Tag Archives: Wireless Network Watcher

Updates 2024-03-12

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Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for March, 2024.

There were 300+ major hacks, and over 175 application updates this month. It’s a small month, with about 2.3 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

Ace Air Cargo, Air Methods, Aleo, AlgoSec, Alliance Solutions Group, American Express, American Vision Partners, Android and iOS biometric information (GoldPickaxe), AnyCubic Kobra 3D printers, APK.TW, Apple Shortcuts, Assurance IQ, Auxo, Azure AD/Entra ID (Silver SAML), Baesman Group, Inc., Bangalore One, Bank of America, 61 Brazilian Banks, Bay Area Anesthesia, LLC, Benefit Design Group, Inc., Biomedical Research Institute, BlueCare Plus Tennessee, Booking.com, Bradford-Scott Data, Bright Wires, Capita, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan – District of Columbia, CareTree, Inc., Carnet-AMM, Casino Del Sol, Cencora, Centre Hospitalier D’Armentieres, CGM, Inc., Change Healthcare, Cheat-Database, Chunghwa Telecom, CIPC, CISA, Citrus Diagnostic Center, City of Dubuque Fire Department, City of Hamilton, Ontario, City of Oakley, CA, City of Pleasant Hill, CA, Coffee Beyers, Cogdell Memorial Hospital, Coinsquare, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, Concord Music Group, Inc., ConnectWise Control/ScreenConnect, Continental Aerospace Technologies, Crossroads Equipment Lease & Finance, LLC, CUSO Financial Services, Cutout.Pro, CVS Pharmacy, Inc., David’s Bridal, Davlyn Investments, Denninger’s, Department of State Hospitals (DSH), DGA-Producer Pension & Health Plans, Dignity Health Welfare Benefits Plan, DiVal Safety Equipment, Inc, DJI, 8,000 major brands’ DNS, Duvel Moortgat Brewery, Eagers Automotive, East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, Eastern Radiologists, Inc, EasyPark, EdisonLearning, Inc., Egyptian Health Department, EKEN cameras, El Al Airline, Election Commission of India, Elemetal, LLC, Empire Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company, Employee Benefits Corporation of America, ETISALAT, Ewig Group, Facebook Marketplace, Fairway Independent Mortgage, FBI, FBinsure, fckeditor, Federal Communications Commission, Fidelity Investments Life Insurance, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), FixedFloat, Fortinet FortiOS, Fortinet FortiProxy, Framwellgate School, FullPress, Future Generations Foundation, GCA Nederland, Gilroy Gardens, Gixen, Global Tel*Link, Golden Corral, Grace Lutheran Communities, Group Health Cooperative, Grupo Bimbo, Habib’s, Haivision MCS, Hampton County School District, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, HAWITA Group, Health NZ, Hessen Consumer Center, Highland Health Systems, Hochschule Kempten, Hospice of Huntington, Houser LLP, Human Affairs International of California, HWL Ebsworth, Imaging Data Commons libdicom, InfoSys McCamish, Infraestructura Portuaria Mexicana, Insomniac Games, Institute of Food Technologists, Insurance ACE/Humana Inc., INTEGRIS Health, Interventional Pain and Regenerative Medicine, iSoon, Ivanti Pulse Secure, Jaypee University, Jersey’s Financial Services Commission, JFSC, Joomla, Jovani Fashions, Juniper Support Portal, JVC Kenwood, Kick, Kids Care Dental & Orthodontics, KNS Bank, La Bonne Alternance, LDLC, Leicester City Council, Lena Pope Home Inc., LenDenClub, Lindsey Municipal Hospital, Liquid Environmental Solutions, Littleton Regional Healthcare, llama.cpp GGUF library, Llamaya, loanDepot.com, LLC, Loghman Pharmaceuticals, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Malawi’s passport system, Maranhao Military Police, Maryville Addiction Treatment Centers, Maryville, Inc., McKenzie County Healthcare System, Inc., MedQ, Inc., Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama, Inc., Merchant.ID, Microsoft (yet again!), Microsoft .NET Framework, Microsoft Azure, 97,000 Microsoft Exchange servers, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Streaming Service, MicroStrategy, Ministry of Planning, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Mirtylla, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Mr. Green Gaming, NALS Apartment Homes LLC, National Police of Peru, Netgear RAX30, NewGen Administrative Services, LLC, North Hill Employee Dental Plan, North Hill Home Health Care, Inc., North Hill Needham, Inc., Northeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, PLLC, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, NVIDIA drivers, Oculus Meta, Odette, Online Trade (Онлайн Трейд), Opensea, Orlando VA Medical Center, P-Fleet, Pakistan National Bank, Paragon Technology and Innovation, Paul Davis Restoration, Paysign, Pennsylvania’s State Courts, PetSmart, Philips Respironics, PlayDapp, PowerRail, Prague Regional Memorial Hospital, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, Prudential Financial, PSI Software SE, QEMU, QNAP NAS devices, Qualcomm Incorporated, RCI, LLC, Redis servers, Redwood Coast RC, Revolut, Richland Community College, Rio Hondo Community College, RMH Franchise, Robert Half, Roblox, Roku, Inc., Romanian medical facilities (approximately 100), Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Russian Ministry of Defense (Minoborony), SAFE Credit Union, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Samsung Electronics, Santa Clarita Community College District, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, SCEVN, Schneider Electric, Seminole County Public Schools, Seneca, Seven Seas Group, Shein, SK Hynix, smartphone voice assistants (VoltSchemer), SolarWinds Access Rights Manager, Sony’s Insomniac Games, South Korean President, Southern Water, Spectrum Vision, SPMundi, Superior Communications, Tangerine, TeamCity, Tehachapi Unified School District, Tesla Phone Key, Texx Offroad, Thai Summit, The Biosig Project, The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (twice), ThyssenKrupp, Toner-dumping, Tornado Cash, Tracy Unified School District, Trans-Northern Pipelines, Tshwane University Of Technology, TTM Technologies, U-Haul, U.S. Department of the Interior, UAE’s IEMS, Ubiquiti Edge OS routers, UC San Diego Health Hillcrest – Hillcrest Medical Center, Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspector, UniCredit, Unisys, UNITE HERE, University of Cambridge’s Clinical School Computing Service, University of Machester, University of Wolverhampton, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Customs Enforcement, Valorem Reply, VARTA AG, Veeco, Vi Senior Living, Victor Valley Union High School District, Victoria Police, Virgin Hotels, Virginia Farm Bureau, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware ESXi, VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation, VSexShop, Ward Transport & Logistics, Washington County Hospital and Nursing Home, Watson Clinic, WayForward, Webber International University, WebMarketPoint, Welltok, Inc., Western National Group, Western Union, Weston Embedded, Williamson County, TX, Windows AppLocker, Windows Defender SmartScreen, WordPress Brick Builder Theme, WordPress LiteSpeed Cache, WordPress Popup Builder, WordPress Ultimate Member, WoTLabs, Wyze, Yakima Valley Radiology, PC, YX International (2FA provider for Facebook and WhatsApp, Google, TikTok, and others), Zenlayer, Zoom, Zyxel firewalls, and ​​Harvard Pilgrim Health Care​ have reported hacking or compromises this month.

