Offices of Michael J Gurfinkel, Inc, Lawrie Insurance Group, Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers, LEGO, Lenovo Service Bridge, Liberty First Credit Union, Local 1964 ILA Health & Insurance Fund, Lumen Technologies, Luso Cuanzа, Lyomark Pharma, MacGillivray Law, macOS graphics driver, macOS video decoder, Magenta Photo Studio, Malwarebytes Antimalware, Markdom Plastic Products, Maryville Academy, Mattson Technology, Inc, Max Shop, MC2 Data, McAbee Construction, Inc, McCarty Company, MCNA Dental, MDSi INC, MediCheck, MedReview, Messe C, Miami Dolphins Forum, Michigan Masonic Home, Michigan Medicine, Microsoft Azure API Management, Microsoft C++ redistributable, Microsoft Pragmatic General Multicast Server, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows 10 AllJoyn Router Service, Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, Microsoft Windows SmartScreen, Mile Hi Foods, MIPS Holding, Inc, Mobility Compare, Model Engineering, Moeller Door and Window, MoneyGram, Mozambique Election System, Mt. Carmel Behavioral Healthcare, Muskogee City County Enhanced 911 Trust Authority, mySCADA myPRO, NASA, New Electric, New River Electrical, New York Sports Club, Noble Environmental, North American Breaker, Nova Sinseg, Nusser Mineralöl GmbH, NVIDIA Container Toolkit, Octapharma Plasma, OffRoadAction, Omega Industries, One Point HR Solutions, Onyx, OpenAI, OpenPLC_v3 Runtime, Optigo Networks ONS-S8, Oracle WebLogic, Pacific Coast Building Products, Pacific Islands Forum, Fiji, Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company LLC, Palomar Medical Group, PaperCut NG, Partners Air, Patelco Credit Union, Patrick Sanders Company, PDF-XChange Editor, Pearl Cohen, Peerless Umbrella, Performance Food Centers, Performance Therapies, PetEdge, Pete’s Road Service, PetroChina, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center, Piggly Wiggly, Plaisted Companies, Plastics Plus, Plumbers Stock, Port of Seattle/Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Power Torque Services, PRC-Saltillo, Premier Packaging, Prentke Romich Company, Progress Software WhatsUp Gold, Pureform Radiology Center, Qualcomm DSP, Quantum Healthcare, Raaga, Rackspace, Radio Geretsried, 19 UK railway stations, Ranveer Allahbadia, Reading Train Station, Red Barrels, Repsol, Research Electronics International, Reutter, Richland County, WI, Richmond Auto Mall, Richmond Community Schools, Riley Gear Corporation, Rim Country Health and Rehabilitation, Ring Power, River Delta Unified School District, River Region Cardiology Associates, Riverside Resort Casino, Rob Levine & Associates, Robson Planning Group Inc, Rockwell Automation PLC Software, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Sage Home Loans Corporation, SaniRent, Satia Group, Savannah Candy, Schäfer, dein Bäcker GmbH & Co KG, Scranton School District, Sellafield, ServiceNow, Shenango Area School District, Sherr Puttmann Akins Lamb PC, Shezmu, Shin Bet, ShoreMaster, Signature Healthcare Services LLC, siParadigm LLC, Slim CD, Smart Buy, Smart Source, Inc, 2,700 “smart” devices in the Netherlands, SolarWinds Access Rights Manager, Solutii Sistemas, Sono Bello, Southeast Cooler, Southern Bone, SpaceX, Spectrum Industries, Sportstech, spWETH Wallet, Star Blizzard, Star Health (India), Stillwater Mining Company, Storck-Baugesellschaft mbH, Structural Concepts, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove, Sunrise Farms, Synnovis, TANYA Creations, TeamViewer, TeleHealth Center (India), Temu, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Thai Honda Manufacturing, The Gill Corporation, The Maids International, The Rubber Resources, The Superior Court of California, The Tech Interactive, Theresa Gordon Tax Services, Inc, Think Simple, Thomas Lloyd, Thompson Construction Supply, TIAA, Title Financial Corporation, Total Electronics, TOTVS, Toyota, TradeZero America Inc, Transport for London, Transtec SAS, TransUnion Risk and Alternative Data Solutions, Inc, Travel Alberta, TRC Worldwide Engineering, Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector, True Family Enterprises, Truflation, Truist Bank, Trump campaign, Tuttle-Click Automotive Group, Twilio, Uber Eats, UCC Retreivals, United Animal Health, Universal Music Group, University Medical Center, University of Minnesota Orthodontics, US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, US Congress, US Dermatology Partners, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Uttarakhand (India) government, Veertu Anka Build, Verizon, Vermilion Parish Schools, Versa Director, VGTRK, Vickers Engineering, Vidisco, Virginia Dare Extract Co, Visionary Homes, Visteon Infotainment System, VMware vCenter Server, Ward Transport, Wayne County, MI, WazirX, We Level Up Treatment Lake Worth, Weiser Memorial Hospital, Weldco-Beales Manufacturing, Wells Fargo, Western Digital MyCloud PR4100, WhatsApp, Wichita Police, Wilmington Convention Center, Wilson & Lafleur, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp, Woodard, Hernandez, Roth & Day, WordPress Houzez Login Register plugin, WordPress Houzez theme, WordPress LiteSpeed Cache Plugin, Wright, Moore, DeHart, Dupuis & Hutchinson, LLC, Young Consulting LLC, and Zimbra email servers have reported hacking or compromises this month.

AFP, AT&T, Cloudflare, Confidant Health, Dr. Web, Google CloudImposer, Highline Public Schools, MoneyGram, PlayStation Network, Port of Seattle, Providence Public Schools, State Data Center (India), Verizon, and WP Engine have suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke M4 iPad Pro devices, macOS Sequoia VPN & antivirus software, Microsoft 365 apps, Microsoft Outlook mail vs nested folders, Microsoft Word (serious – Word deletes your files if they have mixed case extensions!), Windows 11 24H2 BSODs, Windows 11 24H2 gaming performance, Windows 11 24H2 license activation, Windows reboots, and Windows USB & Bluetooth.

In other news

The Internet backdoor mandated by US federal law has been hijacked by China (Salt Typhoon) and is being actively exploited again across several phone providers. It’s not good.

