Updates 2022-10-11

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for October, 2022. This month brings a new major version of Windows 11, and impending new version of Windows 10. That’s on top of the 120 major hacks, and another 150+ application updates this month. This is actually the lightest month we’ve had in a while, with less than 3 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

2K Games, a high-profile Hawaiian financial company, Airplane WiFi networks, Albanian State Police, American Airlines, Anesthesia Associates of El Paso PA, Anesthesia Associates of Maryland LLC, Anesthesia Services of San Joaquin PC, Argentina’s Ministry of Economy, Ask.FM, Bell Technical Solutions, Bhinneka, Binance, Bitbucket Server, Bonita Springs Retirement Village, Inc., Bronx Anesthesia Services PC, Centerstone of Tennessee, Inc., Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien, Chase UK, Chilean Judiciary, Chilean Ministry of Defense, City of Tucson, Columbia River Mental Health Services, Comision Nacional de Acreditación in Chile, Comm100 Live Chat, CommonSpirit Health, Consorci Sanitari Integral, Costa Group, Country Doctor Community Clinic, CSI Laboratories (again!), The Coeur Group, Dialog, Digital Network System, DLS Motors, Easterseals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain, Inc., Elbit Systems of America, Empress EMS, Extended MLTC, an F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft components supplier, Fast Company, FishPig, FMC Services, LLC, FortiOS, FortiProxy, Fredericksburg Anesthesia Services LLC, Guatemala’s foreign ministry, Hampton Public Library, Hazleton Anesthesia Services PC, Independence, Intel, Jaime Câmara, Johnson Fitness and Wellness, Kaye-Smith Enterprises, Inc., Kiwi Farms, Landmark Management Services, Latam government, Lloyd’s of London, Lynbrook Anesthesia Services PC, Magellan Rx Management, Magento, Makler, Mexican Military, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Microsoft Exchange, hundreds of Microsoft SQL servers, Monroe Ear Nose and Throat Associates, PC, National Institute for Drug and Food Surveillance, Neurology Center of Nevada, New York Racing Association, Northern California Fertility Medical Center, Okta Auth0, Optus, Oracle Cloud, Orange Southwest Supervisory District, Palm Springs Anesthesia Services PC, Peru’s Instituto De Desarrollo Profesional, Physician’s Business Office, Inc., Providence WA Anesthesia Services PC, Puigcerda Hospital, Quintal, redONE Network Sdn Bhd, REDTONE Digital BHD Network, Reelfoot Family Walk-In Clinic, Reid and Riege, P.C., Reidville Fire Department, Resource Anesthesiology Associates of CA A Medical Corporation, Resource Anesthesiology Associates of IL PC, Resource Anesthesiology Associates PC, Revolut, Rockstar Games, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seesaw, Shangri-La Group, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, South Redford School District, Starbucks, State Bar of Georgia, State of Colorado, Swachhata, TAP Air Portugal, Telstra, Tessie Cleveland Community Services Corp, The Icon Group, Toyota, Transit Finance, Trend Micro Apex One, Trillium Health Inc., U.S. Dept of Defense, Uber (more), Universidad Internacional Del Ecuador, Upstate Anesthesia Services PC, UW Medicine, Wakanim, WhatsApp, Wintermute, Zimbra, and Zoho ManageEngine have reportedly been hacked or compromised this month.

MEC has shared with us why Microsoft Exchange has proven to be such a large target. 350+ million email accounts spread across over 300,000 physical servers, where (demonstrably) security lapses are commonplace. Even with that, it has nothing to do with the recent spate of outlook crashes or certificate issues on MS products.

There’s more evidence demonstrating the risk of pirated software. Twitter neglected to log out devices after password resets. And Dell drivers are being used to hijack computers.

The newest version of Windows 11 was released less than 3 weeks ago. It has problems. Among the many issues with the latest release of Windows 11 include
file copy performance, Windows Hello failure, provisioning, Remote Desktop, printer issues, Intel audio, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, and NVIDIA gaming performance, and those are just the ones that have made the news so far. If you’re planning to upgrade to the latest build of Windows 11, wait another month or two.