AT&T, Change Healthcare, Facebook, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Instagram, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook Exchange via ActiveSync, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), US military pharmacies, WhatsApp, and Wyze have suffered from outages this month.

Citrix and Sophos (both companies over 29 years old) suffered from leap year bugs this year.

Microsoft has announced they’re throwing support behind the “privacy-preserving ads API” which is designed to “less uniquely” identify users. The new system is still designed to collect and share all your interests and internet activity (in fact, the one that will be used in Edge will share your desktop/mobile experience as well as activity in other applications, as Edge does now), but it will not be used to “uniquely” identify you, rather it will collect all this information about your activities and assign your profile to various collections through a process known as meta tagging, and these tags will be used to market to you.

In this way, they’ll be able to tell you’re a divorced Christian 40-something year old female with 2 children, dark hair, wears a size 3, prefers red wine, lives within a 2-block radius of Bank of America in Modesto, orders from Papa Johns once per month and only votes every other election cycle, but they won’t know it’s “you.” Please use an ad-blocker and disable all these metric and ad-measurement features.

The “new Outlook” by Microsoft is collecting logins from third-party accounts and storing them in the Microsoft Cloud without telling their users. Email, contacts and other information from third-party accounts, as well.

While I’m on the topic of Microsoft email…after pushing for better validation and spam controls among their industry partners, Microsoft Exchange is still responsible for a large amount of spam.

Microsoft is also making another push to upgrade those still on Windows 10 to Windows 11. For some devices this means they will be aggressively force-upgraded as happened to Windows 7 users win Windows 10 was released and to some Windows 10 users when Windows 11 was released.

Apple has disabled the Epic developer account, again, claiming that they can’t be trusted. Pot, kettle?

Google Pay is shutting down in the US. If you’ve stored money within this platform you need to move it out before early June. They couldn’t keep their own payment platform alive, but Google believes their AI should be trusted with direct access to information about all hacking incidents so it can be used “for defense.” Somehow I’m just not buying it.

The first publicly known AI prompt injection worm has been created and shown to self-propagate by telling the AI to send a copy of itself through to other AI nodes.

Troy Hunt has a great write-up that demonstrates why it is so easy for scammers to get away with text scams. The vendors suck.

Now for the good news:

Bitcoin broke $73,000 yesterday for the first time, which is $30,000 more than it was at the beginning of the year and $50,000 more than it was a year ago. If you’re looking to sell, don’t. But if you must, we still have about a month of growth yet before the bull run is over. I would be surprised if it doesn’t break at least $82,000 by the first week of April.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is small this month. The typical computer should see roughly 2.3 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to address 69 vulnerabilities in .NET, Azure Data Studio, Azure SDK, Microsoft Authenticator, Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service, Microsoft Django Backend for SQL Server, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft QUIC, Microsoft SharePoint Server, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft WDAC ODBC Driver, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows SCSI Class System File, Open Management Infrastructure, Outlook for Android, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Servicing Stack Update, Servicing Stack Updates, Skype for Consumer, Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC), Visual Studio Code, Windows AllJoyn API, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows Composite Image File System, Windows Compressed Folder, Windows Defender, Windows Error Reporting, Windows Installer, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel, Windows NTFS, Windows ODBC Driver, Windows OLE, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Standards-Based Storage Management Service, Windows Telephony Server, Windows Update Stack, Windows USB Hub Driver, Windows USB Print Driver, Windows USB Serial Driver, and MSRT. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.8.2, iOS 16.7.6, iOS 17.4, iPadOS 16.7.6, iPadOS 17.4, macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, Safari 17.4, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, and watchOS 10.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.8.2, 16.7.6 and 17.4 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 16.7.6 and 17.4 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 10.4 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 17.4 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

visionOS 1.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 120.0.6099.301, 121.0.6167.188 and 122.0.6045.214 are security updates. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

The release of macOS Sonoma (14.x) means that macOS Big Sur (11.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Monterey (12) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

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

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v23H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 24.2.1 improves stability and resolves more than a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.7.3 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Nvidia Driver 474.89 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.63.169 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 122.0.6261.111 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 122.0.2365.80 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 123.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 115.8.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Opera 108.0.5067.24 is a security update.
https://www.opera.com/browsers/opera

Opera GX 107.0.5045.60 is a security update.
https://www.opera.com/gx

Vivaldi 6.6.3271.48 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Spark 3.14.3.67453 improves AI training process. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 115.8.1 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.