Almost 3 in 5 of breached UK firms admit to paying ransom on demand. An insane 92% of healthcare firms in the US were hit by cyberattacks this year.

Now that “exploding pagers” (and more) are a thing, will people start to take supply chain and physical security seriously?

Fearing exposure of weak security processes, Apple has moved to dismiss their lawsuit against NSO Group.

Now for the good news

Discord has added end-to-end encryption for audio & video calls.

NIST has finally scrapped their complexity and change frequency recommendations. The math on these recommendations simply doesn’t add up.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Microsoft released 65 updates to address 121 vulnerabilities in .NET Framework, .NET, Azure CLI, Azure Monitor, Azure Stack, BranchCache, Code Integrity Guard, DeepSpeed, Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), Microsoft ActiveX, Microsoft Configuration Manager, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Management Console, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows Speech, OpenSSH for Windows, Outlook for Android, Power BI, Remote Desktop Client, RPC Endpoint Mapper Service, Service Fabric, Sudo for Windows, Visual C++ Redistributable Installer, Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock, Windows BitLocker, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows Cryptographic Services, Windows cURL Implementation, Windows EFI Partition, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel, Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers, Windows Local Security Authority (LSA), Windows Mobile Broadband, Windows MSHTML Platform, Windows Netlogon, Windows Network Address Translation (NAT), Windows NT OS Kernel, Windows NTFS, Windows Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP), Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Remote Desktop Licensing Service, Windows Remote Desktop Services, Windows Remote Desktop, Windows Resilient File System (ReFS), Windows Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS), Windows Scripting, Windows Secure Channel, Windows Secure Kernel Mode, Windows Shell, Windows Standards-Based Storage Management Service, Windows Storage Port Driver, Windows Storage, Windows Telephony Server, Winlogon, and MSRT. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for Apple TV 1.5.0.152 for Windows, iOS 17.7, iOS 18, iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 17.7, iPadOS 18, iPadOS 18.0.1, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7, macOS Ventura 13.7, Safari 18, Safari 18.0.1, tvOS 17.6.1, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, visionOS 2.0.1, watchOS 10.6.1, watchOS 11, watchOS 11.0.1, and Xcode 16. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 17.7, 18, and 18.0.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 17.7, 18, and 18.0.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 10.6.1, 11, and 11.0.1 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 18 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

visionOS 2 and 2.0.1 are security updates. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 128.0.6613.163, 129.0.6668.80, and ChromeOS LTS 126.0.6478.254 are security updates. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Don’t forget to check your mobile devices, too! Many updates will also apply to your tablet, phone, kindle or television – so check your device-appropriate App Store and install updates.

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

The release of macOS Sequoia (15.x) means that macOS Monterey (12.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Ventura (13) on your Mac then you should immediately remove your device 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 11 (v24H2) 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 consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

The now-current — and final — release of the Windows 10 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. All non-LTS versions of Windows 10 other than v22H2 are now out of support, upgrade to v22H2 now. If you aren’t sure whether you are using LTS, you aren’t. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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 a SaferPC Subscription and we will install updates each month whenever necessary. Click, call or email for more details:
https://saferpc.info/updates/
209-565-12PD
shawn@12pointdesign.com

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 24.9.1 improves hardware compatibility, game support, resolves several bugs and expands Vulkan extensions. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

TP-Link Archer AX55 v1 240628 improves mesh and configuration controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-ax55/v1/#Firmware

goxlr-utility 1.1.4 resolves several compatibility and reliability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/GoXLR-on-Linux/goxlr-utility/

UniFi Network Server 8.4.62 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ui.com/download/releases/network-server

VIISAN OfficeCam 7.2.2.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.viisan.com/en/download/type1.html

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.70.123 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 129.0.6668.100 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 129.0.2792.79 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 131.0 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 128.3.0 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 6.9.3447.51 is a security update. Use 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 1.14.0 is a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

ProtonMail (Android) 4.0.22.1 resolves a major stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://proton.me/mail/download

Spark 3.17.9.86866 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.17.9.86865 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 128.3.0 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 8.1.0 resolves dozens of bugs and improves stability. This is a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk (macOS) 8.1.2 is a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

BrowsingHistoryView 2.58 resolves an export bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 8.10.1 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 209.4.3661 does not provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 215.6.0.24.211 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FileZilla Server 1.9.2 resolves a bug in the update engine. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Google Drive 98.0 is a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

MeshCentral 1.1.32 is a security update.
https://meshcentral.com/info/downloads.html

Microsoft Teams 1.7.00.26062 improves onboarding flow and allows external presenters to join from mobile platforms. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 30.0.0 is a major update, updating libraries, minimum requirements, and resolving more than a hundred bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Npcap 1.80 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Rclone 1.68.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 7.27.0 adds several new display options for media, groups and restores ability to search stored messages from groups you’re no longer part of. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 7.18.2 adds ability to search for emoji. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Technitium DNS Server 13.0.2 resolves protocol bugs. v13 adds several other new DNS features and controls including ZONEMD, RP, Catalog Zones and improved logging. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 5.6.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Telegram (Android) 11.1.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/apps

Zoom 6.2.3.47507 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 4.0.10 resolves a couple bugs and improves lip sync. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Bitwig Studio 5.2.4 resolves over 20 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

Grayjay 264 adds auto-play toggle, allows you to control rotation sensitivity, reverse rotation, and resolves several bugs and compatibility issues. This is not a security update.
https://grayjay.app/index.html

iTunes 12.13.3.2 is a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Plex Desktop 1.102.0.230 resolves a couple bugs and adds an advertising consent notice. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.67.1.233 updates web engine. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.41.0.8994 adds support for external subtitles, improved ad detection, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.21.31.04 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

Nintendo Switch 19.0.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 2024.920 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2024.09.17 changes the terms of use and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110

SteamOS SteamDeck Update 2024.10.03 improves Wi-Fi 7 compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Animate 23.0.8 and 24.0.5 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb24-76.html

Adobe Commerce 2.4.7-p3, 2.4.6-p8, 2.4.5-p10, 2.4.4-p11, 1.4.2-p3, 1.3.5-p8, 1.3.4-p10, and 1.3.3-p11 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb24-73.html

Magento Open Source 2.4.7-p3, 2.4.6-p8, 2.4.5-p10, and 2.4.4-p11 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb24-73.html

Adobe Dimension 4.0.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb24-74.html

