Updates 2023-08-08

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for August, 2023.

This month brings a whole bucket of ugly, and a reminder that fixing a bug is not the same thing as fixing the software. Every common browser released at least a security update each week for the last month, with Firefox maxing out sanity tests by releasing five (5) security updates in a mere ten (10) days. I warned about this years ago.

There were over 160 major hacks (some involving millions of users and thousands of organizations, one involving billions of users, Microsoft’s own security keys), and over 200 application updates this month. It’s a huge month, with about 4 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

Acupuncture and Integrative Solutions Incorporated, All-In-One Security, Allegheny County, AlphaPo, AMD Zen CPUs, AMD Zen2 CPUs, AMI MegaRAC Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), Argentina’s Comprehensive Medical Care Program, PathGroup Health Plan, Barracuda ESG, Batesville Tool & Die, Inc., Baylor College of Medicine, BAZAN Group, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, Bi-Bett Corporation, BookCrossing, Buckingham County Public Schools, Buffalo State, California Public Employee and Retirement System (CalPERS), Call of Duty, Canon printers, CardioComm Solutions Inc, Care N’ Care Insurance Company, Inc., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Charles George Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cisco SD-WAN vManage, Citrix Netscaler ADC and Gateway serversCloudzy, CoinsPaid, ColdFusion (several times),  Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), Colorado State University (CSU), Comdirect, Commerzbank, Conic Finance, almost all CPUs, CraftRise, Curve Finance, Deutsche Bank AG, air-gapped systems in Eastern Europe, Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, Era Lend, Estée Lauder (twice!), European diplomats, Evotec, Exchange Online, EY Law, Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Family Vision of Anderson, P.A., Fortinet SSL VPNs, FortiOS and FortiProxy, Gary Motykie, M.D., Ghostscript, Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), Google Cloud Build, Harkins Pain & Sleep Management Group, Harris Health System, Hawai’i Community College, Helix, Henry Ford Health, Highland Health Systems, Hillsborough County, Hines Interests Limited Partnership, Hot Topic, Howard County General Hospital, Immigration Directorate General in Indonesia, ING, Italian government, Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile/Mobileiron — an unknown number of devices are effected, likely in the millions (and again, and again), IVF Michigan, P.C., Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation, JumpCloud, Kenya’s e-Citizen, LeetSwap, LetMeSpy, Life Management Center of Northwest Florida, Inc., Locally, MagicDuel, Majorel, Maximus Federal Services, Inc,  Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Exchange, MikroTik RouterOS routers, Military and Police “Secure” Radio systems, Minecraft servers, MobiMed ePR, Molina Healthcare, Mondee, at least 545 servers/organizations running MOVEit software, Multichain, National Student Clearinghouse (3,500 colleges and universities97% of postsecondary enrollment in the US), NATO (yes, that NATO), New England Life Care, Inc., 12 Norwegian Ministries, Norwegian Government Security and Service Organisation (DSS), NPO Mashinostroyeniya, OpenAI, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Ortivus, Outlook.com, PaperCut NG/MF, Paramedic Billing Services, Park Royal Hospital, Pension Benefit Information, Performance Health Technology (PH Tech), Physicians Insurance, Poly Network, Postbank, Prospect Medical Holdings, Quinn Emanuel, Razer, Redis, Rite Aid Corporation, Roblox, Roblox Developer Conference, Rockstar Games Inc., Rockwell Automation ControlLogix, Rodeo Finance, Saint Francis Health System, Salesforce, Serco Inc., several hospitals, Shutterfly, 70,000 small office/home office (SOHO) routers, SonicWall, South Central Ambulance Service, South Western Ambulance Service, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Sutter Senior Care, Tampa General Hospital, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Tesla, The Chattanooga Heart Institute, The Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc., Tigo, TLScontact, Tomra, Uber Technologies Inc, Ubuntu OverlayFS, UEFI boot loader security, UK Electoral Commission, Ukrainian and Polish businesses, Unified Pain Management, US Ambassador to China, US Department of Commerce (and at least two dozen other US government agencies), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Vermillion, VirusTotal, VMware ESXi, VMware Tanzu Application Service, Wake Family Eye Care, WooCommerce Payments, WordPress Ninja Forms, Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center, Yamaha, Zimbra (twice), and Zyxel firewalls have reportedly been hacked or compromised this month.

In light of all that, Barracuda Networks asserts that fewer than 100 scammers are responsible for global email extortion campaigns, leading to record breaches. There is yet another means of exfiltrating user information and passwords – this time from the sound your keyboard makes as you type.

BAZAN Group, Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft Sharepoint, Reddit, Slack, Spotify, and WhatsApp have suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke display and audio hardware, Outlook for Desktop saving, Outlook hyperlinks, websites in Safari, Screen Time on iOS, video recording and playback, certain VPNs, and Windows Update. I am also seeing reports from dozens of my clients that the iOS and iPadOS updates released last week are triggering alerts about “new devices” connecting to users’ Apple accounts. In all cases it was triggered shortly after a restart of a device that had received the OTA update.

Google is *really* pushing Enhanced Safe Browsing, the feature that allows them to monitor all activity on your devices, including third-party apps and websites in other browsers, even when you tell them no. Google announced they will be making it easier to remove personal information and explicit images from Google Search. Google is pushing WEI, though, which will make it impossible to enforce security and privacy in your own browser. As an example, your local Taco Bell could refuse to show you their address on their own website – or even load at all – unless you enable their ability to access your precise location, microphone and camera. This isn’t just my paranoia, it’s a standard Google is pushing at this very moment.

IBM’s Red Hat has announced that they will change the way they “comply” with the GPLv2 open source requirements, limiting access to some of their source. Oracle (yes, that Oracle!) is actually pointing out the insanity of this move.

Amazon is raising prices on some IPv4 addresses.

Clop ransomware is now using bittorrent to bypass takedowns. Cloudflare, primarily known for their security and privacy features, is being abused to aid malware.

The SEC is now mandating that publicly traded companies disclose attacks in four business days after discovery. The Australian government isn’t sure if the Privacy Act applies to their own actions when they violate citizen’s trust or privacy.

Microsoft is going to be forcing users of the native Windows Mail and Calendar applications to the “new Outlook” starting this month. Don’t do it!

Now for the good news:

The FBI finally found out which evil organization purchased malicious spyware after the US banned it: the FBI itself!