Dropbox 193.4.5594 resolves stability bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 206.0.0.8.218 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FreeFileSync 13.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 88.0 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

MeshCentral 1.1.21 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://meshcentral.com/info/downloads.html

Microsoft Teams 1.7.00.6058 adds several new features. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 28.0.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Omada Software Controller 5.13.30.8 adds support for newer hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Rclone 1.66.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 7.1.1 is a major update, adding username support, improved privacy controls, new emoji, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 7.0.2 is a major update, adding username support, improved privacy controls, new emoji and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Skype 8.113.0.210 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.27.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 4.15.1 adds Telegram Business features and adds emoji. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Telegram (Android) 10.9.1 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://telegram.org/apps

WinSCP 6.3.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.17.11.34827 improves AI 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 4.0.2 improves face detection, lip sync, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

darktable 4.6.1 improves performance and resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.darktable.org/

Grayjay 236 adds cache support, improved performance, adds watch filters, and resolves several cosmetic bugs. This is not a security update. They also announced that Grayjay Desktop will be available in the coming months. Yay! 🙂
https://grayjay.app/index.html

Kodi 20.5 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://kodi.tv/

Plex Desktop 1.88.1.96 improves stability and resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.57.1.100 updates libraries. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

TuneIn 1.28.0 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://tunein.com/radio/home/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

GameMaker Studio 2024.2.0.132 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.3.194 adds notification support, QRCode support, one-click iOS export, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.20.71.01 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

PS3 4.91 adds support for the latest BluRay encodings and improves perofrmance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps3/system-software/

PS5 24.01-08.60.00 improves Parties, hardware support, and performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2024-03-07 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110

SteamOS 3.5.17 resolves dozens of bugs and improves compatibility and stability. This is not a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Animate 23.0.4 and 24.0.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb24-19.html

Adobe Bridge 13.0.6 and 14.0.2 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb24-15.html

Adobe ColdFusion 2021.13 and 2023.7 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb24-14.html

Adobe Experience Manager 2024.03 and 6.5.20.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb24-05.html

Adobe Lightroom 7.2 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/lightroom/apsb24-17.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 23.6.4 and 24.2.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb24-12.html

Calibre 7.6.0 adds profile support, merge support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Columns++ 1.0.5 resolves a tab-to-spaces bug and adds support for notifications coming in the next version of Notepad++. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/Coises/ColumnsPlusPlus

Ghostscript 10.03.0 resolves several bugs and improves OCR support. This is not a security update.
https://www.ghostscript.com/releases/gsdnld.html

ImageMagick 7.1.1-29 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://imagemagick.org/

Kdenlive 24.02.0 is a major update, adding native support for DirectX, Metal and Vulkan, Apple Silicon support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

LibreOffice 7.6.5 resolves over 90 bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 24.2.1 resolves almost 100 bugs. This is a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided by most people.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 24.3.10.1347 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.12.1 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.6.4 resolves a focus bug. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 5.0.13 resolves a couple bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

QuickBooks Pro 2022 20231120-R13_69 no longer provides a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 20231107-R9_133 does not provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

Security Software Updates

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

Gpg4win 4.3.1 adds support for new smart cards, Windows root CAs, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.gpg4win.org/download.html

iOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

iPadOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

macOS 14.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201541

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.6.9 prepares the software for the v5 release. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

OnionShare 2.6.1 updates dependencies, updates release process, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://onionshare.org/

ProtonVPN (macOS) 4.1.7 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

RogueKiller 15.15.3 updates engine, improves exclusion and configuration controls, adds support for multiple threat names and multiple schedules. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

SanDisk PrivateAccess 6.4.10.0 does not provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/48025

Stinger 13.0.0.72 adds support for new detections. This is not a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

Symantec Norton Removal Tool 20240303
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v60392881

Tails 6.0 is a major update, improving persistent storage support, external mounting, session resumption, and application and library updates. This is a security update.
https://tails.net/install/download/index.en.html

tvOS 17.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT202716

uBlock Origin 1.56.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

watchOS 10.4 is a security update.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204641

Wireless Network Watcher 2.41 adds option to scan IPv6 addresses. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SnagIt 24.1.1 updates libraries, improves mute detection, camera mode swapping, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 13.0.1.3 adds support for new encodings and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

StreamFab 6.1.6.8 improves compabitility. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 2.0.1.2 improves enlarger and upscaling, improves performance for deinterlacer and denoiser, and resolve several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.35 resolves several bugs, improves compatibility, and updates signature. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.zotero.org/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password 8.10.27 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/

Agent Ransack 2022.3425 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Bitwarden 2024.3.0 adds passkey support to self-hosted version, improved 2FA, redesigned interface. This is a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CalyxOS Device Flasher 1.0.9 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://calyxos.org/install/

CCleaner 6.21.10918 resolves several bugs and improves software udpater. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

Cygwin 3.5.1-1 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 11.17 resovles several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.1.27.0 improves plugin support, adds sticky scrolling, extends date filters, improves installer and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

ExplorerPatcher 22621.3007.63.2 improves compatibility, resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/

FileLocator Pro 2022.3425 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

FileTypesMan 2.00 adds option to exclude loading of icons which might cause it to hang or crash. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/file_types_manager.html

Fing 3.6.2 updates signature, improves service not found page, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

Git SCM 2.44.0 resolves several bugs and improves syntax. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

Go 1.22.1 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.5.8 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

Hiren’s BootCD PE 1.0.8 updates drivers. This is not a security update.
https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/

Homedale 2.11 improves channel width display. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

HWMonitor 1.53 adds hardware support. This is not a security update.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

MobileFileSearch 1.48 resolves a bug in export content. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mobile_device_file_search.html

NConvert 7.172 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/nconvert/

NetworkOpenedFiles 1.62 adds sort button to toolbar. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_opened_files.html

OSFMount 3.1.1003 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html

OSForensics 11.0.1006 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.osforensics.com/download.html

PowerToys 0.79.0 rsolves dozens of bugs and updates libraries. This is a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ScreenConnect 23.9.10.8817 is a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Starwind V2V Converter 9.413 adds support for converting VMs to and from VirtualBox. This is not a security update.
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-v2v-converter

Sysmon 15.14 resolves crash bugs. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

Unity 2023.2.12 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

WifiInfoView 2.93 adds support for 8.2.11be. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

Windows Migration Assistant 3.0.0.0 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/118595

WinGet 1.7.10582 is now officially stable, updating libraries and resolve dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WinRAR 7.00 is a major version, increasing the maximum dictionary size, maximum path length, improved security tagging (MotW), and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rarlab.com/

WinScan2PDF 8.72 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.19 adds quick and dirty duplicate detection (name patterns only!) and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

XnConvert 1.100.1 improves batch operation. This is not a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/

ZoomText 2022.2402.1.400 improves tracking, compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

ZoomText 2023.2402.1.400 improves tracking, compatibility 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.