Now for the good news:

It turns out the theoretial protection of tinfoil hats may have actually been a government conspiracy. Really. How is this good news? You don’t have to worry about making sure you have tinfoil available anymore! 🙂

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Windows 11 22H2 (22621) is a major update for Windows 11, but it has been plagued with issues over the last couple weeks. Give it time before you willingly update.

Microsoft released updates to address 90 vulnerabilities in Active Directory Domain Services, Azure, Azure Arc, Client Server Run-time Subsystem, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 365 2209 (15629.20156), Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, NuGet Client, Remote Access Service Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Service Fabric, Visual Studio Code, Windows Active Directory Certificate Services, Windows ALPC, Windows CD-ROM Driver, Windows COM+ Event System Service, Windows Connected User Experiences and Telemetry, Windows CryptoAPI, Windows Defender, Windows DHCP Client, Windows Distributed File System, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Event Logging Service, Windows Group Policy, Windows Group Policy Preference Client, Windows Internet Key Exchange Protocol, Windows Kernel, Windows Local Security Authority, Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service, Windows Local Session Manager, Windows NTFS, Windows NTLM, Windows ODBC Driver, Windows Perception Simulation Service, Windows Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, Windows Portable Device Enumerator Service, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Resilient File System, Windows Secure Channel, Windows Security Support Provider Interface, Windows Server Remotely Accessible Registry Keys, Windows Server Service, Windows Storage, Windows TCP/IP, Windows USB Serial Driver, Windows Web Account Manager, Windows Win32K, Windows WLAN Service, Windows Workstation Service, and MSRT (~2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS iOS 16.0.3 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 9.0.2 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 105.0.5195.134 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 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 22.10.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Crucial Storage Executive 8.03 does not provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.crucial.com/support/storage-executive

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.5.5 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

DS4Windows 3.1.6 resolves dozens of issues. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/releases/latest

Epson ET-4800 3.01 adds support for newer Remote Print Driver and Epson Photo+ Software. This is not a security update.
https://epson.com/Support/Printers/All-In-Ones/ET-Series/Epson-ET-4800/s/SPT_C11CJ65201

Garmin Express 7.14.0 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/software/express/

Intel Driver and Support Assistant 22.6.39 resolves several bugs and improves feedback. This is not a security update.
https://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

Netgear Nighthawk R7960P 1.4.4.94 is a security update.
https://www.netgear.com/support/product/R7960P.aspx#download

Wacom Driver 6.4.0-8 adds support for newer hardware. 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 1.44.108 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 106.0.5249.103 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 106.0.1370.34 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 105.0.3 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

SeaMonkey 2.53.14 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 5.5.2805.35 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

NK2Edit 3.45 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_nk2_edit.html

OutlookAttachView 3.46 improves visual feedback. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Thunderbird 102.3.2 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

BrowsingHistoryView 2.52 improves visual feedback. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

Dropbox 158.4.4564 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 164.0.0.8.109 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FileZilla Client 3.61.0 should be treated as a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.26 improves performance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 64.0.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Microsoft Teams 1.5.00.21668 adds support for Apple Silicon, group chat reply suggestions, and improves management features. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Mumble 1.4.287 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.mumble.info/

Nextcloud Server 24.0.6 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Rclone 1.59.2 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 5.62.0 resolves several bugs and improves contact property view. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Skype 8.88.0.401 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.22.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 9.1 adds certbot support, dashboard improvements, and several other features. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 4.2.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

WinSCP 5.21.5 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.12.2.9281 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Bitwig Studio 4.4 improves stability, adds new audio FX packages, and new “spectral devices.” This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

darktable 4.0.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/

MediaMonkey 5.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mediamonkey.com/windows#download

Plex Desktop 1.55.0.3278 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.26.1.3276 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.29.0.6244 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 14.2.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.epicgames.com/

GameMaker Studio 2022.9.0.49 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

Lego Studio 2.22.9.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd

Nintendo Switch 15.0.0 improves stability, changes a menu, and adds ability to take screenshots in NSO. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS4 10.01 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps4/system-software/

PS5 22.02-06.00.01 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2022.10.06 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.