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Microsoft released updates to address 88 vulnerabilities in .NET Core, .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Azure Arc, Azure DevOps, Azure HDInsights, Dynamics Business Central Control, Memory Integrity System Readiness Scan Tool, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Reliability Analysis Metrics Calculation Engine, SQL Server, Tablet Windows User Interface, Visual Studio, Windows Bluetooth A2DP driver, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows Cryptographic Services, Windows Defender, Windows Fax and Scan Service, Windows Group Policy, Windows HTML Platform, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Kernel, Windows LDAP – Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, Windows Message Queuing, Windows Mobile Device Management, Windows Projected File System, Windows Reliability Analysis Metrics Calculation Engine, Windows Smart Card, Windows System Assessment Tool, Windows Wireless Wide Area Network Service, and MSRT (~ 2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for macOS Ventura 13.5, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, macOS Big Sur 11.7.9, Safari 16.6, iOS 15.7.8, iOS 16.6, iPadOS 15.7.8, iPadOS 16.6, tvOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6, and Pro Video Formats 2.2.6. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.7.8 and 16.6 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.7.8 and 16.6 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 9.6 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 16.6 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 108.0.5359.239 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 Ventura (13.x) means that macOS Catalina (10.15) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Big Sur (11) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 23.7.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

BullZip PDF Printer 14.3.0.2961 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php#download

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.6.5 improves removal. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Drivers by Seagull 2023.3 adds support for 300 new models including several RFID tag printers. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/

DS4Windows 3.2.13 several new features and improves hardware compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/releases/latest

Ghostscript 10.01.2 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/download.php

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.56.20 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Microsoft Edge 115.0.1901.200 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 116.0.2 is a security update…the fifth in the last ten days! Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 115.1.0 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Google Chrome 115.0.5790.170 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 115.0.1901.188 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Microsoft Edge WebView2 115.0.1901.200 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/

SeaMonkey 2.53.17 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 6.1.3035.257 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.11.0 improves cosmetics and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.6.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark 3.6.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 115.1.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk (macOS) 7.2.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

curl 8.2.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 179.4.4985 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 192.0.0.8.125 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FreeFileSync 12.5 resolves several bugs and improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 79.0 is a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Grocy Desktop 2.5.0 updates Grocy to 4.0.1 and resolves several bugs and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/grocy/grocy-desktop

Microsoft Teams 1.6.00.20074 updates the channels experience and improves security. This is a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 27.0.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Npcap 1.76 resolves a couple bugs, improves performance, and updates the code signing key. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Qbox 4.0.5.48 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.coraltreetech.com/qbox

Rclone 1.63.1 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility and resilience. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal (Android) 6.27.10 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Signal 6.27.1 improves voice and video calling. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/macos/
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Skype 8.99.0.403 resolves several bugs, integrates motr Bing AI, and adds self-chat. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Telegram 4.8.10 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Zoom 5.15.6.19959 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update. Note that Zoom has also recently updated their Terms of Service to assert ownership of any audio, video, or other communication through their platform IN ANY WAY THEY SEE FIT with no way to opt out.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 3.0.11 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Bitwig Studio 5.0.4 resolves a couple minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

darktable 4.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/

Picard 2.9 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Desktop 1.75.0.3920 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.44.1.3926 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.32.5.7349 resolves several bugs and improves hardware compatibility. This 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.

GameMaker Studio 2023.6.0.92 improves macOS compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.2.169 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Lego Studio 2.23.7.3 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.20.14.01 is a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

PS5 23.01-07.60.00 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 23.003.20269, 20.005.30516.10516, and 20.005.30514.10514 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-30.html

Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5, 2.4.3-ext-4, 2.4.2-ext-4, 2.4.1-ext-4, 2.4.0-ext-4, and 2.3.7-p4-ext-4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb23-42.html

Adobe Dimension 3.4.10 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb23-44.html

Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK 2023.07 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/xmpcore/apsb23-45.html

Blender 3.6.1 improves performance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Calibre 6.24.0 adds the ability to operate full text search across a subset of books, fixes calibre:// links, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

GnuCash 5.3 resolves a couple bugs and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.gnucash.org/

ImageMagick 7.1.1-15 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://imagemagick.org/

Inkscape 1.3 resolves dozens of bugs and improves several tools. This is not a security update.
https://inkscape.org/release/

Kdenlive 23.04.3 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.5.5 resolves 70 bugs. This is not a security update. Remember that the “Fresh” line is beta software and you should use the “Still” line instead.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.9.1 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Paint.net 5.0.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

Security Software Updates

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

Gpg4win 4.2.0 resolves a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html

HTTP Toolkit 1.13.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://httptoolkit.tech/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.5.34 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware Mac 4.20.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

OpenSSL 1.1.1v and 3.1.2 are security updates.
https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html

ProtonVPN 2.4.3 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

Radmin VPN 1.4.4642.1 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.radmin-vpn.com/

Tails 5.16 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html

uBlock Origin 1.51.0 resolves several bugs and adds support for several new filters and scriptlets. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.14.0 adds silent operation support, winget and go support, and resolves a couple bugs. 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.

Camtasia 23.1.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html

SnagIt 23.2.0 updates libraries and resolves over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.1.1.2 adds support for new encodings. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

StreamFab 6.1.3.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 1.0.2.8 improves conversion speed 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.

.NET Runtime 7.0.10 is a security update.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

1Password 8.10.9 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

8GadgetPack 37.0 updates My Weather and removes unsupported widgets. This is not a security update.
https://8gadgetpack.net/

Bitcoin 25.0 improves network communication, RPCs, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Bitwarden 2023.7.1 adds commands to the CLI Secrets Manager. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.14.10584 is a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

Dell Command Update 5.0.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

DesktopOK 11.01 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.0.45.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs to improve compatibility. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Etcher 1.18.12 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything Toolbar 1.2.0 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Go 1.21.0 is a major update, adding several new tools and language constructs. This is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.3.1 improves AutoUpdate sync, stability, and resolves several compatibility issues. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

HWiNFO 7.60 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

Java 8u381 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

JShelter 0.13 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://jshelter.org/install/

LiveTcpUdpWatch 1.51 adds dark background and full screen support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/live_tcp_udp_watch.html

NetworkOpenedFiles 1.61 adds dark background and full screen support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_opened_files.html

NTLite 2023.7.9371 resolves several bugs and improves features. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

OSForensics 10.0.1015 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

osquery 5.9.1 adds ARM support and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PowerToys 0.72.0 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Explorer 17.05 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

Rufus 4.2 improves compatibility and stability, adds conversion options, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ScreenConnect 23.5.8.8598 improves logging. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

SmartMonTools 7.4 adds several new switches, improved hardware support, and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://smartmontools.org/

TcpLogView 1.38 updates IP database. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/tcp_log_view.html

Ventoy 1.0.94 resolves compatibility issues. This is not a security update.
https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

VMMap 3.33 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/vmmap

WinRAR 6.23 is a security update.
https://www.rarlab.com/

WinScan2PDF 8.61 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

ZoomIt 7.1 adds audio capture support. This is not a security update.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/zoomit

ZoomText 2023 2023.2307.29.400 improves keyboard shortcuts and resolves several bugs.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 34.0.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Android Studio 2022.3.1.18 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