Adobe FrameMaker 2020.7 and 2022.5 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb24-82.html

Adobe InCopy 19.5 and 18.5.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb24-79.html

Adobe InDesign 19.5 and 18.5.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb24-80.html

Adobe Lightroom 7.5, 13.5.1, and 12.5.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/lightroom/apsb24-78.html

Adobe Substance 3D Painter 10.1.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_painter/apsb24-52.html

Adobe Substance 3D Stager 3.0.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_stager/apsb24-81.html

Audacity 3.6.4 doesn’t have a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 4.2.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Calibre 7.19.0 improves performance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Ghostscript 10.04.0 is a security update.
https://www.ghostscript.com/releases/gsdnld.html

GnuCash 5.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.gnucash.org/

Kdenlive 24.08.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

Krita 5.2.6 resolves over 50 bugs and improves reliability and stability. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/

LibreOffice Fresh 24.8.2 resolves almost 200 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 24.10.8.1879 adds business templates, FDX support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.14.1 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.7 updates libraries, resolves over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

PDF Candy Desktop 3.13 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://pdfcandy.com/

PDF-XChange Editor 10.4.1.389 is a security update.
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

QuickBooks Pro 2022 20240726-R17_34 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 20240726-R14_39 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

Security Software Updates

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

JShelter 0.19.1 improves Manifest V3 compatibility and performance. This is not a security update.
https://jshelter.org/install/

KeePass 2.57.1 is a security update.
https://keepass.info/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 5.5.4 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

RogueKiller 15.18.3 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

SecurityCheck 2024.9.22 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/securitycheck/dl/123/

Stinger 13.0.0.197 is a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

SuperAntiSpyware 10.0.1268 adds support for new browsers, applications, unicode compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.superantispyware.com/download.html

uBlock Origin 1.60.0 adds several new features and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Operating System Updates

These are for specific Linux flavors and alternative operating systems and, sadly, are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

QubesOS 4.2.3 is a security update.
https://www.qubes-os.org/downloads/

Tails 6.8 is a security update. 6.8 also signals the merger of Tails and the Tor Project.
https://tails.net/install/download/index.en.html

Zorin OS 17.2 improves customization, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zorin.com/os/mirrors/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SnagIt 24.2.4 resolves stability bugs. This is not a security update. This is not a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

VideoCacheView 3.10 improves compatibility with Google Chrome. 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.

DVDFab 13.0.2.7 adds support for new encodings. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

MakeMKV 1.17.8 improves defect tolerance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.makemkv.com/download/

StreamFab 6.2.0.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 2.0.3.5 adds FLAC support and resolves sseveral bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 7.0.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.zotero.org/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password 8.10.46 adds QR code authentication, Wi-Fi QR code sharing, accessibility improvements, and resolved several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

AOMEI Partition Assistant 10.5.0 adds Boot Repair, improves Migrate OS and resolves bugs in the optical media creation flow. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

Bitwarden 2024.9.2 improves PDF attachment handling and improves Secrets Manager. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.28.11297 adds support for new applications. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CPU-Z Installer 2.11 improves mainboard detection and adds new hardware support. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Deskflow 1.17.0 is a complete rebrand of the upstream Synergy source, pushing the public code base into a useful utility. This is the first one, though, so I’d hold off a little while. This is not a security update.
https://deskflow.org/

DesktopOK 11.44 improves copmatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.2.84.0 improves cache plug-in to use hash data to reduce network chatter, encoding improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

email-oauth2-proxy 2024-09-12 adds option to use password as credentials, improves documentation and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/simonrob/email-oauth2-proxy

Everything Toolbar 1.5.1 improves compatibility, adds RTL support, keyboard shortcuts and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

ExplorerPatcher 22621.3880.66.6 improves compatibility and adds support for Windows 11 v24H2. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/

Fido 1.60 adds support for Windows 11 v24H2 and removes v23H2. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

Fing 3.7.1 improves Network Insights and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

FoneTool 2.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fonetool.com/download.html

Git SCM 2.46.1 resolves several bugs and improves documentation. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

GoodSync 12.7.6 improves logging and compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 2.13 adds channel utilization reporting, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) support and filtering improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWiNFO 8.12 adds support for newer hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

HWMonitor 1.55 adds support for newer hardware and battery information. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

IsMyHdOK 4.11 adds support improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

Kingston SSD Manager 1.5.4.9 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.kingston.com/us/support/technical/ssdmanager

LessMSI 2.2.0 adds Italian language support. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

MultiMonitorTool 2.11 resolves a mapping bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multi_monitor_tool.html

NTLite 2024.9.10073 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

OSForensics 11.0.1014 resolves over a dozen bugs including performance and reliability issues. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

PointerStick 6.44 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.85.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ScreenConnect 24.2 should be avoided. It has had rollout “paused” due to stability issues four times already. Just wait for 24.3 or 24.4 to be stable.
https://screenconnect.connectwise.com/download

TeamViewer 15.58.5 resolves several bugs and implements new cosmetics. This is a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

TestDisk 7.3 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download

XnConvert 1.101.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

.NET Runtime 8.0.10 is a security update.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

Android Studio 2024.2.1.9 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

GDevelop 5.4.213 adds ability to change opacity within properties panel, tilemap improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

GitHub Desktop 3.4.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Go 1.23.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://go.dev/

Node.js 20.18.0 updates libraries, resovles several bugs and adds experimental support for network inspection. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 22.9.0 updates libraries, adds support for stack trace, disables V8, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Python 3.13.0 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/

Visual Studio Code 1.94 improves Explorer Find, adds filtering options to Source Control Graph, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 7.1.2 is a major update, changing style, performance, stability, hardware compatibility and adding many options. It also initially broke older guests and this release fixes that as well as a dozen other 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.

Duplicator 1.5.11 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/#developers

Sucuri Security 1.9.5 improves analysis. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sucuri-scanner/

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

Regards,

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

 

Updates 2022-04-12

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for April, 2022.

It’s another big one. Sprinkle a little disaster and angst on a world war, give script kiddies a megaphone and encourage them to hack strangers and you end up with the perfect storm of malice.

