Updates 2021-11-09

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for November, 2021.

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

This Month in Technology

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

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

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

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fedora 35-1.2 is a major update, adding several new configuration and control features, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/

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

Important Notes

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

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

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

Windows 11 has been released, but it has only been out a few weeks so should be considered beta software. Give it at least a couple months before you install it on your devices.

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.6 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Browser Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email Updates

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

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

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

Internet Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

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

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

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

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

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

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

Office Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Security Software Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ScreenToGif 2.34.1 replaces update engine and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

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

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

Web Package Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WordPress Zero Spam 5.1.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/zero-spam/

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2021-08-10

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for August, 2021. It’s a big one. There have been a series of Apple, Microsoft, and various hardware vulnerabilities, as well as the quarterly Oracle updates that kept the industry hopping. Couple that with Black Hat 2021 last week, which kept reminding us how poorly those who design our technology have done and continue to do.

This Month in Technology

Apple devices via Pegasus, IOMobileFrameBuffer, and Wi-Fi namesAtlassianCharming Kitten (hacking group), Cloudstar, cdnjs, FortiNet FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer, HP (and Samsung and Xerox) printer driver, Illinois State Police, Linux via SequoiaPulse Connect Secure, SonicWall Secure VPN, Swisslog Healthcare’s Translogic PTSVMware ESXiWindows via a SAM security bug, Hello, PrintNightmare (x3+), and PetitPotam, and a new exploit method for wiretapping DNS.

Apple announced a new feature where they scan your content “only” for images of child exploitation provided by an unaccountable third-party, while they assure their customers’ “screeching voices” that they won’t allow governments to directly access the data or feed the database or algorithms (uh-huh), just remember that this is the same company that vowed to silence online dissent and already works with governments to expose their users’ activity. Oh, and they’re launching their own VPN service which they claim even they won’t know what you’re using it for. Wink, wink.

While I’m on the subject of VPNs, Windscribe (a “secure” VPN service) servers were seized and were discovered to not use encryption. Talk about a false promise of privacy!

Now let’s do security. If you still thought Avast (the “get hacked every year” anti-virus company) was worth anything, knowing that Norton (the “we’ll just run our own crypto mining software on your hardware and you can pay us for it” people) was in talks to buy them for about $8B should make your skin crawl. Zoom lost an $85 million class-action cybersecurity lawsuit, and Colonial Pipeline is being targeted now.

The US Federal Government received a C- grade for their IT security. Half of the agencies tested received D grades. These are the same agencies that recently made a claim about the most secure election in history. Pay no attention to the missing 95% of ballots or remote access to voting machines. Or else!

Edward Snowden has a great writeup of physical vs theoretical security concerns,
and another on how the “security” industry is failing everyone. Regular maintenance (of everything!) is critical to technology security. Stale hardware & software are responsible for nearly every security incident. This is what we do and why this newsletter is even being published.

There was a major outage at Akamai that took down a large portion of the Internet.

Google broke ChromeOS twice this month for many users, once by preventing users from being able to login due to a single character coding error. I’m reminded of a Mark Twain quote: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

The thing about someone willing to buy your ransomware: when they feel wronged they’re likely to betray your ransomware gang.

Amazon is losing employees while CNN is firing them. Property owners are being ripped off by the state, and their tenants. There are child predators at Disney World.

There’s now a lawsuit over CDC under-counting vaccine deaths, meanwhile they’re over-counting infectionsignoring the risks, downplaying the ineffectiveness of the vaccine-induced herd immunity, and mandating cancer in children. Multiple pharmaceutical giants neglected to keep records of which “vaccines” were placebos and the European Parliament is being held liable for vaccine injuries and deaths. At least there has been victory in Alberta. It’s hard to take them seriously when they’re demonizing free will, treating dictates as law, government agencies are concealing their own violations of international lawmandating doctors violate their medical licenses in order to keep them, while flip-flopping like fish, and imposing prison time for unlawful parading. Would you trust someone with your life who thinks you should be in prison for disagreeing with them? It’s not enough for government to take 13%+ of what you pay at the pump (most gas stations profit is 1% or less) and force you into electric vehicles that they can pull the plug on anytime, they want to charge you for every mile you travel, too, personal or business.