AutoHotkey 2.0.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

AutoHotkey 1.1.37.01 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

GitHub Desktop 3.2.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Godot (macOS) 4.1.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

MySQL Server 8.0.34 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

Node.js 18.17.0 updates libraries, improves performance, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 20.5.0 updates libraries, improves performance, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Visual Studio Code 1.81 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 7.0.10 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

HumHub 1.14.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en

ISPConfig 3.2.11 adds support for Debian 12 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ispconfig.org/ispconfig/download/

Invision Community 4.7.12 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://invisioncommunity.com/

Grocy 4.0.1 is a major update adding new API features, compatibility, and performance improvements. This build also resolves several bugs.
https://github.com/grocy/grocy

MailEnable 10.47 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

ownCloud Client 4.2.0.11670 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

Contact Form 7 5.8 adds several hooks and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Duplicator 1.5.5.1 improves messaging and subsite mapping structure. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/

Social Post Feed 4.1.9 adds promotional link, updates the block and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-facebook-feed/

Theme My Login 7.1.6 resolves a couple bugs and adds a new hook. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-my-login/

W3 Total Cache 2.4.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 7.9.0 resolves over a hundred bugs, updates blocks and options. This is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WP Mail SMTP 3.8.2 resolved several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/

WPBakery 7.0 adds a couple elements, improves notifications and compatibility. 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 2021-10-12

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/

 

Updates 2021-09-14

Welcome back, Folks!

This is for Patch Tuesday for September, 2021.

I’m running late with the newsletter this month. I needed to focus on our clients since there was simply so much to do. In the typical month we usually see 85-90 updated applications (some several times). This month there have been over 160. An increase in application release frequency is typical when other major software releases are impending, and the next month will bring Windows 11, iOS 15, a new build of Windows 10, a new version of Microsoft Office, iPhone 13, and Windows Server 2022.

This Month in Technology

AccentureApple devices, and Apple iCloudAT&T (more than once), various airline and IAB staffBangkok AirwaysBanksyBeaumont HealthBlackbaud (more information about a previous hack), Boston Public LibraryBrooklyn Technical High SchoolCampbell Conroy & O’Neil, P.C., Chase Bank, thousands of Coinbase accountsComcast/Xfinity remotes29% increase in attacks targeting the education sector, Cream FinanceDallas Police DepartmentDallas School DistrictDesert Wells Family MedicineDuPage Medical GroupEpikEskyFunFordForHousing and Liberty, over 80,000 Fortinet FortiGate VPN devices, Fortinet FortiWebFortress Home Security, the French Visa ProgramGuntrader (including data of over 100,000 UK gunowners), Howard UniversityHP Omen HubIndiana Department of Health (Contact Tracing System), ImavexEvin (Iranian Prison), JenkinsJohn Deere, JP Morgan Chase, over 1,200 K-12 schoolsKaseya UnitrendsLithuanian Ministry of Foreign AffairsMarketron60,000 domains with MarkMonitorMcDonald’sMemorial Health SystemMicrosoft Power Apps (38 million records!), MikroTik routersMyRepublicNEW Cooperative, a NY Credit UnionOlympusParallels DesktopPeterborough, New HampshireRazer mouse driver (and pretty much all other drivers), Republican Governors AssociationRevere HealthSAC WirelessSonic, various NAS drivesPayPal is sharing user data and transactions with the ADL, pNetworkRazorPayvarious routers from over a dozen vendors, various Russian phonesSouth Africa’s Department of JusticeSpotify data leak, Syracuse UniversityT-MobileTexas GOPTokio Marine, the United NationsUPS, the US Census, the US State Department, hundreds of US financial systems, almost half of all US hospitals, dozens of US government websites, the US Terrorist Screening CenterValveWalgreens, the WordPress Gutenberg Template Library Plugin, and Zoho ManageEngine have been hacked this month.

I separated the Microsoft-specific hacks this month mostly to shame them. The month they claim that “the cloud” is more secure they should absolutely have their noses rubbed in it. Microsoft suffered from yet another nasty, epic, world-wide Exchange attack, but defended their own hosted product by claiming “Microsoft’s Office 365 wasn’t swept up in the breach because it runs in the cloud, which offers more protection,” even though only hours later a critical vulnerability in Microsoft’s Azure Cosmos DB service was confirmed — one of the largest cloud hacks of all time, affecting thousands of service providers. The vulnerability existed for months, so there’s simply no way to know if your accounts were compromised or if permanent access to any victim’s Microsoft Azure services occurred months prior, and Microsoft patched it only two weeks before making the claim above that “the cloud…offers more protection.” As if hammering the point home, yet another series of vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s Azure cloud services were discovered this week which expose millions more endpoints, with thousands already infected. Microsoft’s 365 Cloud PCIIS, Microsoft Teams event data, WSL, and MSHTML used by Microsoft Office have all been hacked this month. Microsoft’s PrintNightmare still isn’t over. In fact, the “fix” breaks printing and printer installation on at least 5% of computers. To top it all off, with all of these incidents they are removing features and they still feel their software is worth a 20% price increase based on the improved security and reliability of their products. Sigh.

The Ragnarok ransomware gang has released a master decryption key. So has REvil (accidentally).

The US Senate is working to make encryption meaningless. Facebook is, too. And Facebook just got slapped by the German Supreme Court for violating free speech rights in Germany. Hypocrisy is their codeword. Facebook actually hid their transparency report. That kinda says it all, doesn’t it? If not, then Apple “considering” removing Facebook for their ties to human trafficking should at least raise an eyebrow. Really, the question should be, why didn’t they? Google geofence warrants are up 1,167%.

Anyone can post a job for any company on LinkedIn. A new fake Captcha tricks the user into keeping malware. ProtonMail, once a beacon of hope for privacy advocates, has shared IP addresses and device information of a user in violation of their own privacy assertions.

Dogfooding is usually a good thing. Not always.

On hardware – GPU-level malware is a thing. Hacking strict hardware security through a silly design flaw. ASUS has made a few serious mistakes with their $2,000 GeForce RTX graphics cards. If you ever wondered why you shouldn’t borrow someone’s charging cable or wall wart, wonder no more. Samsung has acknowledged that they can disable any Samsung TV using a “feature” (read: backdoor) installed on all their televisions. Do you think they limited this “feature” to their TVs?

Apple is still pushing their Jedi Mind Tricks. They want you to use your phone as your ID, but a recent iOS update even broke the “phone” part of iPhones. Why would anyone trust their identity to their phones?

The Epic v Apple case finally has a ruling. One of the two most significant issues, that Apple forbade any payments not through the App Store, was (rightly) ruled illegal. All other counts were dismissed. It’s being appealed, of course. This could cost Apple a huge chunk of a $20+ billion pie. There are some great reads from discovery. South Korea has passed a new law with similar implicationsEpic v Google is really shaping up.