.NET Runtime 8.0.3 is a security update.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

ADB 35.0.0 resolves compatibility bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Android Studio 2023.2.1.23 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

GitHub Desktop 3.3.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Node.js 18.19.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 20.11.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 21.7.1 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Rustup 1.27.0 improves compatibility, updates libraries, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.rust-lang.org/

SQLite 3.45.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.87.2 is a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VMware Workstation Player 17.5.1 is a security update.
https://customerconnect.vmware.com/downloads/#all_products

Web Package Updates

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

Invision Community 4.7.16 is a security update.
https://invisioncommunity.com/

Joomla 5.0.3 and 4.4.3 are security updates.
https://www.joomla.org/

Piwigo 14.3.0 is a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

Autoptimize 3.1.11 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

BuddyPress 12.3.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Contact Form 7 5.9.2 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

My Sticky Bar 2.6.8 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mystickymenu/

Theme My Login 7.1.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-my-login/

W3 Total Cache 2.7.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 8.6.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WPBakery 7.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

WP Mail SMTP 4.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/

WP Plugin Update Checker 5.4 improves detection and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/YahnisElsts/plugin-update-checker/releases/latest

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2023-11-14

Posted on by

Happy Thanksgiving, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for November, 2023. It’s ugly.

This month brings a new version of Windows 11 (v23H2), critical security updates for all supported Apple products, and (literally) new security updates for every browser every single week since the last update cycle on October 10th. That’s on top of the 190+ major hacks, and over 205 application updates this month. Prepare yourself, there will be about 5 GB of updates for most devices this month.

The new Windows Copilot AI feature is now enabled by default in Windows 10 and 11, but can be disabled either in the deep settings or within group policy.

This Month in Technology

1Password, 23andMe, Accenture, Ace Hardware, Advarra, Air Canada, Air Europa, Allen & Overy, Allied Pilots Association, AlohaCare, American Family Insurance, Ampersand, Android 13, AndroidLista, Apache ActiveMQ, Apple Safari, Apple “Find My”, Atlas Healthcare CT, Atlassian Confluence, Avito, BHI Energy Health and Welfare Benefits Plan, BHI Energy I Specialty Services LLC, BHS Physician Network, Inc., Boeing, British Library, Bukalapak, BulletProftLink, Bureau van Dijk, Cadence Bank, Caesars Entertainment, Inc., Casio, CCleaner, Chess, Cisco IOS XE, City of Philadelphia, City of Victorville, California, Clark County School District (CCSD), Colonial Pipeline, Counseling and Recovery Services of Oklahoma, Crum & Forster, D-Link, Dakota Eye Institute, Deer Oaks Behavioral Health, 22 companies overseeing energy infrastructure in Denmark, District of Columbia Board of Elections, DP World Australia, Drug Free Workplaces USA, LLC, Edward C. Taylor, PhD., PL, eleHealth, Ethereum wallet system, European government email servers, F5 BIG-IP, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Financial Asset Management Systems, First Judicial Circuit, Fitmart, Five Guys Enterprises, LLC, Frax Outsourcing, Frazier & Deeter, LLC, Fredericksburg Foot & Ankle Center, PLC, GameSprite, GamingMonk, GPD Holdings LLC (CoinFlip), Grammarly, Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association, Inc., Growers Express, LLC, Grupo GTD, Healthsoft LLC, Helping the Aging Needy and Disabled Inc, Henry Schein, Hill International, Inc, Hospital & Medical Foundation of Paris, Inc, Hospital Sisters Health System, Indian state government, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)…which paid the ransom, International Criminal Court, IPM Healthcare DBA Boomerang Healthcare, Jeffco Public Schools, Juniper devices, Jupyter Notebooks, JustSystems Corporation Ichitaro, Kansas Supreme Court, Kwik Trip, Kyocera AVX Components Corporation (KAVX), La Red Health Center, LastPass, LCS Financial Services, LDLC ASVEL, Lennar Corporation, Life Generations Healthcare LLC, Lobel Financial Corporation, Longhorn Village, macOS, Marina Bay Sands, Mattson Technology, Inc., McLaren Health Care, MemeChat, Microsoft Exchange, Morrison Community Hospital, Mozi IoT Botnet, Mr. Cooper, Napa Integrated Medicine PC, NASCO, NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway appliances, New York Life Insurance Company, Northern Iowa Therapy PC, Okta (again and again), OrthoAlaska, LLC, Oscar Insurance Company of Florida, Pacific Clear Vision Institute, Pacific Union College, Peerstar LLC, Pennsylvania General Store, peplink Surf SOHO, Perry Johnson & Associates, Personify Care, Pharmacy Group of Mississippi, LLC, Phoenix, Pisenti & Brinker LLP, Postmeds, Inc./Truepill, Progress Software MOVEit, Progressive Leasing, Prolific Puma, Pypl, QNAP QTS, Radius Global Solutions, RagnarLocker ransomware, Redcliffe Labs, Refresco Beverages US Inc., Resort Data Processing, Inc., Revival Animal Health, Riverside County Office of Education, Roundcube Webmail, Royal Elementor, Samsung Galaxy S23, San Diego PACE, San Francisco Jazz Organization, Sberbank, Seiko, Shadow PC, Simpson Manufacturing, Singing River Health System, 1 million Windows and Linux hosts using SMBv1, SoftEther VPN, SolarWinds Access Rights Manager, South River Technologies Titan MFT and Titan SFTP, Sphero, Stanford University, Stars Arena, State of Maine, Sumo Logic, Sun Life Financial, Sutter Health, SysAid, Taylored Service Parent Co., TeamCity, The Chattanooga Heart Institute, The Commerce Insurance Company (MAPFRE Insurance), The Hilb Group Operating Company, LLC, The Newtron Group, LLC, Toronto Public Library, Toumei, Town of Iowa, Louisiana, Transaction Data Systems, TransForm, Tri Counties Bank, Tri-City Medical Center, Trigona ransomware gang, Trust Benefit Technologies, LLC, Tunngle, 11 Ukrainian telcos, University Federal Credit Union, University of Michigan, University of Missouri, User Submitted Posts WordPress plugin, Veeam ONE IT, Vidio, VMware vCenter Server, VMware vRealize Log Insight, WACOSA, Wescom Central Credit Union, West Texas Gas, Westat, Inc., Western Washington Medical Group, Weston Embedded uC-HTTP HTTP Server, Women Political Leaders Summit, WS_FTP, Wyze Cam v3, Yifan YF325, Zhefengle have reportedly been hacked or compromised this month.