Now for the good news:

Andy’s Mountain Grill & Deli is coming back! Starlink is growing fast and improving reliability and environmental tolerances.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1, macOS Big Sur 11.5.1, Security Update 2021-004 Catalina, Security Update 2021-005 Mojave, watchOS 7.6.1, tvOS 14.7, Safari 14.1.2, and iTunes 12.11.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.7.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.7.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 7.6.1 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 14.7 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 92.0.4515.130 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.

Nvidia 471.68 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Xerox Smart Start 1.6.25.0 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/content/143617

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.27.111 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 92.0.4515.131 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 92.0.902.67 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 91.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.13.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to install the most current version.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.8.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 4.1.2369.16 is a security update. Use Help, About to install the most current version.
https://vivaldi.com/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk for macOS 6.3.0 improves scam handling, adds PKG release, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

curl 7.78.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 128.4.2870 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.55.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

Google Earth 7.3.4 is a security update.
https://earth.google.com/

Java 8u301 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Nmap 7.92 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/

Prosody 0.11.10 is a security update.
https://prosody.im/download/start

PuTTY 0.76 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Rclone 1.56.0 adds many new features, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Skype 8.73.0.124 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Telegram 2.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

WinSCP 5.19.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.7.4.804 improves notifications and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Email updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Thunderbird 78.13.0 is a security update. Use Help, Check for updates to get the most current version.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Flickr Downloadr 3.4.1.1 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://flickrdownloadr.com/downloads/

iTunes 12.11.4 is a security update.
https://apple.com/itunes

Plex Media Server 1.23.6.4881 resolves several bugs and improves scanner. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Epic Games 12.2.12 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.epicgames.com/

Nintendo Switch 12.1.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.

Steam 2021.07.21 resolves a path bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Connect 11.2.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb21-66.html

Adobe Magento Commerce 2.4.3, 2.4.2-p2, and 2.3.7-p1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-64.html

Adobe Reader DC 21.005.20060 improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Atom 1.58.0 improves cosmetics and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

Audacity 3.0.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 2.93.2 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Krita 4.4.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.1.5 resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided for the stable release.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.3.0 resolves over 50 bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.1.2 improves dark mode. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Security Software Updates

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

DNSQuerySniffer 1.85 adds sort menu options and improves high DPI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dns_query_sniffer.html

elementary OS 6 is a major update that integrates several new features and controls and a simplified installer. This is not a security update.
https://elementary.io/

RogueKiller 15.0.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.37.2 resolves several books. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Tails 4.21 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Elgato Game Capture HD 3.70.51 adds PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to input and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.elgato.com/en/game-capture-software

ScreenToGif 2.33.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

SnagIt 2021.4.3 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 1.4.0 adds several new filters, improves hardware encoding, resolves several bugs, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://handbrake.fr/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Dell Command Update 4.3 is a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

DesktopOK 9.15 improves compatibility with Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

GoodSync 11.8.0 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Homedale 1.98 improves CLI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

IsMyHdOK 3.33 improves compatibility with Windows 11 and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2.2.0.8152 adds several new features, improves performance, updates libraries and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.4 adds Disk Defrag and resolves a bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

ProcDump 10.1 adds an option to specify a dumpfile comment and supports triage dumps. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

PowerToys 0.43.0 improves stability and accessibility, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

RDCMan 2.82 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

RoboForm 9.1.9 resolves several bugs. This follows shortly after a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.15 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en/

Sigcheck 2.82 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

Synergy 1.14.0 is a security update.
https://symless.com/synergy/

Sysmon 13.23 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://live.sysinternals.com/

ZoomText 2021 2021.2107.13.400 adds support for new hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Node.js 16.6.1 resolves several bugs. This build closely follow 16.6.0, which was a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.17.4 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 12.22.4 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Visual Studio Code 1.59 improves extensions, finalizes the Testing API, adds Remote Containers, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.14 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 6.1.26-145957 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Dada Mail 11.14.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 3.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.2.3 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.9.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