Be careful how you treat your employees – they might turn out to be the “evil insider” for a ransomware gang.

If you’re a government employee and the scope of your abuse was just to use your boss’s computer then you’re really thinking small potatoes.

Oh, and don’t photograph the moon. You might get sued by UMG.

All technology carries risk, but Wi-Fi is probably the most significant risk to your privacy.

Microsoft broke OneDrive for Business, has some major issues with Outlook 365 right now, and VoIP.ms has been extorted by a DDoS attack.

Apple has dropped it’s lawsuit against Corellium over virtual iPhones, lost their Optis trial, and settled with small developers who publish on the App Store, but it still in bed with Big Brother. The US is pushing a bill right now to prevent App Stores from being the sole source of apps and content for their platforms and the EU is pushing for a minimum of seven years of hardware support.

There is no Section 230 in Australia…and it shows. Until social media companies are slapped by the Supreme Court, they will continue to get away with acting on behalf of government while claiming to be independent.

Since nobody is working “full time” anyway, they’re planning to force employers to cut their hours even more.

A federal court has ruled that the HHS can not force doctors to perform transgender surgeries or abortions. If you were concerned about the damage someone might do to your wedding cake, why would you want them holding a scalpel between your legs?

When the MSM has to resort to blatant lies to support their position and the people eat it up you have to acknowledge that they’re the enemy of honesty. The only real pandemic is a curious series of deaths only affecting those leaders opposed to mandates and ignoring the blatantly obvious data. This isn’t the first time. Sadly, absolute fraud passes for science today. There really are proven treatments available.

The science behind face masks demonstrates that this has never been an honest conversation. Instead, politicized (and ineffective) tests and treatments are more lethal
than the disease. Those required to do so are failing or simply refusing to report injuries (does this mean they lose protection under NVICP?) and the events that are reported still resemble a certain climate change “hockey stick.” They’re maliciously and negligently ignoring the dataactual health and safety concernscommitting fraud, and cherry-picking sources so they can make tiktok videos. They’re intentionally falsifying data to coerce and terrorize the publicGeorge Orwell would be proud. The spews media, and by extension, their loyal vidiots, aren’t interested in the truth. They mindlessly supportJab Crow,” racism, rape, tyranny, dehumanizing people, and sweep the scandals under the rug with their massive propaganda machine.

If they were honest and their goals were actually in line with reality, then isolation and replication would be required *before* the creation of a cure, but they’re still pushing tests that can’t distinguish Coronavirus from Influenza. The “vaccines” intentionally, permanently alter your DNA. Claims of effectiveness have repeatedly been disproven, as have their false claims of FDA licenseapproval.” So they push illegal mandates that aren’t intended to protect your health, even going so far as to ban students from online classesPoliticians ignoring mathematics isn’t really anything new. Especially when there’s animportantagendaIt’s time for a human rights commission for war crimes over this bio weapon. After all, more servicemembers have died from the vaccines than the disease.

The anti-privacy passports are not designed to prove you’re immune. They’re not designed to prove you’re not a carrier.

Whether there’s sufficient evidence to determine the cause of any deaths over the last 18 months, one thing is sure: Science no longer has any validity.

At least some regions are waking up to the insanity of a group of super-governmental multi-national corporations with total immunity from any and all liability. Or elseIt’s time to opt out.

The FBI admits no one (else!) orchestrated the Jan 6 protest. Nevertheless, it was, according to “experts,” the darkest day in American history. (And they don’t mean the subsequent human rights violations.) Odd that the same agenda is unfolding through Big Pharma.

A real President doesn’t abandon their people, or commit war crimes when they’re embarrassed, the Speaker shouldn’t be silencing the names of those who died on their watch, and the FCC, the FDA, OSHA, and other government agencies should actually study what they approve. Companies that only answer to consumers do.

Only after the last year of humans treating other humans as trash, and validating it by dumbing down the rest, could a flight attendant say, matter-of-factly, that “we don’t follow federal law” and expect her victim to just roll over and comply.

It makes perfect sense, then, that the Constitution and Declaration of Independence would be labeled “harmful content” by the National Archives. Not to be outdone, the UK – once the standard to measure an open press – will now punish reporters who “embarrass” the government with up to 14 years in prison.

Now for the good news:

Inexpensive batteries are on the horizon and Starlink satellites are being fitted with lasers.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is huge. The typical computer should see roughly 3.5 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~2.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15 and 14.8, iPadOS 15 and 14.8, tvOS 15, macOS Big Sur 11.6, watchOS 8 and 7.6.2, Safari 15, Safari 14.1.2, Xcode 13, iTunes 12.12 for Windows and Security Update 2021-005 Catalina. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15 and 14.8 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15 and 14.8 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 8 and 7.6.2 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 15 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 93.0.4577.63 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.

Citizen Driver 2021.1 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/citizen/download/

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.3 improves removal. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

HP Laserjet Stub 13.3.3 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://123.hp.com/us/en/devices/LASERJET

Nvidia 472.12 adds support for Windows 11, CUDA 11.4, and resolves several bugs. This 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 1.29.81 adds more advertising, improves IPFS support, resolves several crashes and other bugs. This is not a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 94.0.4606.54 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 93.0.961.52 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 92.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.14.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 4.2.2406.48 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.9.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Thunderbird 91.1.1 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.

Skype 8.75.0.140 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Telegram 3.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Trillian 6.5.0.17 updates libraries and resolves upload bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.trillian.im/

AnyDesk 6.3.3 improves connection reliability. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk (macOS) 6.3.2 adds a URL handler and adds a warning for permissions. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

aria2 1.36.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://aria2.github.io/

BrowsingHistoryView 2.50 improves menu sorting behavior. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 7.79.0 is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

DNSDataView 1.61 resolves an international compatibility bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dns_records_viewer.html

Dropbox 130.4.4978 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Server 1.0.1 (wow! I honestly thought they’d never release a major version) adds ACME Let’s Encrypt support, logging improvements, library updates and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.14 adds OpenSSL 3.0 support, resolves several bugs, adds ability to manage filter settings, and improves cross-platform compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 51.0 improves reliability and stability. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Npcap 1.55 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Omada Software Controller 4.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Rclone 1.56.1 improves reliability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Technitium DNS Server 6.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Zoom 5.7.8.1247 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

darktable 3.6.1 improves hardware support and resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/install/

Flickr Downloadr 3.4.3.1 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://flickrdownloadr.com/downloads/

iTunes 12.12.0.6 is a security update. Use Apple Software Update to install the most current version.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

MediaMonkey 5.0.3 resolves a duplication bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.mediamonkey.com/windows#download

Plex Home Theater 1.5.1.2629 updates libraries, improves hardware support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.24.3.5033 adds support for new hardware, updates libraries, resolves stability and reliability 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.