In what should be no surprise to 40,000 people, yes, leaving the default “admin” password will get you hacked.

Cloudflare, OpenAI/ChatGPT, Outlook.com, and the Toronto Public Library have suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke .NET 6.0 security patches, .NET 7.0 security patches, Apple device integration with Enterprise Single Sign On, Hosted Exchange, HP motherboards, Hyper-V, Microsoft 365 admin system, Microsoft 365, MS Office, Outlook Desktop, Rivian infotainment systems, Veeam RCT, VMware ESXi, Windows desktop icons, Windows Server 2022 VMs on VMware ESXi, Windows Update, and WSUS.

Microsoft violated (again) their promise not to push bloatware on LTSC.

Microsoft also introduced over 110 security vulnerabilities (discovered so far…) to Microsoft 365 by integrating SketchUp 3D capabilities.

Sadly, Microsoft has also disabled the free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 and 8. Until about a month ago it was still possible to upgrade older machines to Windows 10 without having to purchase a license. Now it is no longer possible.

Microsoft has also changed Authenticator behavior to suppress notifications for “risky sign-ins.” The idea is that when a login occurs from an unlikely source, somewhere you have not logged in before or a country you’re unlikely to be in, they can prevent the out-of-the-blue popup asking if you’re trying to log in. Unfortunately, if you’ve reused passwords, or used weak passwords, then this will increase the likelihood of a random calls “from microsoft” or “your IT department” asking you to “verify that you still have access to account” by opening the authenticator and actively approving the login. This kind of UI behavior teaches people to be less wary since they have to then go out of their way to “prove” themselves, which is something most humans innately want to do. It’s going to be bad. To reduce the risk please use strong, unique, random passwords to lessen the risk of successful password spraying attacks.

Microsoft extended the security update support period for Windows Server 2012 to October 2026.

LBRY, Inc is finally throwing in the towel after years of fighting the SEC. LBRY is the organization behind the best (IMHO) video and data sharing service in the world, and was targeted because the federal government chooses not to understand crypto. LBRY is dead, long live LBRY!

The US is leading an alliance to never pay ransom to cybercriminals. A US court has ruled that it is not a privacy violation for your car to harvest your contacts, texts and call logs even when you do not grant those permissions. The SEC has charged SolarWinds and their CISO with fraud over the massive hack in late 2020.

Not only is it foolhardy to assume that any automated system could prevent abuse by 100% of the advertisers, Google’s own data shows that the number of malicious ads they have detected has increased by over 50% in the last year.

The “they have detected” clause is the important takeaway from that statement. Google has over a thousand dedicated people within their ad review department whose sole purpose is to detect and block malicious advertisements, and ads that violate any other policies. Even with that, many people that interact with ads still don’t realize they’re advertisements or are taken to malicious or fraudulent sites. They simply can not detect all malicious advertisements.

Now that Google is pushing a new ad-blocker war via YouTube, it’s actually increasing the number of people that realize that they can, and should, take action to block advertisements. Is it any wonder why people are increasingly blocking ads? You should, too. Start with uBlock Origin. Blocking advertisements is not just about security, though, it could help save the planet. Need help? Ask.

Moody’s has downgraded the US financial outlook to “negative”.

Now for the good news:

According to the CDC there are now record-high childhood vaccine refusals across the country. It’s about time.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday is huge this month. The typical computer should see roughly 5 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates to address 83 vulnerabilities in .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Azure, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Remote Registry Service, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows Search Component, Microsoft Windows Speech, Open Management Infrastructure, Tablet Windows User Interface, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Windows Authentication Methods, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows Compressed Folder, Windows Defender, Windows Deployment Services, Windows DHCP Server, Windows Distributed File System (DFS), Windows DWM Core Library, Windows HMAC Key Derivation, Windows Hyper-V, Windows Installer, Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), Windows Kernel, Windows NTFS, Windows Protected EAP (PEAP), Windows Scripting, Windows SmartScreen, Windows Storage, and MSRT (~ 2 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for macOS Monterey 12.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.6.2, macOS Sonoma 14.1.1, iOS 15.8, iOS 16.7.2, iOS 17.1.1, iPadOS 15.8, iPadOS 16.7.2, iPadOS 17.1.1, Safari 17.1, tvOS 17.1, and watchOS 10.1.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.8, 16.7.2, and 17.1.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.8, 16.7.2, and 17.1.1 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 10.1.1 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 17.1 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 118.0.5993.123/124 and 114.0.5735.339 are security updates. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

Fedora 39-1.5 is a major update, adding cosmetic, networking, security and other improvements, and updates libraries. This should be treated as 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 Sonoma (14.x) means that macOS Big Sur (11.x) and older are no longer supported. If you can not install at least macOS Monterey (12) on your Mac then you should immediately remove it from the Internet and use it offline only. It will no longer receive patches or updates and can now no longer be secured.

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

The now-current release of the Windows 11 (v23H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 11 pushes you to get the latest Windows 11 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 24 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 23.11.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Daemon Tools Lite 12.0.0 is a major update with a redesign, improves search and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.6.9 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

DS4Windows 3.2.19 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/releases/latest

Nvidia Driver 474.66 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Samsung DeX 2.4.1.22 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/dex/

Wacom Driver 6.4.4-3 adds support for new hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.wacom.com/en-us/support/product-support/drivers

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.60.114 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 119.0.6045.123 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 119.0.2151.58 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 119.0.1 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 115.4.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

Vivaldi 6.4.3160.42 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Microsoft Edge WebView2 119.0.2151.44 is a security update.
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/

Email Updates

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

DavMail Gateway 6.2.0 updates dependencies and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://davmail.sourceforge.net/

Spark 3.10.2 adds Spark Integrations and +AI to improve automation and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.10.2.61166 adds Spark Integrations and +AI to improve automation and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 115.4.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 8.0.6 adds dark mode, improves key handling, improves UI, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk (macOS) 7.2.3 vastly improves key handling and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