This Month in Technology

2FA/MFA implementations, Advanced Medical Practice Management, Alacrity Solutions Group, LLC, Alberta vaccine passport system, American Express, ASUS routers, Atlassian, Ballad Health, a large banking platform, Bank of Ireland, Bernards Township School District, Bet9ja, Black River Falls School District, Bradley Airport, Bridgestone Americas, CafePress, Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie, Cancer and Hematology Centers of Western Michigan, Capital Region Medical Center, Cash App, CDEK, Central Indiana Orthopedics, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, Central Vermont Eye Care, Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc., Chelan Douglas Health District, Christie Clinic, Clinic of North Texas, LLP, Colorado Physician Partners, PLLC, Creative Services Inc, Cytometry Specialists, Denso, Dialyze Direct, LLC, Doctors Me, Duncan Regional Hospital, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, East Windsor Township, Electoral Services Department of Wandsworth Council, EMC National Life Insurance, Emma Sleep Company, Englewood Health, Ermenegildo Zegna, Finland Department of Defense, Fox, Gainwell Technologies, LLC, GitLab, Globant, hundreds of GoDaddy’s Managed WordPress sites, Google Chrome (over 40 security vulnerabilities fixed in the last month), Grand Coloane Resort, H.P. Hood Dairy, Harris County Jail, Hellenic Post, Highmark Inc, Honda and Acura cars, Horizon Actuarial Services LLC, hundreds of HP printer models, HubSpot, Iberdrola, Isle of Wight EV chargers, Israeli government, Jefferson Dental and Orthodontics, l’Assurance, Labette Health, Law Enforcement Health Benefits, Inc., Local 295 IBT Employer Group Welfare Fund, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, MailChimp, Major League Baseball Players Benefit Plan, Mansfield company, Medical Surgical Eye Care, Mercado Libre, Microsoft, MikroTik routers, Miratorg Agribusiness HoldingMN District 518, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, National Rifle Association, New Jersey Brain and Spine, New York City public schools, Nordex, Northern Ireland TrustFord, Norwood Clinic, Okta (though they initially claimed otherwise, then backtracked), Palo Alto Networks, Palo Alto Networks hardware, Parker Hannifin Corp, Partnership HealthPlan of California, PhySynergy, LLC, PressReader, QNAP, Ronin, Rosaviatsia, Roskomnadzor, Rostec, Royal Enfield, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Russian Lipetsk Mechanical Plant, Russian Orthodox Church, Samsung Electronics, Scottish Association for Mental Health, Scottish Power, Sea Mar Community Health Center, Shutterfly, Snap-On, Sophos Security, South Denver Cardiology Associates, Spokane Regional Health District, Spring Framework for Java, SummaCare, SuperCare, Taylor Regional Hospital, Tennessee Pediatric Hospital, Texas Department of Insurance, The Works, Thomas Allen, Inc., Toei, Toyota, Transneft, TransUnion, Travelio, Trend Micro Apex Central, Trezor, Trinity Home Care, Inc., Ubisoft, Ukrainian IT Army, Ukrtelecom, Valley View Hospital Association, Veeam products, Viasat modems, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Vodafone, WatchGuard, Western Digital My Cloud, Wheeling Health Right Inc, Wynn Palace, Wyze Cam, ZAP-Hosting, and Zyxel hardware were hacked or compromised this month.

Now for the good news:

Internet Explorer is finally going to be going away in only two months. While this will eliminate a program that nobody should be using, it will have some side-effects  for businesses that rely on Active-X objects. Still, net win.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is smaller than it has been in months. The typical computer should see roughly 2.7 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for .NET Framework, Active Directory Domain Services, Azure SDK, Azure Site Recovery, LDAP, Microsoft Bluetooth Driver, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Local Security Authority Server, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Windows ALPC, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Microsoft Windows Media Foundation, Power BI, Role: DNS Server, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Skype for Business, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock, Windows App Store, Windows AppX Package Manager, Windows Cluster Client Failover, Windows Cluster Shared Volume, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows Defender, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Endpoint Configuration Manager, Windows Fax Compose Form, Windows Feedback Hub, Windows File Explorer, Windows File Server, Windows Installer, Windows iSCSI Target Service, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel, Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service, Windows Media, Windows Network File System, Windows PowerShell, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows RDP, Windows Remote Procedure Call Runtime, Windows schannel, Windows SMB, Windows Telephony Server, Windows Upgrade Assistant, Windows User Profile Service, Windows Win32K, Windows Work Folder Service, YARP reverse proxy and MSRT (~2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.4.1, iPadOS 15.4.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.5, macOS Monterey 12.3.1, Security Update 2022-003 Catalina, GarageBand 10.4.6, iTunes 12.12.3 for Windows, Logic Pro X 10.7.3, tvOS 15.4, watchOS 8.5.1, Xcode 13.3. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.4.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.4.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

tvOS 15.4 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

watchOS 8.5.1 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 100.0.4896.82 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 year 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.

Hundreds of HP printer models have new firmware security updates or advise disabling the LLMNR protocol. While you’re there consider disabling IPv6, WSD, DHCPv6, as well as SLP unless you’re in a corporate environment, and Bonjour unless you need to print from Apple mobile devices.
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_5948778-5949142-16/hpsbpi03780

Drivers by Seagull 2022.1 adds support for over 190 new printer models, improves GUI for Driver Wizard and resolves a bug with the GS1 Datamatrix AI 11. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.37.113 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 100.0.4896.88 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 100.0.1185.39 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 99.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 91.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.11.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 5.2.2623.33 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.10.2 is a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Thunderbird 91.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

NK2Edit 3.43 adds an option to copy the contents of the selected cell. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_nk2_edit.html

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 7.0.7 resolves several bugs, and improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk for macOS 6.5.0 adds permission profiles and resolves a layout bug. This is the last version to support EOL macOS versions. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

Dropbox 145.4.4921 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.59.0 updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Google Drive 56.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Nextcloud Server 23.0.3 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

ownCloud Client 2.10.1.7187 resolves many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

Prosody 0.12.0 resolves several bugs and improves security defaults. This should be treated as a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

Rclone 1.58.0 adds several new backends and resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Skype 8.82.0.403 resolves several bugs and makes cosmetic improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.19.2 updates error messaging. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 8.0.2 is a major update adding several new features, updates libraries and apps, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 3.6.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Trillian Mac 6.5.0.11 adds native support for M1, new emoji and history features, and resolves many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.trillian.im/

WGet 1.21.3 updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/

Zoom 5.10.1.4420 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

FastStone Viewer 7.6 adds several new display controls and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