MailArchiva 8.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

Nextcloud Server 22.1.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

ownCloud Server 10.8 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.org/install/

phpList 3.6.4 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

ScreenConnect 21.10.4238.7885 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.8 integrates Blocks into Widget logic, adds new patterns, and styles. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Antispam Bee 2.10.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Autoptimize 2.9.0 improves customization and controls. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 9.0.0 improves compatibility, block support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Interactive World Map 3.1.9.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

myStickymenu 2.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Postie 1.9.56 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

Redirection 5.1.3 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://revolution.themepunch.com/

Social Post Feed 2.19.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

Sucuri Security 1.8.27 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

Visual Composer 38.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://visualcomposer.com/

W3 Total Cache 2.1.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 5.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.0.13 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 3.0.3 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 2021-05-11

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for May, 2021. There have been a couple dozen major hacking incidents and critical security issues, and every browser has now continued their weekly security update cadence through the third month.

This Month in Technology

Apple (Quanta Computer), Apple’s AirDrop, Apple’s iOS 14.5, Apple’s macOS Big Sur 11.3, Cellebrite, Celsius Network, Colonial Pipeline, Dell dbutil, Dominion election hardware, various DNS implementations, mostly on IoT devices, various medical devices, Elliman Property Management, Facebook, Geico, enterprise password app Passwordstate, various Police Departments, Pulse Connect Secure, Tesla’s Model X, and Trend Micro’s Apex One were hacked this month.

Linux banned University of Minnesota from submitting code because they intentionally submitted patches that would have intentionally made Linux devices insecure.

The FBI is violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

It’s illogical to justify or mandate an experimental treatment that increases your risk for a disease and creates side-effects on its own that are equivalent to the disease. When you can’t win your arguments using actual science you have to ignore the inserts, the numbers, falsify the data, falsify the tests, censor, attack their education, ridicule and intimidate, hide the dead children, secretly destroy the unused ventilators, ignore the tens of thousands of barrels of DDT dumped in the ocean by the same  companies making the experimental vaccines today, make sure nobody knows you have no idea what you’re doing, or just straight-up kill people. A Jedi mind trick or two goes a long way, too. By the way, the COVID-19 mortality rate for vaccinated test subjects dwarfs the rate for the “control group.” France is at least capable of putting two and two together. It’s sad that American doctors can’t.

In a surprise move, Apple & Google have actually stood by their privacy policies forbidding the UK from collecting additional location details through the NHS COVID-19 tracking app. That said, no matter how much they try to limit data exposure, if it’s collected, it can be compromised.

Piracy is bad and FLoC is worse10DLC is a step in the right direction, but will likely only result in increased text messaging forgery.

USPS is violating the first amendment but that pales in comparison to what state and federal governments are doing, and what the Speaker has done to keep her seat. Christianity isn’t illegal, yet. Violence is, but it has proven to be effective anyway, so will continue unabated.

There are still some wins coming in, so I guess we haven’t quite devolved into communism, but it doesn’t look good when censorship is so pervasive and ambiguous, and officials openly engage in fraud during an audit, and blame the victims for being assaulted.

The Epic vs Apple suit is currently underway and has proven to be what you’d expect from a conflict between a monopoly and a video game company. Meanwhile, Apple is now being sued for terminating accounts for customers that have “bought” apps and services through them, and the EU has declared Apple’s App Store a monopoly. Seeing the writing on the wall, Microsoft has lowered it’s Windows Store cut.

Google, which dropped Fortnite last year for violating the terms of a contract, just sidestepped Roku’s removal of the YouTube TV app by inserting the functionality of  YouTube TV app into the YouTube app. Demonstrating the flaws in their app compatibility argument Google broke YouTube TV on their own Chromecast platform during this circus.

Now for the good news:

Dogecoin for the win. Just make sure you are the only one with the keys to your wallet!