Adobe Animate 21.0.12 and 22.0.8 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb22-54.html

Adobe Bridge 12.0.3 and 11.1.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb22-49.html

Adobe Experience Manager CS and 6.5.14.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb22-40.html

Adobe Illustrator 26.5 and 25.4.8 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb22-55.html

Adobe InCopy 17.4 and 16.4.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb22-53.html

Adobe InDesign 17.4 and 16.4.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb22-50.html

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.9 and 23.5 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb22-52.html

Adobe Reader DC 22.003.20258 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Audacity 3.2.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 3.3.1 adds hair geometry, improves deforming tools, and several other features. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Krita 5.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.4.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Notepad++ 8.4.6 adds change history markers and tab context menu improvements. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.4.364.0 is a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

Calibre 6.6.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Kindle for PC 1.39.65306 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

Security Software Updates

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

Chainsaw 2.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

HTTP Toolkit 1.11.0 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://httptoolkit.tech/

OnionShare 2.6 adds several new features. This is a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

OpenSSL 3.0.6 is a security update.
https://www.openssl.org/source/

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

OSFClone 1.4.1000 updates libraries and core OS. This is a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/tools/create-disk-images.html

ProtonVPN 2.1.1 is a cosmetic update. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

ProtonVPN for macOS 3.0.3 is a cosmetic update. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

ReactOS 0.4.14.24 resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://reactos.org/

uBlock Origin 1.44.4 resolves the broken :not() operator. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.10.3 adds directory scanning and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/VirusTotal/vt-cli/releases/latest

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Open Broadcaster Software 28.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://obsproject.com/

ScreenToGif 2.37.1 resolves several bugs to improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

SnagIt 22.1.2 resolves an activation bug. This is not a security update.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/releases/snagit.msi

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.0.8.9 adds support for new encodings and improved hardware support. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

iMazing HEIC Converter 2.0.2 doesn’t provide a changelog. This is not a security update.
https://imazing.com/heic

PDF Creator 5.0 is a major update adding new features and organizational tools. This is not a security update.
https://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator

StreamFab 5.0.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.15 adds split view improvements, adds math support, PDF improvements, and 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.

BgInfo 4.32 now reports Windows Insider builds. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/bginfo

Bitwarden 2022.9.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.04.10044 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

Coreinfo 3.6 adds and option to measure inter-CPU latency. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/coreinfo

DesktopOK 10.34 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

Etcher 1.7.9 adds update notification and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything 1.4.1.1022 is a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Everything CLI 1.1.0.26 adds -exit, -reindex, and -utf8bom options, and resolves a Unicode write bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Fido 1.35 is the fourth compatibility release for Windows 11 22H2. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

Git SCM 2.38.0 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

Go 1.19.2 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.0.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

grepWin 2.0.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stefankueng/grepWin/releases/latest

Kingston SSD Manager 1.5.2.4 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.kingston.com/us/support/technical/ssdmanager

NTLite 2.3.8.8945 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

OSForensics 10.0.1004 improves documentation and reports, and updates several features. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

PowerToys 0.63.0 resolves several bugs and updates dependencies. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ScreenConnect 22.8.9612.8308 adds key rotation, improved session management, improved compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Sysmon 14.1 adds monitoring for FileBlockShredding events. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TaskSchedulerView 1.72 improves high-DPI compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/task_scheduler_view.html

TeamViewer 15.34.4 improves multi-tab display. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

Unity 2022.1.19 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

WinGet 1.3.2691 updates dependencies. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Android Studio 2021.3.1.16 improves wear OS compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