Plex Desktop 1.43.3.2951 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.14.0.2935 adds a couple new features and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.25.9.5721 updates scanning behavior, adds support for plexmatch files, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Epic Games 14.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.epicgames.com/

GameMaker Studio 2022.3.0.625 makes cosmetic and localization changes, adds several new features, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

Nintendo Switch 14.1.0 adds PPN. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 22.01-05.00.00 provides many changes to the user interface and nomenclature. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

RetroPie 4.8 updates libraries and apps. This is not a security update.
https://retropie.org.uk/

Steam 2022.03.16 resolves cosmetic issues. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/platform/update_history/index.php?skin=0&id=0

Office Updates

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

Adobe Commerce 2.3.7-p3, 2.4.3-p2, and 2.4.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb22-13.html

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 22.001.20117, 22.001.20112, 20.005.30334, 20.005.30331, 17.012.30229, and 17.012.30227 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb22-16.html

Adobe After Effects 22.3 and 18.4.6 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb22-19.html

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.7 and 23.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb22-20.html

Blender 3.1 vastly improves performance and adds several new features and controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Calibre 5.40.0 adds new features, news sources, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

IcoFX 3.7.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://icofx.ro/

Kindle for PC 1.35.64251 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

LibreOffice Still 7.2.6 resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.3.2 resolves over 70 bugs, including stability and crash bugs. This should be treated as a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software so should be avoided by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.4.4 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.3.3 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 4.3.10 resolves a resize bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.3.360.0 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 1.1.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.5.7 is a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

OpenSSL 3.0.2 is a security update.
https://curl.se/windows/

OSFClone 1.3.1001 updates operating system. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/tools/create-disk-images.html

Tails 4.29 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html

uBlock Origin 1.42.4 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.10.1 improves organization. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/VirusTotal/vt-cli/releases/latest

YARA 4.2.0 updates syntax and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

Zorin OS 16.1 updates libraries, apps, improves hardware support, and performance. This is not a security update.
https://zorin.com/os/mirrors/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Elgato Game Capture HD (macOS) 2.11.14 improves Twitch API support. This is not a security update.
https://help.elgato.com/hc/en-us/articles/360027963512

Open Broadcaster Software 27.2.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://obsproject.com/

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.0.6.9 adds support for new encodings.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

PDF Creator 4.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.4 is a major update that adds several new features and resolves two dozen bugs. 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 7.9.4 resolves several bugs and improves performance. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

Agent Ransack 2022.3314 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Beyond Compare 4.4.2.26348 improves command line support. This is not a security update.
https://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=dl4

Bitwarden 1.32.1 updates Safari extension and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

Dell Command Update 4.5 improves startup and SRP performance and adds deferral, session management, and WER handling. This is not a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

DesktopOK 9.81 improves dark theme. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

DevManView 1.76 adds new quick filter option. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/device_manager_view.html

dnGrep 3.0.42.0 improves regular expressions and boolean testing and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

dupeGuru 4.2.1 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://dupeguru.voltaicideas.net/

Etcher 1.7.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3314 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

GoodSync 11.10.8 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

NTLite 2.3.4.8658 adds YubiKey compatibility, upgrades components and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

PowerToys 0.57.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Recuva 1.53.2078 improves licensing controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva

RoboForm 9.2.5 is a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.18 is a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ScreenConnect 22.3.7487.8130 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

SearchMyFiles 3.17 adds folder background context option. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

SimpleWMIView 1.51 updates the /columns command line switch behavior. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html

Ookla Speedtest CLI 1.1.1 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.speedtest.net/apps/cli

TeamViewer 15.28.9 resolves a reliability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

Unity 2021.3.0 resolves many bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

USBDeview 3.03 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html

Wazuh Agent 4.2.6 updates Kibana plugin and Splunk app and resolves a bug. This is a security update.
https://wazuh.com/start/

WifiInfoView 2.76 resolves a marking bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 33.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Docker Desktop 4.7.0 is a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

GitHub Desktop 2.9.12 adds support for Brackets Editor, JetBrains RubyMine, JetBrains GoLand, and Android Studio, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Godot 3.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

Node.js 12.22.12 is a security update. This is the final release of the 12.x line.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.19.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 16.14.2 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 17.9.0 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.38.2 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility and CLI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

TortoiseSVN 1.14.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

Visual Studio Code 1.66.1 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.18 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Drupal 9.3.9 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

Joomla 4.1.2 is a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

MailEnable 10.39 resolves several bugs and improves security defaults. This is a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

WordPress 5.9.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Autoptimize 3.0.2 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

BuddyPress 10.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Slider Revolution 6.5.19 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

WooCommerce 6.3.1 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WPBakery 6.9.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2021-11-09

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for November, 2021.

This month we’ve got the new macOS (Monterey) which is bricking Macs, Windows 11 (don’t do it!), and a new build of Windows 10 (v21H2) is slated for release within the next few days. If you’re running a version of Windows 10 prior to v20H2 (v2009/19042) then you’ll want to install either Windows 10 v21H1 or prepare to install v21H2 on release, as the older versions will no longer be supported in only a month.

This Month in Technology

Acer (a couple times), American Osteopathic AssociationAnthem, Inc., Apple iCloudArgentina’s National Registry of PersonsBillQuick, Blue Cross of California, Bryan HealthbZxCalifornia Physicians’ Services (Blue Shield of California), Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador Health SystemsCentara Hotels & ResortsClinical Pathology Diagnostics, LLCCoinMarketCapColleton County School District (SC), Community Medical CentersCyberserveDeep 6 AIDiscord CDN (still), Discourse, Doctors Health Group, Inc., Domaining.comElectronic Warfare (US defense contractor), EU Digital Covid certificate system “Green Pass”Exterity IPTVFamily of WoodstockFerrara Candy CoFullerton HealthGigabyteGitLab serversGraffHariexpressHumana IncInstagram and TikTokKasperskyLas Vegas Cancer CenterLavaca Medical CenterMachon MorMaxim Healthcare GroupMediaMarkt, many more Microsoft Exchange servers, Missouri Delta Medical CenterMLBNational Iranian Oil Products Distribution CompanyNationwide Laboratory ServicesNorth American Dental Management, a bunch of NPM librariesNRAOlympusOpenSea NFTPainters District Council No. 30 Health and Welfare FundPhilips Tasy EMRPlaybookPractice MaxPremier Patient HealthcareProfessional Dental AlliancePutnam County Memorial HospitalQRS, Inc., Quest Diagnostics ReproSourceQuickfoxRobinhoodRussia’s Federal Information SystemScoolioSCUF Gaming InternationalSeneca Family of AgenciesSinclair TVSocietà Italiana degli Autori ed EditoriSurecare Specialty PharmacySyracuse ASC, LLCTescoThingiverseThrockmorton County Memorial Hospitaltribal casinosTwitchTwitterUK Councils (dude!), UK Labour PartyUNC HospitalsUniversity of Colorado BoulderUMass Memorial HealthUniversity of SunderlandThe Urology Center of ColoradoUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security InvestigationsUS Water and Wastewater SystemsNational Health Service of UkraineVenmo used to syphon bank accounts, VisibleVisual Tool DVRsViverant PT, LLCWashington Central Unified Union School District (VT), and, of course, more Zoho ManageEngine servers than you can shake a stick at, have been hacked this month.