Oh, and Samsung is planning to provide a way so you can still make use of some of your archaic hardware.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is huge – with well over a hundred common applications and operating systems releasing fixes. The typical computer should see roughly 3.2 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Servicing Stack, Internet Explorer, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iCloud for Windows 12.3, iTunes 12.11.3 for Windows, Safari 14.1, Security Update 2021-002 Catalina, Security Update 2021-003 Mojave, Xcode 12.5, iOS 14.5.1 and iPadOS 14.5.1, iOS 12.5.3, macOS Big Sur 11.3.1, tvOS 14.5, and watchOS 7.4.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 14.5.1 and 12.5.3 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 14.5.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 7.4.1 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 90.0.4430.100 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Fedora 34-1.2 has a lot of changes under the hood, such as UEFI improvements, driver and updated libraries. This is a security update.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/download/

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

Important Notes

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

The release of macOS 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 (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 18.0.3.9 improves diagnostics and removal. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Logitech Options 8.54.106 resolves several bugs. This version does not provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/options

Nvidia 466.27 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Engine 3.20.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://steelseries.com/engine

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.24.84 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 90.0.4430.212 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 90.0.818.56 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 88.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 78.10.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.7.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 3.8.2259.42 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.9.1 is a security update.
https://getmailspring.com/

Thunderbird 78.10.1 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.

BrowsingHistoryView 2.48 adds a QR code toolbar button and resolves a bug in the SaveDirect command-line switch. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 7.76.1 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 121.4.4267 doesn’t provide a changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FreeFileSync 11.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Java 8u291 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Npcap 1.31 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Omada Software Controller 4.3.5 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

PuTTY 0.75 is a security update.
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Technitium DNS Server 6.2.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram 2.7.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Zoom 5.6.5.823 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

iTunes 12.11.3 is a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Picard 2.6.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Media Server 1.22.3.4392 resolves several bugs with collections. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

VLC Media Player 3.0.14 is a security update.
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PlayStation PS4 8.03 improves notification controls and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps4/system-software/

PlayStation PS5 21.01-03.10.00 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.

Artweaver 7.0.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Atom 1.57.0 updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.1.3 resolves over a hundred bugs. This is a security update. Be aware that LibreOffice Fresh is a beta version and should be avoided in favor of the Still (stable) version.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Lightworks NLE 2021.2 resolves dozens of bugs and improves reliability. This is not a security update.
https://www.lwks.com/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.2.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

OpenOffice 4.1.10 is a security update.
https://www.openoffice.org/download/

Paint.net 4.2.16 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.4.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-31.html

Adobe Genuine Service 7.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/integrity_service/apsb21-27.html

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2021.001.20155, 2020.001.30025, and 2017.011.30196 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-29.html

Adobe After Effects 18.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb21-33.html

Adobe Animate 21.0.6 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-35.html

Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.8.0 and 6.4.8.4 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb21-15.html

Adobe InDesign 16.2.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb21-22.html

Adobe Illustrator 25.2.3 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb21-24.html

Adobe InCopy 16.2.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb21-25.html

Magento 2.4.2-p1 and 2.3.7 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-30.html

Adobe Media Encoder 15.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb21-32.html

Adobe Medium 2.4.5.332 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/medium/apsb21-34.html

Security Software Updates

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

HTTP Toolkit 1.3.0 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://httptoolkit.tech/

KeePass 2.48.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://keepass.info/

uBlock Origin 1.35.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.9.6 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://github.com/VirusTotal/vt-cli/releases/latest

Tails 4.18 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ScreenToGif 2.30 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/NickeManarin/ScreenToGif/releases/latest

SnagIt 2021.3.1 resolves two minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/enu/snagit.exe

Education updates

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

Zotero 5.0.96.2 optimizes online storage and resolves a hang in generating citations. 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 7.8.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 7.6.801 is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

Autoruns 13.100 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

CCleaner 5.79.8704 adds cleaning of Slack cache, adds ability to wipe free space, and improves debug logging. This is a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CPU-Z Installer 1.96 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

CurrPorts 2.65 resolves a kernel tracing bug and improves high-DPI compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

Etcher 1.5.120 is a documentation change. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Fing 2.6.0 adds Deep Scan and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