AutoIt 3.3.16.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/history.htm

GitHub Desktop 3.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

MySQL Server 8.0.31 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.31 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Node.js 14.20.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 16.17.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 18.10.0 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.39.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

TortoiseSVN 1.14.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

Visual Studio Code 1.72.1 is a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 7.0.0 is a major update adding full encryption support, cloud interop connectivity, new hardware virtualization features and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.20 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Drupal 9.4.8 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

Joomla 4.2.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

MailEnable 10.42 and 9.85 are security updates.
https://www.mailenable.com/

Piwigo 13.0.0 adds several new features and updates compatibility options. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

Akismet 5.0.1 resolves several bugs.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/akismet/

Autoptimize 3.1.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

myStickymenu 2.6.1 removes the contact form character limit. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mystickymenu/

Postie 1.9.62 resolves a timezone bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/postie/

Redirection 5.3.4 resolves a “not” bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection/

Simple Lightbox 2.9.2 should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/simple-lightbox/

Slider Revolution 6.6.3 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

W3 Total Cache 2.2.6 resolves a Cloudfront compatibility bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WP Mail SMTP 3.6.1 resolves several bugs and improves debug controls. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/

WooCommerce 6.9.4 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WordPress Importer 0.8 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-importer/

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2022-02-08

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for February, 2022.

It’s only the beginning. February tends to be “patch it once, whoops, patch it again” month most years, so expect another cycle later in the month.

This Month in Technology

Abington Memorial Hospital (dba Jefferson Abington Hospital), dozens of WordPress  Themes and Plugins by AccessPressAditya Birla Fashion and RetailAdvocates, Inc., Albany Family DentistryAlbuquerque Public SchoolsAllegheny Health Network Home Infusion, LLCArgo CDArnprior Regional HealthAWS GlueBoxBTC-AlphaCaring CommunitiesChico StateCisco StarOSColorado Department of Human ServicesCounty of Kings (CA)Crypto.comDelta ElectronicsDigital Insurance, LLC doing business as OneDigital, Evos in the NetherlandsFiondella, Milone & LaSaracina, LLPGlobal Affairs CanadaGolden State DermatologyGoodwillGreensward AcademyGriggsville-Perry School DistrictHensoldtIDEMIA biometric ID hardwareIndependence Blue Cross, International Committee of the Red CrossiRise Florida Spine and Joint Institute, LLCKP SnacksLympoMcAfee Enterprise (Trellix)various medical devicesMedical Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Medical Review Institute of AmericaMemorial Health SystemMeterMidland UniversityMillennium Eye Care LLCMonclerMotorolaMultichainNews Corp, publisher of The Wall Street JournalNobel FoundationOiltanking in GermanyOlympic Games AppOpenSubtitles, Oscar Buckeye State Insurance CorporationOscar Health Plan of CaliforniaOscar Insurance Company of FloridaOscar Insurance Corporation of OhioPace Center for GirlsPanasonicPellissippi State Community College in TennesseePennsbury School DistrictPhiladelphia FIGHT Community Health CentersPolkitPractolytics LLCPumaR.R. DonnellyRaveco MedicalRedDoorzSEA-Invest in BelgiumSecuritasSegwaySeneca Family of AgenciesSouth City HospitalSpencer Gifts LLC Health and Welfare Benefit PlanSt. Lucie County’s Drug Screening LabSwiss Federal RailwaysSwissportTaylor Regional HospitalThai University Central Admission SystemThomas Jefferson University Hospital, Inc., Ubiquiti’s UniFi NetworkUniversity of Arkansas for Medical SciencesUpstoxVantage Holding Company, LLCVolunteers of America Southwest CaliforniaWalgreen Co., Washington Department of LicensingWormhole, and Zimbra have been hacked.

GitHubDiscord, and Telegram have suffered major outages.