Google Chromebook enrollmentMicrosoft 365KT, and Voipfone have suffered outages this month. Microsoft overlooked expired certificates again, and Microsoft is force-installing crapware again, as well.

Pwn2Own this year demonstrated over 60 hacks across dozens of devices. Default password patterns (like your phone number) are sadly and unsurprisingly insecure. Facebook will (supposedly) delete 1 billion faceprintsYahoo pulled out of China and YouTube is pushing malware. Mozilla has finally removed two malicious add-ons that have been weakening security for half a million users. macOS Monterey is bricking MacsCanon is being sued for disabling their printers. And McAfee is being purchased by an “investor consortium.”

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, and MSRT (~2.3 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 14.8.1, iOS 15.1, iPadOS 14.8.1, iPadOS 15.1, Safari 15.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, macOS Monterey 12.0.1, Security Update 2021-007 Catalina, tvOS 15.1, and watchOS 8.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.8.1 and 15.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.8.1 and 15.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

tvOS 15.1.1 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

watchOS 8.1 is security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 94.0.4606.114 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Fedora 35-1.2 is a major update, adding several new configuration and control features, 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 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 (v21H1) is very large, for the first time it’s actually smaller than the previous release, but it will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process 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 has been released, but it has only been out a few weeks so should be considered beta software. Give it at least a couple months before you install it on your devices.

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 18.0.4.6 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 1.31.88 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 95.0.4638.69 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Iridium 2021.10.95 is a security update.
https://iridiumbrowser.de/

Microsoft Edge 95.0.1020.44 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 94.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 91.3.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 4.3.2439.65 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 91.3.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

OutlookAttachView 3.44 resolves a profile selection bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 6.3.5 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

Dropbox 134.4.4115 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.56.2 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FileZilla Server 1.1.0 is a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Google Drive 52.0 improves compatibility, no longer respects custom cache location mapping, forcefully overwrites the destination of any link named “Google Drive,” and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Rclone 1.57.0 resolves dozens of bugs and improves reliability, compatibility and stability for several platforms and protocols. This is not a secuirty update.
https://rclone.org/

Skype 8.77.0.97 adds background blurring, user pinning, Meet Now improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.18.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 7.1 adds certificate generation, Block Page App, Drop Requests App, Query Logs App, Advanced Blocking App, improves logging, and resolves several other bugs. This is a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 3.2.3 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/
This month Telegram also added advertising support – a harsh reminder that the platform is run by a Russian company.

WinSCP 5.19.4 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.8.3.1581 adds administrative controls, improvements in Meeting, webinar, chat, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 2.0.18 improves tracking and expression matching reliability. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

iTunes 12.12.2 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be considered a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Plex Home Theater 1.7.0.2676 improves update check and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.24.5.5173 improves database structure, search matching, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Nintendo Switch 13.1.0 adds support for the new expansion pack. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PlayStation PS5 21.02-04.03.00 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2021.10.14 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/platform/update_history/index.php?skin=0&id=0

Office Updates

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

Audacity 3.1.0 improves usability, adds clip handle bars, smart clips, and reworks the looping feature. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

LibreOffice Still 7.1.7 resolves 27 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.2.2 resolves almost 70 bugs. This is not a security update. Be aware that the “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided in favor of the “Still” line.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.3.6 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.1.9 resolves several stability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 4.3.2 improves performance of Tools and plugins, and resolves a reliability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.2.358.0 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

RoboHelp Server RHS2020.0.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/robohelp-server/apsb21-87.html

Adobe InCopy 17.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb21-110.html

Adobe Creative Cloud 5.6 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-111.html

Adobe After Effects 18.4.2 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb21-79.html

Adobe Audition 14.4.2 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/audition/apsb21-92.html

Adobe Bridge 11.1.2 and 12.0 are security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb21-94.html

Adobe Character Animator 4.4.2 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/character_animator/apsb21-95.html

Adobe Prelude 22.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-96.html

Adobe Lightroom Classic 10.4 and 11.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/lightroom/apsb21-97.html

Adobe Illustrator 25.4.2 and 26.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb21-98.html

Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.2 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb21-99.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 15.4.2 and 22.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb21-100.html

Adobe Animate 22.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-105.html

Adobe Premiere Elements 19.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_elements/apsb21-106.html

Adobe InDesign 17.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb21-107.html

Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK 2021.08 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/xmpcore/apsb21-108.html

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.2 and 23.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb21-109.html

Security Software Updates

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

RogueKiller 15.1.3 updates engine and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Tails 4.24 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

TinyWall 3.2.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tinywall.pados.hu/

uBlock Origin 1.38.6 resolves compatibility with Twitch. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

YARA 4.1.3 should be treated as a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ScreenToGif 2.34.1 replaces update engine and 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.