BrowsingHistoryView 2.57 improves compatibility with Opera. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 8.4.0 adds support for IPFS and resolves more than 100 bugs. This is a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 186.4.6207 improved hard drive space controls. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

Facebook Messenger 199.0.0.9.236 is a security update.
https://www.messenger.com/download

FileZilla Client 3.66.1 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 13.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 84.0 is a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Microsoft Teams 1.6.00.29964 adds SMS notifications, unique join links, workflows within channels and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 27.1.3 is a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Npcap 1.78 is a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Pocketnet-GUI 0.8.67 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://pocketnet.app/

Rclone 1.64.2 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal 6.38.0 improves contact management, voice and video calls. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Signal (Android) 6.39.3 improves contact management. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Skype 8.106.0.212 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.skype.com/

Syncthing 1.26.0 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Technitium DNS Server 11.5.3 resolves several bugs. This follows shortly after a security update, so should be treated as a security update.
https://technitium.com/dns/

Telegram (Android) 10.2.3 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://telegram.org/apps

Telegram 4.11.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Zoom 5.16.6.24712 is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 3.0.13 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Bitwig Studio 5.0.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

iTunes 12.13.0.9 is a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Picard 2.10 is a security update.
https://picard.musicbrainz.org/

Plex Desktop 1.81.0.4012 adds Discover Together and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.50.1.4014 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.32.8.7639 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-media-server

VLC Media Player 3.0.20 is a security update.
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

GameMaker Studio 2023.8.2.108 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.3.180 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Lego Studio 2.23.10_1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd

Minecraft Server (Bedrock) 1.20.41.02 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock

Nintendo Switch 17.0.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 23.02-08.20.02 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

SteamOS SteamDeck Update 2023-11-13 is a security update.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/

Office Updates

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

Adobe Acrobat and Reader DC 23.006.20380 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 20.005.30539 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.html

Adobe After Effects 23.6.2 and 24.0.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb23-66.html

Adobe Animate 23.0.3 and 24.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb23-61.html

Adobe Audition 23.6.2 and 24.0.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/audition/apsb23-64.html

Adobe Bridge 13.0.5 and 14.0.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb23-57.html

Adobe ColdFusion 2021.12 and 2023.6 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-52.html

Adobe Dimension 3.4.10 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb23-62.html

Adobe FrameMaker Publishing Server 2022.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/framemaker/apsb23-58.html

Adobe InCopy 18.5.1 and 19.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb23-60.html

Adobe InDesign 18.5.1 and 19.0 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb23-55.html

Adobe Media Encoder 23.6.2 and 24.0.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb23-63.html

Adobe Photoshop 24.7.2 and 25.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb23-56.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 23.6.2 and 24.0.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb23-65.html

Adobe RoboHelp Server 11.5 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/robohelp-server/apsb23-53.html

Artweaver 7.0.16 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Audacity 3.4.1 adds musical view, pitch controls, and resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 3.6.5 doesn’t provide a detailed change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

Calibre 6.29.0 resolves several bugs, improves zoom control, and adds a command line option to open a new instance. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

Ghostscript 10.02.1 is a security update.
https://www.ghostscript.com/releases/gsdnld.html

GIMP 2.10.36 is a security update.
https://www.gimp.org/

ImageMagick 7.1.1-21 is a security update.
https://imagemagick.org/

Kdenlive 23.08.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://kdenlive.org/

Kindle for PC 2.1.70471 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.amazon.com/kindleforpc

Krita 5.2.1 improves various features and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

LibreOffice 7.5.8 resolves more than a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Manager 23.11.13.1143 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.manager.io/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.10.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.5.8 resolves more than a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 5.0.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 10.1.2.382 is a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

QuickBooks Pro 2022 R13_09 improves migration assistant and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2023 R6_25 resolves resolves a major billing bug. This is not a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

QuickBooks Pro 2024 20230817-R3_61 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://downloads.quickbooks.com/app/qbdt/products

SumatraPDF 3.5.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer

Security Software Updates

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

JShelter 0.17 adds several new controls and features. This is not a security update.
https://jshelter.org/install/

KeePass 2.55 resolves more than a dozen bugs and adds several new features. This is a security update.
https://keepass.info/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.6.5 improves compatibility and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

OpenSSL 3.1.4 is a security update.
https://www.openssl.org/

ProtonVPN (macOS) 4.0.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

RogueKiller 15.13.0 is a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Stinger 12.2.0.664 adds support for several new detections. This should be considered a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

SuperAntiSpyware 10.0.1258 is a security update.
https://www.superantispyware.com/download.html

Tails 5.19 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html

Tron 2023-10-17 is a security update.
https://www.bmrf.org/repos/tron/

uBlock Origin 1.53.4 improves stability.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Wireless Network Watcher 2.40 adds columns for IPv6 Address and Link Local IPv6 Address. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Open Broadcaster Software 30.0.0 is a major update which removes support for older platforms, adds support to new features and capabilities, and resolves over 50 bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://obsproject.com/

SnagIt 24.0.1 resolves several bugs, improves performance and adds output to Teams. This is not a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 13.0.0.4 resolves dozens of bugs and adds support for new encodings. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

FFmpeg 20231114 adds caption decoding. This is not a security update.
https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html

StreamFab 6.1.4.9 improves compatibility and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 2.0.0.3 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Education updates

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

Zotero 6.0.30 is a security update.
https://www.zotero.org/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

.NET Runtime 7.0.13 and 8.0.0 are security updates.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet

1Password 8.10.18 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/

Agent Ransack 2022.3416 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

AMD Ryzen Master 2.11.2.2659 is a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/ryzen-master

AOMEI Partition Assistant 10.2.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskpart.com/

Beyond Compare 4.4.7.28397 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=dl4

Bitwarden 2023.10.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CCleaner 6.17.10746 improves junk cleaning. This is a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CurrPorts 2.76 adds option to show only incoming TCP connections. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

Dell Command Update 5.1.0 is a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln311129/dell-command-update?lang=en

Dell OS Recovery Tool 2.3.2.7523 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dell.com/support/home/uk/en/ukbsdt1/drivers/osiso/recoverytool

DesktopOK 11.13 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

dnGrep 4.0.129.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dngrep.github.io/

email-oauth2-proxy 2023-11-01 adds support for secret rotation, resolves a couple bugs, and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/simonrob/email-oauth2-proxy