GoodSync 11.6.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

HWMonitor 1.44 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

NTLite 2.1.0.7862 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 9.2 adds ability to free up space on Windows partitions by moving apps to another partition. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

PowerToys 0.37.2 updates all components, settings app and configuration, and improves silent installation behavior. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Monitor 3.70 allows constraining the number of events and fixes several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

ProduKey 1.97 adds command-line configuration processing. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

RoboForm 9.1.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

SearchMyFiles 3.11 adds high-DPI support and adds a sorting as a menu option. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

TCPView 4.01 is a cosmetic update. This is not a security update.
https://sysinternals.com/

WinRAR 6.01 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rarlab.com/

WinScan2PDF 7.07 improves compatibility with Windows. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 3.41 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wiztreefree.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

AutoHotkey 1.1.33.09 resolved several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/

Godot 3.3 improves reliability and adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.0.25 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

Node.js 16.1.0 resolves dozens of bugs and compatibility issues with the new major v16 update to Node.js, which removes support for Python 2 and updates system requirements. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 14.17.0 updates libraries, resolves dozens of bugs, improves diagnostic capabilities, and backports several features from stable. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.35.5 is a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.56 improves hover feedback, terminal profile, debugger, and more. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.12 adds ARM64 support and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 6.1.22-144080 is a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.12 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Dada Mail 11.13.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Docker Desktop 3.3.3 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Drupal 9.0.13 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.8.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

OpenPetra 2021.04 improves contact and import, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.openpetra.org/

ScreenConnect 21.6.3280.7796 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.7.1 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Autoptimize 2.8.4 is a security update.

BuddyPress 7.3.0 is a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.4.1 resolves several bugs and compatibility issues. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 5.3.0 resolves dozens of bugs and introduces several new features. This is not a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 2.8.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WPtouch 4.3.41 resolves a cosmetic bug. 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 2020-09-08

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for September 2020.

This Month in Technology

I enjoy the soapbox I’ve taken here in my newsletters over the years, but unfortunately we were struck by a PG&E “Public Safety Power Shutoff” event so lost more than a day this week for Patch Tuesday and haven’t had the time (or Internet access!) to be able to collect this information for this newsletter. 🙁

Now for the good news:

Adobe Flash will be dead in only 113 days.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is huge. The typical computer should see roughly 2 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, Internet Explorer, Office, Servicing Stack, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released an update for Pro Video Formats 2.1.2. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

Adobe Flash Player 32.0.0.414 is a security update.
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flash
Win: https://12pd.com/click?flashie
Mac: https://12pd.com/click?flashmac

Google Chrome OS 85.0.4183.84 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 Catalina (10.15) means that macOS Sierra (10.12) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS High Sierra (10.13) 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 (2004) is a huge (about 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. 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.

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 18.0.2.9 improves removal process, and adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

nVidia 452.06 adds support for newer hardware and improves performances in some games. 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 1.13.82 adds several new privacy controls and display options. This is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 85.0.4183.102 is a security update.

Microsoft Edge 85.0.564.44 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 80.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 68.12.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 3.3.2022.39 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 78.2.0 resolves several bugs and improves OpenPGP integration. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

OutlookAttachView 3.42 adds cell context copy option. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Internet Updates

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

curl 7.72.0 resolves one hundred bugs, adds zstd decoding, improves failure handling and adds effective method. This is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 104.4.175 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.50.0 updates Storj integration. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.1 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Npcap 0.9997 is a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Prosody 0.11.6 resolves several bugs, and improves reliability and security.
https://prosody.im/download/start

Technitium DNS Server 5.2 resolves several bugs and adds certbot support. This is not a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Zoom 5.2.45120.0906 disables webinar attendance by telephone. They plan to re-enable this feature “in the coming weeks.” This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Picard 2.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

3tene 2.0.3 resolves several bugs and adds z-axis tracking to Pro. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Steam 2020.09.03 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

PlayStation PS4 7.55 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog, so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Reader DC 20.012.20043 resolves compatibility issues with some programs. This is a security update.