MakeMKV 1.16.5 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.makemkv.com/download/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 7.9.1 adds support for macOS Monterey, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 7.9.828 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

AccessEnum 1.33 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/accessenum

Autoruns 14.06 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

BatteryInfoView 1.25 updates tray tooltip to display information on multiple batteries. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/battery_information_view.html

Bitwarden 1.28.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CacheSet 1.01 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/cacheset

Contig 1.81 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/contig

ControlMyMonitor 1.30 improves error handling. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html

CPU-Z 1.98 adds support for newer hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Cygwin 3.3.1 resolves a compatibility bug. This is not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 9.31 adds option to customize DPI values. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

Desktops 2.01 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/desktops

Disk2vhd 2.02 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/disk2vhd

DiskMon 2.02 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/diskmon

dnGrep 2.9.428.0 resolves cancel bug, .gitignore filtering, theme improvements, and PDF association. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

EFSDump 1.03 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/efsdump

Everything Toolbar 0.7.3 adds option to enable or disable thumbnails and hotkey handling. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Git SCM 2.33.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

GoodSync 11.9.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 2.00 adds new column for Station Count. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWMonitor 1.45 adds support for new hardware and disk read/write speeds. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Java 8u311 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

LessMSI 1.10.0 adds support for MSP files, MSI Stream names and resolves a cache bug. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

LoadOrder 1.02 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/loadorder

NTLite 2.3.1.8454 adds new components, settings, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.5.0 adds SMART health checks and improves update behavior. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

PointerStick 5.55 updates languages. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.49.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ProcessMonitor 3.86 updates icons. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

PsShutdown 2.53 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/psshutdown

RegJump 1.11 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/regjump

RoboForm 9.2.1 improves compatibility, import, sync performance, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.17 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ShareEnum 1.61 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/shareenum

ShellRunas 1.02 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/shellrunas

SimpleWMIView 1.46 adds error handling and improves high-DPI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html

Sysmon 13.30 resolves several bugs, improves stability, and adds user fields for events. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TCPView 4.16 updates icons. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

WinObj 3.13 updates icons. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

Windows 11 RCT 1.3.1 improves detection of CPU features and updates languages. This is not a security update.
https://bytejams.com/

WinScan2PDF 7.44 improves hardware compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.04 adds support for mobile devices and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

ZoomText 2021.2111.2.400 resolves compatibility bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

ZoomText 2022.2110.47.400 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Godot 3.4 improves user interface, input handling, adds large file support, frame delta smoothing, and dozens of other features. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.27 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Node.js 16.13.0 updates libraries, resolves several bugs and is promoted to LTS. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 17.0.1 is a new major version adding OpenSSL 3.0 support, updates libraries,
https://nodejs.org/en/

Visual Studio Code 1.62 resolves over 4000 issues and adds vscode.dev beta. This should be treated as a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.16 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PPSSPP 1.12.3 resolves a gamepad bunding bug. This is not a security update.
https://ppsspp.org/downloads.html

VirtualBox 6.1.28 resolves almost two dozen bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Dada Mail 11.17.1 resolves several bugs and improves the GUI. This is not a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 4.2.0 adds pause/resume, windows management, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.2.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.9.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

MailArchiva 8.3.14 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

OpenPetra 2021.10 resolves several bugs and improves automation. This is not a security update.
https://www.openpetra.org/

ownCloud Client 2.9.1.5500 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

Piwigo 12.0.0 improves sorting, performance, maintenance, and adds bulk actions and logging. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

Contact Form 7 5.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Social Post Feed 4.0.3 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-facebook-feed/

Email Log 2.4.8 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/email-log/

Visual Composer 40.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

W3 Total Cache 2.1.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 5.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WordPress Zero Spam 5.1.5 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 2021-10-12

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for October, 2021.

This month we’ve got the new Microsoft Office, Windows 11, iOS 15, iPhone 13, and Windows Server 2022…so far. A new build of Windows 10 is still on the horizon, and a security update for Java is slated for next week. That said, Patch Tuesday this month is very large. The typical computer should see roughly 2.3 GB in updates today.

This Month in Technology

Amnesty InternationalAjarnApple AirTag, Apple Game CenterAzure DevOpsBanco PichinchaBank of AmericaBitcoin.orgBrewDog, the Canadian Vaccine Passport systemCanopy Parental ControlCoinbaseCompoundCox Media GroupCrystal ValleyDahua cams, various DVR devicesElastic StackFantasy Football HubGiant GroupForward AirHorizon HouseHuawei Cloud, various IT companiesJVCKenwoodMarketronMedtronic insulin pump controllers, Microsoft Windows Platform Binary TableMoneyLionNeiman MarcusNEW CooperativeOlympus USPacific City BankPlaybookPort of HoustonSandhills GlobalSimon Eye Management90% of the supply chainSyniverseThe TelegraphTwitch (there’s a lot of information out there about this Amazon property hack), United Health Centers, the US Navy, various aerospace and telco firms, various Apache Airflow servers, various Apache services, various Confluence servers, various hotels, various healthcare facilities, various real estate organizations, various University Wi-Fi networks, various VMware ESXi serversVertafore, and Weir Group.

The assets and financial information of 35 world leaders have been exposed in the Pandora Papers.

A Microsoft Azure customerBandwidth.com, and VoIP.ms have been struck by major denial of service attacks.

How serious are the privacy risks of RFID? The US military is using RFID to track their guns. This results in the ability to track (and target) those carrying the weapons.

How serious is ransomware? Another child has died as a result of equipment that was disabled during an attack.

The Google idle detection API can be used to abuse you only when it knows you’re not looking. For a company whose slogan was “don’t be evil,” and that has the highest paid programmers in the world, between idle detection and FLoC, they’re really proving to either not be able to anticipate the potential risks or they simply don’t care.

Firefox is now injecting ads into the address bar. Apple Pay allows hackers to take your money from your locked iPhonePhishing messages posing as Verizon are using mathematical symbols to evade detection. Intuit is warning users of phishing attacks targeting QuickBooks users. Popular projects on public repositories remain high profile targets. If you can’t trust the hacker you bought your exploit kit from, who can you trust? Sigh.

The biggest outage this month was the Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Oculus, and WhatsApp that has lead to millions of users abandoning FacebookTrello has had a couple outages, too.

Microsoft is planning to randomly disable access to their customers to see if they’re using their services. Personally, I would just check the logs.

Microsoft 365 broke MFA again, locking users out of their accounts. And a bug in their Exchange Autodiscover implementation has leaked over a 100,000 credentials. A newly discovered UEFI bootkit has been backdooring Windows devices for almost a decade.

Google, the same company that warned of the risks of compromise through 2FA (as have many others), will be forcing 150 million accounts to use 2FA.
This is the same company that accidentally sent thousands of past due messages to their users last month. Their Android operating system is very privacy-averse, too.