Steam 2021.09.20 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/platform/update_history/index.php?skin=0&id=0

Nintendo Switch 13.0.0 adds Bluetooth Audio, the ability to install Dock updates, and preserve the Internet connection in sleep mode. 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 21.02-04.00.00 adds M.2 SSD expansion support, 3D audio, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Office Updates

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

Audacity 3.0.4 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 2.93.4 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Gimp 2.10.28 is a major update ported to GEGL, adds multithreading, GPU-side processing, hi-DPI support, and improved user interface, selection tools and more. This is not a security update.
https://www.gimp.org/

IcoFX 3.6.1 resolves a startup bug. This is not a security update.
https://icofx.ro/

Krita 4.4.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.2.1 resolves over 400 bugs. This is a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software, and should be avoided in favor of the “Still” version for most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Still 7.1.6 resolves 44 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.3.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.1.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Adobe XMP Toolkit SDK 2021.08 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/xmpcore/apsb21-85.html

Adobe Photoshop 21.2.12 and 22.5.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb21-84.html

Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.10.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb21-82.html

Adobe Genuine Service 7.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/integrity_service/apsb21-81.html

Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187658 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/Digital-Editions/apsb21-80.html

Adobe Premiere Elements 20210809.daily.2242976 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_elements/apsb21-78.html

Adobe Photoshop Elements 20210811.m.158081 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop_elements/apsb21-77.html

AdobeCreative Cloud Desktop Application 5.5 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-76.html

Adobe ColdFusion 2018.12 and 2021.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb21-75.html

Adobe Framemaker 2019.8 and 2020.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb21-74.html

Adobe InDesign 16.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb21-73.html

Adobe SVG-Native-Viewer 20210914 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/svg-native-viewer/apsb21-72.html

Adobe InCopy 16.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb21-71.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 15.4.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb21-67.html

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2021.007.20091, 2020.004.30015, and 2017.011.30202 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-55.html

Security Software Updates

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

Tails 4.22 resolves several stability bugs with Tor. This is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

BelArc Advisor 11.1 adds support for new software and operating systems. This is not a security update.
https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

Hashcat 6.2.4 improves performance, adds hash modes, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://hashcat.net/hashcat/#downloadlatest

KeePass 2.49 improves accessibility, reliability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://keepass.info/

OnionShare 2.3.3 adds dark mode, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

OpenSSL 1.1.1l and 3.0.0 are security updates.
https://curl.se/windows/
https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html

RogueKiller 15.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.38.0 adds Node.js support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

WebBrowserPassView 2.11 adds a new export/import option, Firefox CSV. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/web_browser_password.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Elgato Game Capture HD 3.70.55 adds Facecam support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.elgato.com/en/game-capture-software

SnagIt 2021.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/enu/snagit.exe

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

HandBrake 1.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://handbrake.fr/

PDF Creator 4.4 resolves several bugs, adds CS Script action, page numbers, and a couple more actions. 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 5.0.96.3 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 for Mac 7.8.7 resolves dozens of bugs and compatibility issues. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

Autoruns 14.01 resolves a bug with VirusTotal and adds a dark theme. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

Beyond Compare 4.4.0.25886 adds support for TLS 1.3, improves SFTP and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=dl4

Bitwarden 1.28.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CPU-Z Installer 1.97 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

DesktopOK 9.21 improves support for Windows 11 and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 2.9.378.0 adds several new features and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

Drive Snapshot 1.49 adds support for new operating systems and improves encryption. This should be treated as a security update.
http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/

Etcher 1.5.122 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything Toolbar 0.7.2 resolves a display bug. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Fido 1.24 adds UEFI Shell downloads and command line support. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

GoodSync 11.8.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

LessMSI 1.8.2 resolves a CAB parsing bug. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

NTLite 2.3.0.8330 adds support for Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

osquery 5.0.1 adds several new tables and queries, updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PowerToys 0.45.0 improves stability and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Monitor 3.84 adds dark theme. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

Process Explorer 16.43 resolves a memory leak and other bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

Synergy 1.14.1 resolves several bugs, improves reliability and adds new operating system support. This is not a security update.
https://symless.com/synergy/

Sysmon 13.24 improves stability and event handling. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TCPView 4.14 adds dark theme. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

TeamViewer 15.21.8 resolves a license warning bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

WhyNotWin11 2.4.1 improves compatibility detection. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11

WifiChannelMonitor 1.70 adds 802.11ac monitoring mode. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_channel_monitor.html

WifiInfoView 2.71 improves internationalization. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

Windows 11 RCT 1.1.0 improves compatibility detection. This is not a security update.
https://bytejams.com/

WinScan2PDF 7.31 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.03 is a massive update. This version adds zoom, improved search controls and organization, Explorer interaction and improved cosmetic controls. This is not a security update.
https://wiztreefree.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

AutoHotkey 1.1.33.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

Godot 3.3.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

Node.js v12 12.22.6 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js v14 14.17.6 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js v16 16.9.1 updates libraries, resolves several bugs, and improves error handling. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Unreal Engine 4.27 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unrealengine.com/en-US/

Visual Studio Code 1.60 adds debug watch values, improves cosmetics, 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.

OpenCart 3.0.3.8 resolves an RTL bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.opencart.com/

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.13 is a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Dada Mail 11.15.1 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 4.0.1 introduces the new licensing scheme, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.1.13 is a security update (the second in a week).
https://drupal.org/download

Drupal 9.2.5 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

MailArchiva 8.2.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

MailEnable 10.36 resolves several bugs, including a certificate assignment bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.mailenable.com/

Nextcloud Server 22.1.1 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

ownCloud Client 2.9.0.5150 resolves several bugs and improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

ScreenConnect 21.12.4575.7914 adds several controls for compatibility and reporting, improves stability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

YOURLS 1.8.2 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://yourls.org/

WordPress 5.8.1 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Akismet 4.1.12 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

Autoptimize 2.9.2 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 9.1.1 is a security update.

Duplicator 1.4.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.9.57 improves attachment handling. This is not a security update.

Show IDs 1.1.8 adds support for the latest WordPress. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

Social Post Feed 4.0 is a major update adding several new features. This is not a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.28 removes a warning. This is not a security update.

Visual Composer 38.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

W3 Total Cache 2.1.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 5.7.0 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/

Updates 2021-02-09

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for February, 2021.

This Month in Technology

Malware planted during the SolarWinds hack is still being discovered and SolarWinds is still vulnerable.

ADT (not just employee abuse), Amazon Kindle e-readersAzure Functions, the Australian Securities and Investments CommissionCisco DNA CenterCyberpunk 2077Excellus Health Plan, Inc., ExperianFiberHome routers, Forward AirGolang, various Home Assistant integrationsiOSlibgcrypt, Linux (and macOS) SUDOMalwarebytesMeetMindfulMimecast (also a SolarWinds victim), Nespresso smart cards, New Zealand Central BankNoxPlayerOffice 365OpenWRT forumPalo Alto Networks, the PentagonPerl[.]comPfizerSonicWallStormshieldUK Research and Innovationthe UNUScellularUSDA (again), Vermont Dept of LaborVIPGamesWashington State Auditor’s OfficeWestRock Co., WhatsApp, and Wind River Systems have been hacked.