Adobe DNG Converter 12.4 adds support for new hardware.
Win: https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=6975
Mac: https://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=6973

Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.6.0 and 6.4.8.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb20-56.html

Adobe Framemaker 2019.0.7 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb20-54.html

Adobe InDesign 15.1.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb20-52.html

Atom 1.51.0 improves performance resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://atom.io/

Blender 2.90 adds many new features and controls. This is a major update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

LibreOffice 6.4.6 resolves 70 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.0.1 resolves over 70 bugs. This is a security update. Remember that this is a beta version of LibreOffice, so should be avoided by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.0.1 resolves several bugs and adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Security Software Updates

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

Gpg4win 3.1.13 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is a security update.
https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html

RogueKiller 14.7.2 adds several new features and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.29.2 resolves a couple bugs. 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 2.27 adds several new features and resolves more than a dozen 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.

DVDFab 11.1.0.5 resolves a couple bugs and adds support for new encodings. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

Education updates

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

e-Sword 12.2 improves search and display. This is not a security update.
https://www.e-sword.net/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Agent Ransack 2019.2947 adds installer flags for language, ui, and registration, resolves a performance bug with exporting searches that don’t parse content. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

DesktopOK 7.81 adds 64-bit improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

DevManView 1.71 adds option to copy contents of the clicked cell. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/device_manager_view.html

DriverView 1.50 resolves a 64-bit compatibility problem. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html

Etcher 1.5.107 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

FileLocator Pro 8.5.2947 adds installer flags for language, UI, and registration, resolves a performance bug with exporting searches that don’t parse content. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Fing 2.0.1 adds support for new device detection, Wi-Fi heatmap, security details and resolves a bug in Bonjour discovery. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

GoodSync 11.3.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

Homedale 1.89 improves columns in GUI, and now uses UTF8 for logs. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWMonitor 1.42 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

IsMyHdOK 2.32 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2.0.0.7640 improves component controls and settings, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

Aomei Partition Assistant 8.9 improves GUI, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

PointerStick 4.66 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.21.1 improves stability, adds several features, and resolves bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

RoboForm 8.9.2 resolves several bugs, including a reliability bug in manual saves. This is not a security update.
https://12pd.com/click?rf

TeamViewer 15.9.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows/

TraceRouteOK 2.22 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/TraceRouteOK

Ultimate Boot CD 5.3.9 updates libraries. This is not a security update.
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

WinGet 0.1.42241 adds autocomplete. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WinScan2PDF 6.01 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 3.35 improves logging and export capabilities, and adds max last-modified date for newest file in the folder tree. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wiztreefree.com/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Node.js 14.10.0 resolves dozens of bugs, updates libraries, and improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.33.0 resolves several bugs, adds support for arbitrary-precision decimal arithmetic, UPDATE FROM, increases maximum database size, and improves integrity checks.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

StrawberryPerl 5.32.0.1 is a major update adding new features, bug fixes, libraries and compatibility. This is not a security update.
http://strawberryperl.com/

Visual Studio Code 1.48.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.8 resolves several bugs, improves stability and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://winmerge.org/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 6.1.14-140239 resolves several bugs and adds support for Linux kernel 5.8. This is not a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.09 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Dada Mail 11.11.2 is a security update.
https://dadamailproject.com/

Drupal 9.0.5 resolves a cosmetic bug and changes component registry to avoid flagging for non-existent security vulnerability. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.6.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

Joomla 3.9.21 is a security update.
https://www.joomla.org/

Nextcloud Server 19.0.2 resolves dozens of bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

phpList 3.5.6 adds reply-to support, forwarding improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

ScreenConnect 20.10.957.7556 resolves several bugs and adds new user controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.5.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

Autoptimize 2.7.7 is a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.2.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Social Post Feed 2.16.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Interactive World Map 3.1.8 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

myStickymenu 2.4.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

NextScripts Social Networks Auto-Poster 4.3.18 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is a security update.

W3 Total Cache 0.14.4 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

WooCommerce 4.5.1 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 2.3.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Show IDs 1.1.5 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

WPtouch 4.3.38 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 4.10.1 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/