A new ransomware strain doesn’t even both encrypting your files anymore, simply collecting a copy of your data and using the threat of release to extort their users.

If you’re still using a landline phone it’s probably because you don’t like change. Get ready, change is coming anyway. In order to more easily assist those having a mental health crisis, the FCC is going to require you to use full 1+10-digit dialing
when making any calls on a landline and 10-digit dialing from most mobile phones starting in late October. The intent is to make dialing a 3-digit number possible for the suicide hotline (988).

PG&E has been charged with causing yet another wildfire.

Now for the good news:

For what it’s worth, robocalls are now illegal.

Even the majority of IT professionals think patching is too hard. Don’t do it yourself, let me.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Windows 11 is out. Even if your hardware supports it, don’t install it yet. Consider it in the “open beta” phase. The new build of macOS (12.0 / Monterey) should be released sometime soon, too. The same goes for that: consider it a beta for at least the first couple months.

Patch Tuesday this month is very large. The typical computer should see roughly 2.9 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~2.3 GB). This includes updates for Windows Server 2008. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for watchOS 8.0.1, iOS 12.5.5, iOS 15.0.2, iPadOS 15.0.2, and Security Update 2021-006 Catalina. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.0.2 and 12.5.5 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.0.2 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 8.0.1 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 93.0.4577.95 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Don’t forget to check your mobile devices, too! Many updates will also apply to your tablet, phone, kindle or television – so check your device-appropriate App Store and install updates.

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

The release of macOS Big Sur (11.x) means that macOS High Sierra (10.13) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Mojave (10.14) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

The now-current release of the Windows 10 (v21H1) is very large, for the first time it’s actually smaller than the previous release, but it will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need or use, reducing the attack surface. This includes “free” applications like Avast, OpenOffice, and games you do not actually play.

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.4 adds support for Windows 11 and improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

HP LaserJet Stub 13.4.8 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be considered a security update.
https://123.hp.com/us/en/devices/LASERJET

MS Mouse and Keyboard Center 14 adds support for newer hardware, Spotlight and improves Smart Switch. This is not a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/downloads/mouse-keyboard-center

Xerox Smart Start 1.6.26.0 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be considered a security update.
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/content/143617

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.30.89 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 94.0.4606.81 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 94.0.992.47 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 93.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.15.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.9.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 4.3.2439.44 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

OutlookAttachView 3.43 adds hi-DPI support and improves sorting behavior. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Thunderbird 91.2.0 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.

Telegram 3.1.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

curl 7.79.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 132.4.3800 does not provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.56.0 is a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Omada Software Controller 4.4.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Rclone 1.56.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Syncthing 1.18.3 improves reliability and resolves a cosmetic bug. This should be treated as a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 7.0 is a major update to the API and Apps feature, each of the Apps, adds several more Apps, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

WGet 1.21.2 is a security update.
https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/

WinSCP 5.19.3 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.8.1.1435 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

iTunes 12.12.1.1 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Picard 2.6.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Desktop 1.35.1.2632 corrects a couple minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PlayStation PS5 21.02-04.02.00 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2021.10.07 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/platform/update_history/index.php?skin=0&id=0

Office Updates

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

Artweaver 7.0.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Audacity 3.0.5 resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 2.93.5 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.2.1 resolves over 80 bugs. This is not a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided in favor of the “Still” line.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Still 7.1.6 resolves over 40 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.3.5 improves security. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.1.5 adds date insertion and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

OpenOffice 4.1.11 is a security update.
https://www.openoffice.org/download/

Adobe Reader DC 21.007.20099 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Acrobat DC 21.007.20099 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-104.html

Adobe Connect 11.2.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb21-91.html

Adobe Reader Mobile 21.9.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/reader-mobile/apsb21-89.html

Adobe ops-cli 2.0.5 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/ops_cli/apsb21-88.html

Adobe Commerce 2.4.3-p1 and 2.3.7-p2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-86.html

Adobe Campaign 21.3.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/campaign/apsb21-52.html

Security Software Updates

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

PureOS 10.0 is a security update.
https://pureos.net/download/

Tails 4.23 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

OnionShare 2.4 is a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

RogueKiller 15.1.1 is a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

TinyWall 3.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tinywall.pados.hu/

uBlock Origin 1.38.4 resolves Twitch filtering and important filters. 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 2.34 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 1.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://handbrake.fr/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 7.9 adds the ability to “securely” share a link with others. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 7.9.822 adds the ability to “securely” share a link with others. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

Autoruns 14.03 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

Bitwarden 1.28.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

ControlMyMonitor 1.29 adds the ability to set font options. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html

dnGrep 2.9.400.0 improves bookmarks and adds option to hide missing files in Everything search. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Etcher 1.6.0 adds basic auth support and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything CLI 1.1.0.20 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Fido 1.26 adds Windows 11 downloads. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

Fing 2.7.0 adds user-presence tracking, improves the security tab, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

GoodSync 11.8.6 resolves several bugs, updates certificates and libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 1.99 resolves a privacy bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

NTLite 2.3.0.8394 updates libraries and assignment options. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.4.1 adds Windows 11 compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

PowerToys 0.47.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Monitor 3.85 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

Samsung Magician 7.0.0 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/

TCPView 4.15 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

TeamViewer 15.22.3 improves chat notification and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

WhyNotWin11 2.4.2.1 improves compatibility and accuracy. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11

Windows 11 RCT 1.2.1 updates libraries and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://bytejams.com/

WinGet 1.1.12653 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WizTree 4.03 improves reliability, and improves details when loading exports. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Godot 3.3.4 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

Node.js 12.22.7 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.18.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 16.11.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Visual Studio Code 1.61 adds split views, improved locking, new decorations, improved pair guides and more. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PPSSPP 1.12.2 adds support for Android 12, scoped storage, and 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.

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.15 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Dada Mail 11.16.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 4.1.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.2.7 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

MailArchiva 8.3.2 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

Nextcloud Server 22.2.0 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

phpList 3.6.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

ScreenConnect 21.13.5058.7951 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Slider Revolution 6.5.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

Akismet 4.2.1 resolves an AMP validation bug. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.5.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 4.3.23 is a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.30 is now a non-GoDaddy project. This is not a security update.

Visual Composer 39.1 resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

WooCommerce 5.7.1 reverts a path change bug. This is not a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 3.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

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

Regards,

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