The EU is fining (victims) of data breaches 39% more than two years ago. Grindr is exposing your information. SpamCop made a boo-boo by not renewing their domain on time, resulting in a huge amount of legitimate messages being treated as spam. The LogoKit phishing platform has been updated to “improve” effectiveness.

The UK Government is giving malware-infected laptops to students and the US federal government has repeatedly supported violation of the third and fourth amendments to plant recording devices on private property. There has been an increase of 93% of leaks and data breaches in 2020.

Whether you pay the ransom or restore from backups: PATCH the vulnerabilities!

I have always called for avoiding pirated software because it poses a unique security risk. Here’s an example. (avoid travelling by train in China)

Federally funded censorship and double-standards are being used to advance cancel culture in bankscoffeejournalism, patriotism, by mere association, while actually inciting violence with absurd rhetoric such as calling a kindly neighbor a terrorist for plowing your snow are being excused as acceptable. While censorship isn’t left or right only one side is willing to ban those most likely to join the military from joining.

Worse yet, they’re even targeting third-parties for cancellation for daring to support free speech. Heck, even Mike Rowe is being cancelled.

Some are actually upset that not enough censorship is taking place while ignoring actual calls for violence, funding terroristsopenly supporting child porn, hypocritically calling censorship a violation of election integrity, and arresting people for posting memes.

No matter how much the narrative is disproven – this was planned by others well in advance, and the capitol police were directly involved, which is probably why they refused assistance from the National Guard and DoD when offered multiple times. There’s plenty more.

At least there’s finally some pushback. Hopefully it’s not too little, too late.

Meanwhile, TIME acknowledges that they did, in fact, collude with big tech, large corporations and foreign governments in violation of state and federal laws in order to steal the election. (But don’t talk about it online!) By the way, is it just a coincidence that so many opponents of free speech are pedophiles?

Facebook will pay $300/ea to Illinois users for violating state biometric laws and yet, they have still violated Polish law and blocked & banned small investors while Zuckerberg bragged about how he censored Trump to prevent a free election. WhatsApp users are leaving in droves, while WhatsApp has shifted messaging to explain that user messages (notably not their “data”) can still be removed.

There’s been a surge in BSODs for some Windows devices after January updates. Microsoft has been beaten to the patch (again) by 0patch for a vulnerability in their installer system.

Google is above the law or at least, demands the ability to be excluded from it. They’ve also banned one app for supporting a popular open source file type and another for allowing access to content it doesn’t control (like Google’s own browsers), and violated their own terms to purge negative reviews in their App Store. YouTube is removing Senate testimony. It should come as no surprise then, that developers are realizing that “doing business with [Google] is a liability.” Do you really need more justification to de-Google?

Mozilla fixed a browser bug that could trigger physical damage to your SSD.

Amazon has been caught colludingendangering privacyhypocritically inciting violence, and stealing, all while pursuing the ability to run the Pentagon Defense Systems (in violation of their own Terms of Service).

Apple is throttling iPhones again, preventing sideloading on M1’s, and took five years to discover a widespread crypto miner in macOS.

Still trust your mobile security? Your operating systems have intentionally designed vulnerabilities/weaknesses.

Especially when it comes to science, sunlight remains the best disinfectant. It turns out “global warming” is worse when humans aren’t polluting the air. But sadly, facts don’t matter anymore, so months have passed and hundreds of thousands of lives were lost before political and social science caught up with actual science to acknowledge HCQ is, in fact, an effective treatment. And surely it’s just a coincidence that testing processes were changed immediately after inauguration?

Investigating and/or punishing people for refusing an experimental treatment (according to the FDA they’re not vaccines) is a violation of the Nuremberg Code, but that won’t prevent governments and corporations from doing it anyway, no matter how many times that is struck down as unconstitutional.

The CDC has illegally inflated COVID statistics, but is suppressing VAERS information about people dying like flies after injections.

Really though, can you trust any medical treatment created by people that struggle with math?

Now for the good news:

The Biden administration has dropped the federal lawsuit against the California Net Neutrality law. This will eventually be what breaks the Big Tech monopoly.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

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

Apple released updates for macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, iCloud for Windows 12.0 (off and on again), iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, Safari 14.0.3, tvOS 14.4, watchOS 7.3, and Xcode 12.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.4 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.4 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 7.3 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 14.4 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 88.0.4324.109 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

The release of macOS Big Sur (11.0) means that macOS High Sierra (10.13) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Mojave (10.14) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

The now-current release of the Windows 10 (v2009) is huge (about 18% larger than v2004, which was 25% larger than any prior build) so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 6 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.3.6 improves cleanup. This is a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

nVidia 461.40 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.19.92 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 88.0.4324.150 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 88.0.705.63 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 85.0.2 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.7.1 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.6 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 3.6.2165.36 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.8.0 adds account colors, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Thunderbird 78.7.1 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

BrowsingHistoryView 2.46 adds support for Brave. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 7.75.0 resolves dozens of bugs and adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 115.4.601 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.52.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Pocketnet-Core 0.18.18 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

WinSCP 5.17.10 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.5.12494.0204 resolves a couple minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Java 8u281 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 2.0.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

darktable 3.4.1 resolves about 20 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/install/

VLC Media Player 3.0.12 is a security update.
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Steam 2021.02.05 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility, and improves cosmetics. This is not a security update.

PlayStation PS5 20.02-02.50.00 resolves a PS4 installation compatibility issue, improves editing video clips and improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Office Updates

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

Atom 1.54.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

Blender 2.91.2 doesn’t have a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

IcoFX 3.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://icofx.ro/

Krita 4.4.2 adds mesh gradients, mesh transform, gradient editor and halftone filter, new brushes, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.1.0 resolves hundreds of bugs and improves reliability, stability, and compatibility. This is not a security update. This is beta software and should be avoided by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Lightworks NLE 2021.1 adds dozens of new features and improvements, and resolves many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.lwks.com/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.1.2 adds several new features: SVG client branding, push notifications for file changes, conflict resolution trigger and more. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

OpenOffice 4.1.9 improves stability and compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.openoffice.org/download/

Paint.net 4.2.15 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

FrameMaker 2019 Update 8 64bit (2019.0.8) doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
64-bit: https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=7063
32-bit: https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=7065

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2021.001.20135, 2020.001.30020, and 2017.011.30190 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-09.html

Adobe Animate 21.0.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-11.html

Adobe Dreamweaver 20.2.1 and 21.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dreamweaver/apsb21-13.html

Adobe Illustrator 25.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb21-12.html

Adobe Photoshop 21.2.5 and 22.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb21-10.html

Magento 2.4.2, 2.4.1-p1, and 2.3.6-p1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-08.html

Security Software Updates

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

Tails 4.15.1 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

RogueKiller 14.8.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.33.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.9.0 resolves a bug with URL parsing. 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.