Everything Toolbar 1.3.2 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

Fido 1.52 adds support for Windows 11 23H2. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

FileLocator Pro 2022.3416 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Fing 3.5.1 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.fing.com/products/fing-desktop-download-windows

Go 1.21.4 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.4.5 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

HDD Raw Copy 1.20 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://hddguru.com/software/HDD-Raw-Copy-Tool/

HWiNFO 7.66 adds support for newer hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

Java 8u391 is a security update.
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

NConvert 7.163 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/nconvert/

NetworkInterfacesView 1.35 adds support for IPv6 addresses and IPv6 DNS servers. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_interfaces.html

NTLite 2023.11.9477 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

osquery 5.10.2 is a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PingInfoView 3.01 adds support for IPv6, sorting, reporting improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multiple_ping_tool.html

PowerToys 0.75.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

RoboForm 9.5.4 reduces nags and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 4.3 adds support for Windows 11 23H2, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ScreenConnect 23.8.5.8707 is a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

Sysmon 15.11 improves performance and resolves a couple bugs. This is a security update.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysmon

TcpLogView 1.40 adds option to show only incoming connections. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/tcp_log_view.html

VMMap 3.4 adds support for .NET 6 and higher. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/vmmap

WinGet 1.6.3133 adds support to configure behavior and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/releases/latest

WinScan2PDF 8.68 improves performance and reliability. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.16 adds several new features, cosmetic and reliability improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

ZoomIt 7.2 adds highlighter and blur and microphone selection. This is not a security update.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/zoomit

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 34.0.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Android Studio 2022.3.1.21 resolves a couple issues with Gradle. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio

GitHub Desktop 3.3.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Godot 4.1.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://godotengine.org/

Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 Redistributable 14.36.33130.0 is a security update.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist

MySQL ConnectorNet 8.2.0 updates libraries and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/

MySQL Server 8.0.35 resolves over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

Node.js 18.18.2 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 20.9.0 is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 21.2.0 resolves several bugs, updates libraries, and provides dozens of improvements. This is a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.44.0 provides more than a dozen improvements and bug fixes. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.84.2 resolves several bugs. As of 1.84 Microsoft has dropped support for 32-bit versions of Visual Studio. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

WinMerge 2.16.34 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 1.16.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ppsspp.org/download/

VirtualBox 7.0.12 resolves dozens of 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.

HumHub 1.15.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en

Invision Community 4.7.14 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://invisioncommunity.com/

Joomla 5.0.0 and 4.4.0 are both major updates with many new features, compatibility improvements, and bug fixes. These are not security updates.
https://www.joomla.org/

ownCloud Client 5.1.2 is a major update improving compatibility, performance, stability and resolving many bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

ownCloud Server 10.13.2 updates depenendencies and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://owncloud.com/download-server/

WordPress 6.4.1 is the third update to WordPress in the last month, following several security issues.
https://wordpress.org/

Autoptimize 3.1.10 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

BuddyPress 11.4.0 improves stability and compatibility. This is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/

Contact Form 7 5.8.2 improves stability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Duplicator 1.5.7 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/#developers

My Sticky Bar (formerly myStickymenu) 2.6.5 rebrands, adds a couple features, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mystickymenu/

Postie 1.9.66 improves compatibility and resolves a notification bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/postie/

Show IDs 1.1.10 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpsite-show-ids/

W3 Total Cache 2.6.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 8.2.2 resolves several bgus. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WP Mail SMTP 3.10.0 improves OAuth integration and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/

WP Plugin Update Checker 5.3 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/YahnisElsts/plugin-update-checker/releases/latest

WPBakery 7.2 adds AI support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wpbakery.com/

WPtouch 4.3.55 resolves several bgus. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

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

Regards,

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

 

Updates 2023-04-11

Posted on by

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for April, 2023.

This month brings over 160 significant hacks, and over 170 application updates. This is pretty normal these days, and the updates will weigh in at a little over 2.5 GB of updates for most users.

This Month in Technology

3CX, 51,000 websites, Ace Nursing, Activision, Adobe ColdFusion, Alivia Health, AllCare Plus Pharmacy, Inc, Allied Benefit, American Pain and Wellness, PLLC, an “East Asian company that develops data-loss prevention software for government and military,” Apple Safari, Aspire Public Schools, Associates in Dermatology, Atlantic Dialysis Management Services, Atlantic General Hospital, Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Bing.com search (via Azure AD), BitGo, BitKeep, Bitzlato, Black & McDonald, Blue Shield of California, Breached, Brooks Rehabilitation, Capita, ChatGPT, Chippewa County, CHU University hospitals, City of Oakland, City of Toronto, CloudPanel, Community Health Systems, Crown Resorts, Dole Food Company, a Dutch maritime logistics company, eFile-com, El Camino Health, El Consejo Nacional de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero, Elementor Pro WordPress plugin, Elmbrook School District, Essendant, Eye4Fraud, Fabrega Molino, Federal Law Enforcement Database, Ferrari, Florida-based community healthcare system, Frideres Dental LLC, Gala Games, General Bytes, 130+ organizations using GoAnywhere MFT, Guam Memorial Hospital, Hatch Bank, Hawaiian death registry, HDB Financial Services, Health Plan of San Mateo, Hitachi Energy, Homewood Health, HP LaserJet printers, Independent Living Systems, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, Indian health system, Instituto De Educación Secundaria Ies Emilio Canalejo Olmeda, Integrated Supports for Living, Inc, Killer Instinct, Latitude Financial Services, Leaked Reality, LinusTechTips, Lionsgate, Long Son Petrochemicals, Lumen, Majestic Care Middletown Assisted Living LLC, McDonald’s, Medellin government, MedEx, Medminder, Merritt Healthcare Advisors, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Mozilla Firefox, MSI, National Basketball Association, NCB Management Services, Nebu, Netgear Orbi, New Medical Healthcare, New York City public school special education students, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, NewBridge Services, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Nexx smart devices, NHS Highland, Nonstop Administration and Insurance Services, Inc, NorthStar Emergency Medical Services, NS, Open University of Cyprus, Oracle VirtualBox, ParaSpace, Pension Protection Fund, PetroVietnam, Poolz Finance, POSCO Engineering & Construction, Postal Prescription Services – Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Proskauer Rose, QNAP, Rio Tinto, Rochester Public Schools, Rubrik, SafeMoon, Saks Fifth Avenue, Samsung, SD Worx, Shopper+, South Texas Health System, Sundry Files, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Inc, Tasmanian Education Department, Telegram, Tesla Model 3, the WiFi protocol (this is big), TheGradCafe, Throne, TMX Finance (TitleMax, TitleBucks, InstaLoan), Top of the World Ranch Treatment Center, Toyota Italy, Tusla, Twitter, Uber, Ubuntu Desktop, UC San Diego Health, UHS of Delaware, Inc, UK’s Criminal Records Office, UK’s Virgin Red, Ukrainian utility company, US Congress, US Department of Defense, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Marshals Service, US Special Operations Command, US Wellness Inc, US Wellness, Vazquez Nava Consultores y Abogados, Veeam’s Backup & Replication, Veritas Backup Exec, VM2, VMware Workstation, WellBe, Wells Fargo, West Virginia hospital, Western Digital, Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center, WinRAR SFX, WooCommerce, Yardley Dermatology Associates, PC, Yucatan government, Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut), Z2U, ZenGo, Zimbra Collaboration Suite, and Zoll have reportedly been hacked or compromised this month.