Phishing is proving to be even more effective against multi-factor authentication (MFA), as I’ve warned for decades. UPnP is still the worst network design feature. Buy an expensive GPU, gift your identity. Firefox’s “private” email relay service has been added to disposable email blacklists. As expected. Target, the premier member of the “hacked every month club“, is releasing the source code for some of their security software. Google Drive is flagging files containing the number “1” as violating copyrights. VPN companies Nord and Surfshark will merge. 11th and 12th generation Intel CPUs will not be able to play Blu-ray UHD disks.

The IRS is now mandating the use of a private third-party in order to access your own IRS information online. But wait, there’s more! The company, id.me, conceals their own identity and hides their WHOIS data. Tax-filers are already being phished with a threat of refunds being cancelled. The worst news: Nvidia has called off its efforts to acquire Arm.

Now for the good news:

The US Department of Justice has indicted 6 India Call Centers for Scams Targeting Seniors. Maybe the amount of scam calls we get will decrease? I doubt it though, considering the vast increase I’ve received in the last month. 🙁

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is almost back to normal. Well, for now. The typical computer should see roughly 1.8 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for .NET, Windows, Azure Data Explorer, Kestrel Web Server, Microsoft DNS Server, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Power BI, Roaming Security Rights Management Services, SQL Server, Visual Studio Code, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Kernel, Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers, Windows Named Pipe File System, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Remote Access Connection Manager, Windows Remote Procedure Call Runtime, Windows User Account Profile, Windows Win32K, and MSRT (~1.4 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.3 and 15.2.1, iPadOS 15.3 and 15.2.1, tvOS 15.3, watchOS 8.4.1, Safari 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2, macOS Big Sur 11.6.3, and Security Update 2022-001 Catalina. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.3 and 15.2.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.3 and 15.2.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

tvOS 15.3 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

watchOS 8.4.1 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 98.0.4758.91 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

The release of macOS Monterey (12.x) means that macOS Mojave (10.14) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Catalina (10.15) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

The now-current release of the Windows 10 (v21H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v21H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.8 is a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Daemon Tools Lite 11.0.0 adds new image support, DD write, and resolves several other bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite

Logi Bolt App 1.2.6024 adds support for the Logitech Unifying Adapter and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/4418089333655

Logitech Options 9.50.269 is a security update.
https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025297893

Nvidia 473.04 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.35.100 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 98.0.4758.80 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 98.0.1108.43 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 97 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 91.6 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 5.0.2497.48 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 91.5.1 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

Mumble 1.4.230 is a major update resolving dozens of bugs, adding many new features and introducing true plugin support. This is not a security update.
https://www.mumble.info/downloads/

Prosody 0.11.13 is a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

Telegram 3.5.2 resolves several bugs and improves reactions. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Trillian Mac 6.4.0.4 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.trillian.im/

BrowsingHistoryView 2.51 adds Visit Duration and improves Visited From. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

Dropbox 141.4.3299 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FreeFileSync 11.17 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 55.0 adds integrated desktop search, resolves several bugs and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Omada Software Controller 5.0.30 adds newer hardware support, 2FA for Cloud Access, DHCP reservations in Services, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Syncthing 1.19.0 resolves a bug and improves ignore patterns. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Zoom 5.9.3.3169 resolves several bugs, adds new features (and requirements) and controls. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Java 8u321 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Flickr Downloadr 3.4.5.1 only updates the packager. This is not a security update.
https://flickrdownloadr.com/downloads/

Picard 2.7.3 resolves the launcher bug. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Desktop 1.40.1.2823 resolves a packaging error in the installer. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.10.0.2819 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.25.5.5492 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 13.1.7 resolves a couple bugs and prepares for feature changes. This is not a security update.
https://www.epicgames.com/

GameMaker Studio 2022.1.1.610 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

Nintendo Switch 13.2.1 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

Steam 2022.01.20 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.