SnagIt 2021.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?snagit

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Windows 7.6.791 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

Bitcoin 0.21.0 resolves over a dozen bugs and improves networking. This is not a security update.
https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Bitwarden 1.24.6 improves biometrics, search, and usability. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

Carbonite 6.3.8 resolves a bug with NAS backups. This is not a security update.
https://account.carbonite.com/

CCleaner 5.76.8269 improves cleaning and accessibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CPU-Z 1.95 adds support for newer hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

DesktopOK 8.44 improves toolset. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

DriveImage XML 2.60 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

Etcher 1.5.116 updates libraries and improves cleanup of temp files. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Everything 1.4.1.1005 is a security update.
https://www.voidtools.com/

Fido 1.18 adds support for the latest 20H2 refresh. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

GoodSync 11.5.6 improves stability, reliability and sync, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

Homedale 1.92 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

IsMyHdOK 2.81 adds automatic update and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

LessMSI 1.8.1 resolves a display bug. This is not a security update.
https://lessmsi.activescott.com/

NTLite 2.0.0.7784 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

ProduKey 1.95 adds option to extract partial key from WMI. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

PSAppDeploy 3.8.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/

RAMDisk 4.4.0.RC36 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
http://memory.dataram.com/products-and-services/software/ramdisk

RoboForm 9.1.1 updates credit card storage data, resolves several bugs, and now uses secure transmission for automatic updates. This is a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?rf

SimpleWMIView 1.42 adds an option to start hidden. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/simple_wmi_view.html

TaskSchedulerView 1.66 adds pagination to the properties widow and adds Task Filename column. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/task_scheduler_view.html

TeamViewer 15.14.5 was released. The TeamViewer release notes have been unavailable for over a month, so while it might be a security update, it would be safer to remove TeamViewer until these issues are resolved.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows/

USB Oblivion 1.16.0.0 adds ability to preserve desktop settings and clean UserAssist keys. This is not a security update.
http://www.cherubicsoft.com/en/projects/usboblivion

WinScan2PDF 6.55 resolves several bugs and improves scanner compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Android Studio 4.1.2.0 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.23 is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Node.js 15.8.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.15.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.34.1 adds new features and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

StrawberryPerl 5.32.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://strawberryperl.com/

Visual Studio Code 1.53 resolves several bugs and adds several features and controls. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.10 resolves several bugs and adds new command-line switches and features. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PPSSPP 1.11 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://ppsspp.org/downloads.html

VirtualBox 6.1.18-142142 resolves several stability and reliability 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.

Adminer 4.7.9 is a security update.
https://www.adminer.org/en/

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.10 improves compatibility with PHP 8.01. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Docker Desktop 3.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.0.11 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

Drupal 9.1.4 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.7.2 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

Nextcloud Server 20.0.7 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

OpenCart 3.0.3.7 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.opencart.com/

Piwigo 11.3.0 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

ScreenConnect 21.2.2159.7699 adds a security tile to configure security options and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

SMF 2.0.18 is a security update.
https://www.simplemachines.org/

WordPress 5.6.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Social Post Feed 2.18.2 improves GDPR compatibility and resolves a deletion bug. This is not a security update.

Multisite Enhancements 1.6.1 resolves a path bug. This is not a security update.

Redirection 5.0.1 adds support for PHP 8 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 4.3.20 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.25 updates the password reset process. This is not a security update.

W3 Total Cache 2.1.0 resolves several bugs and adds cache groups. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 4.9.2 improves compatibility and disables untested plugins from status and plugin pages. This is not a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 2.6.0 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

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

Regards,

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

 

 

Updates 2017-09-12

Hi, Folks!

It’s Patch Tuesday.

Be aware that Adobe Reader 11 will be end-of-life in only a month, so it’s time to either remove Adobe Reader completely, or replace it with Acrobat DC. Likewise, Windows 10 v1511 will be end-of-life in October as well — all prior versions are already end-of-life and should have been replaced. If you haven’t upgraded to v1703 (aka “Creators Update”) yet, do so now here.

The typical computer should see roughly 1.5gb in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to Windows, Edge, Internet Explorer, Flash, .NET, and MSRT (~1.3gb). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

ChromeOS 60.0.3112.112 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.

Adobe Flash Player 27.0.0.130 is a security update. Flash is being actively replaced with HTML5 on most sites and services, however, so unless you’re 110% positive you need it for critical functions, you should remove it instead. And, within those browsers that have it embedded (Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer 11+) your best option is to disable it. It’s just not worth the risk.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flash
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flashie
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?flashmac

AIR 27.0.0.124 is a security update. If you don’t have AIR already, don’t install it now.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?air
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?airmac

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

Important Notes

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

BullZip PDF Printer 11.4.0.2674 improves reliability and cosmetics on high-DPI displays and resolves several other bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php#download

Display Driver Uninstaller 17.0.7.4 now requires Safe Mode to operate. This is not a security update.
http://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Intel Driver Update 2.9 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

Browser Updates

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

Chrome 61.0.3163.81 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version.

Firefox 55.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 52.3.0 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to get the most current version.

Internet Updates

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

DiscordApp 8.15.2017 adds video support to many users and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://discordapp.com/download

Skype 7.40.0.103 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://12pd.com/click?skype

Line 7.10.0 now allows embedding YouTube videos directly within Line. This is not a security update.
http://line.me/update

WinSCP 5.11.1 follows shortly on the tails of 5.11 to resolve several bugs, including IPv6 tunneling. This is not a security update.
http://winscp.net/eng/index.php

FileZilla 3.27.1 is a security update.
http://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 9.3 improves performance and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

MaxMind GeoIP Data 201709 is a data refresh. This is not a security update.
http://dev.maxmind.com/geoip/geolite

IPNetInfo 1.77 removes the 256 IP address limit for address resolution. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ipnetinfo.html

Npcap 0.94 allows checksum offloading and Large Send Offloading on adapters that support them. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/nmap/npcap/releases

Evernote 6.7.4.5741 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.evernote.com/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

EA Origin 10.5.2.49155 resolves several bugs, improves notifications, and revamps the My Home page. This is not a security update.
https://www.origin.com/en-us/download

Steam 2017.09.07 resolves a video playback bug and improves third-party integration. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?steam

Office Updates

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

Artweaver 6.0.5 increases maximum zoom to 3200%, improves stability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.artweaver.de/

Interactive Calendar 2.1 improves spell check, text editing, Unicode support and new color schemes. This is not a security update.
http://www.csoftlab.com/calendar

LibreOffice 5.4.1 resolves nearly 100 bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
http://www.libreoffice.org/

Notepad++ 7.5.1 adds 19 new programming languages, resolves several bugs and removes the Plugin Manager plugin (a replacement will be offered soon). This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?npp

Adobe Reader 11.0.22 is a security update. This is not a security update. However, Adobe Reader and Acrobat 11 (XI) will be discontinued in only one month, so you’re better off switching to Acrobat DC instead of upgrading. Be sure to uncheck all the “optional features” aka crapware that the installer offers.
http://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Reader DC Patch 17.012.20098 is a security update. Use Help, Check for Updates to get install the most current version.