Adobe After Effects 22.2 and 18.4.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb22-09.html

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop 2.7.0.15 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb22-11.html

Adobe Illustrator 26.0.3 and 25.4.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb22-07.html

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.5 and 23.1.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb22-08.html

Adobe Premiere Rush 2.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_rush/apsb22-06.html

Artweaver 7.0.11 is a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Atom 1.59.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

Blender 3.0.1 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Inkscape 1.1.2 resolves over 40 bugs, improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://inkscape.org/release/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.3.0 resolves hundreds of bugs. This is not a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided in favor of the “Still” line whenever possible.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Still 7.2.5 resolves almost a hundred bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.4.2 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.3 improves support for large files and resolves several bugs. Be aware there may be plugin stability issues for the near future. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Scribus 1.5.8 improves dark mode, import, PDF export, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.scribus.net/

Calibre 5.36.0 improves metadata parsing and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Kindle for PC 1.34.63103 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

Security Software Updates

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

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware Mac 4.14 improves up-sell ability. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

OnionShare 2.5 is a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

RogueKiller 15.2.0 adds several new features and cosmetics. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Tails 4.27 updates components and libraries. This is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

uBlock Origin 1.41.0 adds dark mode and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

QubesOS 4.1.0 is a major update, with updated components, improved granular controls, new features and resolves many bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.qubes-os.org/downloads/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VideoCacheView 3.09 improves compatibility with new Chromium-based browsers. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.0.6.0 resolves several crash bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Agent Ransack 2022.3294 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Autoruns 14.08 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

ControlMyMonitor 1.35 adds display filter options. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/control_my_monitor.html

Cygwin 3.3.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 9.61 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 3.0.0 improves the build process and now generates signed packages, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Everything CLI 1.1.0.23 adds support for long file names. This is not a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Everything Toolbar 0.7.4 resolves a first-boot filter bug. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Fido 1.28 adds support for Windows 11 21H2 v1. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

FileLocator Pro 2022.3294 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Git SCM 2.35.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

GoodSync 11.10.3 resolves several compatibility bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Kingston SSD Manager 1.5.1.6 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.kingston.com/us/support/technical/ssdmanager

NTLite 2.3.3.8585 adds new settings, upgrades components, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

PowerToys 0.55.1 resolves several bugs and improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Monitor 3.88 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

Macrium Reflect 8.0.6525 improves media creation, compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

RoboForm 9.2.4 improves Basic Auth support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

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

SmartMonTools 7.2 significantly improves field detection and reporting, offers YAML output, drive database extensions, and other fixes. This is not a security update.
https://smartmontools.org/

Sysmon 13.32 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TCPView 4.17 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

VMMap 3.32 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/vmmap

Windows 11 RCT 1.4.0 adds support for newer hardware. This is not a security update.
https://bytejams.com/

WinRAR 6.10 adds support for new formats, improved compatibility, resolves several bugs, and optimizes user interface. This is not a security update.
https://www.rarlab.com/

ZoomIt 5.0 adds support for Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/zoomit

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 32.0.0 adds native M1 support. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Docker Desktop 4.4.4 is a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.28 is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Node.js 12.22.10 upgrades libraries and time zone information. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.19.0 updates time zone information, adds Corepack and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 17.4.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

TortoiseGit 2.13.0.1 updates requirements, libraries, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://tortoisegit.org/

Visual Studio Code 1.64 improves cosmetics, automation, 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 6.1.32 is a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Drupal 9.2.12 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

MailArchiva 8.7.1 improves role functionality and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

ownCloud Client 2.10.0.6519 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

ownCloud Server 10.9.1 improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

phpMyAdmin 5.1.2 and 4.9.9 are security updates.
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/

ScreenConnect 21.15.6739.8073 improves automation, triggers, auditing, 2FA timeouts, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.9 resolves dozens of bugs and implements front-end editing. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Akismet 4.2.2 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Autoptimize 2.9.5.1 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 10.0.0 is a major update offering several new features and resolving dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.5.4 adds double opt-in support, new action and filter hooks and resolves a bug with the default contact form. This is not a security update.

Duplicator 1.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Redirection 5.2.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.15 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

WooCommerce 6.1.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.2.10 is a security update.

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

Regards,

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

 

Updates 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/