Adobe RoboHelp 2017.0.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/robohelp/apsb17-25.html

ColdFusion 2016.5 and 11.13 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb17-30.html

IcoFX 3.1 improves high-DPI support, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://icofx.ro/

Security Software Updates

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

Tails 3.1 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/index.en.html

Norton Power Eraser 20170823 adds new detections and removals. This is a security update.

Avast! Home Edition 17.6.2310 improves anti-phishing, cleanup, notifications, and threat information. This is a security update.
http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Wireshark 2.4.1 is a security update.
http://www.wireshark.org/

MSRT 5.51 is a security update.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/malicious-software-removal-tool-details.aspx

Wireless Network Watcher 2.13 adds option to reset dates for selected items. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

RogueKiller 12.11.14 adds detections. This is a security update.
http://www.adlice.com/softwares/roguekiller/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

XSplit Broadcaster 3.0.1705.3124 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.xsplit.com/get/

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

MakeMKV 1.10.7 adds support for new encodings, improves compatibility with macOS, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?makemkv

CDex 1.91 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://cdex.mu/?q=download

DVDFab 10.0.5.7 adds support for new encodings, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

RoboForm 8.4.1 adds portable user options during sync, ability to import from several other password managers, duplicate detection, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?rf

GoodSync 10.5.8 resolves several bugs including SSL reliability fixes. This should be treated as a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

NTLite 1.4.0.5565 adds new compatibility features and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

1Password for Mac 6.8.1 improves cosmetics and resolves many bugs. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

1Password for Windows 6.7.457 improves focus and alerts. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

CintaNotes 3.9.1 improves high-DPI support, removes unnecessary warnings, and resolves several bugs.
http://cintanotes.com/download

Cygwin 2.9.0 adds several new APIs, improves implementation of elf.h and adds %s support for strptime. This is not a security update.
http://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 4.76 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

DMDE 3.4.0.720 resolves a critical bug in RAID-6 support, adds support for Apple partitions and HFS+/HFSX, and improves FS detection. This is not a security update.
https://dmde.com/

FileLocator Pro 8.2.2739 resolves the thumbnail and icon bug and corrects the German Boolean expression bug. This is not a security update.
http://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

BatteryInfoView 1.23 changes labels to be more accurate. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/battery_information_view.html

BulkFileChanger 1.50 adds several new command line options and updates attribute display. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/bulk_file_changer.html

CurrPorts 2.32 allows changing the font for the main window. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

Password Security Scanner 1.42 adds quick filter support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/password_security_scanner.html

WakeMeOnLan 1.81 improves targeting support. This is not a security update.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wake_on_lan.html

OSForensics 5.1.1003 improves performance, reliability, logical limits, and adds several new features. This should be treated as a security update.
http://www.osforensics.com/download.html

CCleaner 5.34.6207 improves GUI and no longer removes favicons in Firefox.
https://12pd.com/click?ccleaner

SystemRescueCD 5.1.0 is a security update.
http://www.sysresccd.org/

TeamViewer 12.0.83369 doesn’t provide a current changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows/

WinScan2PDF 3.63 improves compatibility with HP and Brother scanners. This is not a security update.
http://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 3.10 adds a 64-bit version, treemaps, high-contrast support, new keyboard shortcuts, and improved performance. This is not a security update.

Classic Shell 4.3.1 adds support for the Win10 Creators Update and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://classicshell.net/

GSmartControl 1.1.0 adds a 64-bit version, new statistics and data, “brief” format, interactive drive database update, and other fixes and improvements. This is not a security update.
https://gsmartcontrol.sourceforge.io/home/index.php/About

Kingston SSD Manager 20170829T102642 does not provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
http://www.kingston.com/us/support/technical/ssdmanager

Easy2Boot 1.95 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.easy2boot.com/download/

Rufus 2.17 adds support for several new formats, improve security checks, and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
http://rufus.akeo.ie/

Sysmon 6.1 adds monitoring of WMI filters and consumers and fixes a bug in image load filtering. This should be treated as a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

Process Monitor 3.4 now includes a /runtime switch for terminating monitoring after a specified amount of time and fixes a bug in automated boot log conversion. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

Autoruns 13.8 adds additional autostart entry points, has asynchronous file saving, fixes a bug parsing 32-bit paths on 64-bit Windows, shows the display name for drivers and services, and fixes a bug in offline Virus Total scanning. This is a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

AccessChk 6.11 adds a cache to improve queries that enumerate multiple objects, and has the -s switch start container enumeration at the specified container when -d is specified.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

TortoiseSVN 1.9.7 resolves a bug with drag-and-drop. This is not a security update.
http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html

SQLite 3.20.1 should be treated as a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

SQLite Database Browser 3.10.0 adds support for DBHub.io, improvements to virtual tables, CSV import, filters, table editing, and dozens of resolved bugs. This is a security update.
http://sqlitebrowser.org/

StrawberryPerl 5.26.0.2 resolves a bug. This is not a security update.
http://strawberryperl.com/

Web Package Updates

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

ownCloud Client 2.3.3 resolves several bugs and improves performance. This should be treated as a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

Plupload 2.3.3 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
http://www.plupload.com/

TinyMCE 4.6.6 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.tinymce.com/download/

Drupal 8.3.7 is a security update.
http://drupal.org/download

Joomla 3.7.5 resolves a bug that applied to new installations. This is not a security update.
http://www.joomla.org/

MailEnable Enterprise 9.76 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.mailenable.com/

phpMyAdmin 4.7.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/news.php

bbPress 2.5.14 improves PHP 7.1+ support, pagination and resolves a row-limit bug. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 2.9.1 is a security update.

Contact Form 7 4.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Multisite Enhancements 1.4.1 improves support for PHP 5.3.

NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 3.8.7 improves reliability with Tumblr and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.9.4 resolves a minor bug. This is not a security update.

Really Simple CAPTCHA 2.0.1 improves reliability. This is not a security update.

Redirection 2.7.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.11 adds support for regular expressions, ability to ignore directories, post-types, and several other fixes. This is not a security update.

Super Post Cleaner 1.1 only changes develop information. This is not a security update.

Widgets on Pages 1.3.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 3.1.2 improves importer, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WPtouch 4.3.19 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/