Amazon has pulled the plug on their most successful charitable endeavor, AmazonSmile.

According to the FBI, 860 “critical” infrastructure organizations were hit with ransomware in 2022. Shouldn’t they just stop if they’re so concerned, since they’re usually the ones behind most terrorists?

It should come as no surprise that the recent spate of train derailments comes not long after a manager at one of the largest rail companies told inspectors to stop marking rail cars that needed repairs.

Apple Weather, Microsoft Defender, Reddit, and WD My Cloud suffered from outages this month.

Last months updates broke Red Dead Redemption 2, and caused problems for many printers by replacing the vendor print drivers with Microsoft’s incompatible drivers. But at least Microsoft is now inserting ads in the Start menu, right? Grrr.

Here’s yet another demonstration of how your “smart device” can be exploited without your knowledge. GM’s Cruise robotaxis have been recalled after they caused an accident in San Francisco. 

Now for the good news:

 

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

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

Windows 10 and Windows 11 22H2 should now be installed. Sadly, the new “Moments” features on Windows 11 will insert advertisements in the Start menu and Control Panel. Just another sign of the continuing decline of Windows.

Microsoft released updates to address 93 vulnerabilities in .NET Core, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Service Connector, Microsoft Bluetooth Driver, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Voice, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Message Queuing, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Publisher, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft PostScript Printer Driver, Microsoft Printer Drivers, Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL, Microsoft Windows DNS, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Windows Active Directory, Windows ALPC, Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock, Windows Boot Manager, Windows Clip Service, Windows CNG Key Isolation Service, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows DHCP Server, Windows Enroll Engine, Windows Error Reporting, Windows Group Policy, Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Protocol, Windows Kerberos, Windows Kernel, Windows Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol, Windows Lock Screen, Windows Netlogon, Windows Network Address Translation (NAT), Windows Network File System, Windows Network Load Balancing, Windows NTLM, Windows PGM, Windows Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), Windows Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, Windows Raw Image Extension, Windows RDP Client, Windows Registry, Windows RPC API, Windows Secure Boot, Windows Secure Channel, Windows Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP), Windows Transport Security Layer (TLS), Windows Win32K and MSRT (~
GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.7.5 and 16.4.1, iPadOS 15.7.5 and 16.4.1, macOS Big Sur 11.7.6, macOS Monterey 12.6.5, macOS Ventura 13.3.1, Safari 16.4.1, Studio Display Firmware Update 16.4, tvOS 16.4, and watchOS 9.4. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 16.4.1 and 15.7.5 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 16.4.1 and 15.7.5 are security updates. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 9.4 is a security update. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

tvOS 16.4 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 112.0.5615.62 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

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

The now-current release of the Windows 10 (v22H2) is very large so will take a long time to download on slower connections. Windows 10 pushes you to get the latest Windows 10 release every 12 months and only supports any consumer builds for 18 months. If you don’t let it finish and you’re on a slow connection, this process will kill your Internet performance forever. If you don’t have the bandwidth to download the bits, I’m happy to provide loaner USB drives to our local clients, or, if you prefer to have me mail it to you please contact me for information.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

AMD Adrenalin 23.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.amd.com/en/support

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.6.2 resolves a stability bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu

Nvidia Driver 474.30 is a security update.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.50.114 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 112.0.5615.49 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 112.0.1722.34 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Microsoft Edge 109.0.1518.78 is a security update. This version should be used only on devices where the current stable release is not available.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 112.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

SeaMonkey 2.53.16 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 5.7.2921.65 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

OutlookAttachView 3.48 adds sort-by to the toolbar. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Spark 3.3.6.46134 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Spark (macOS) 3.3.6.46132 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://sparkmailapp.com/

Thunderbird 102.9.1 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.

AnyDesk 7.1.11 is a bug fix for a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

BrowsingHistoryView 2.55 adds sort-by to the toolbar. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/browsing_history_view.html

curl 8.0.1 resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 171.4.6182 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FreeFileSync 12.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 73.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Microsoft Teams 1.6.00.6754 is a security update.
https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads

Nextcloud Server 26.0.0 is a major update with improvements across a dozens features and many bug fixes. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Npcap 1.73 is a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Omada Software Controller 5.9.31 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/omada-software-controller/

Rclone 1.62.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rclone.org/

Signal (Android) 6.16.2 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://signal.org/android/apk/

Signal 6.13.0 improves dark mode and cosmetics. This is not a security update.
https://signal.org/download/windows/

Syncthing 1.23.4 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 4.7.1 resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

Trillian 6.5.0.28 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.trillian.im/

WinSCP 5.21.8 is a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.14.2.14578 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Bitwig Studio 4.4.10 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.bitwig.com/download/

iTunes 12.12.8.1 is a security update.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Plex Desktop 1.67.1.3665 fixes the subtitle render/crash issue. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.37.2.3674 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.32.0.6918 resolves a font bug and a certificate installation bug. 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.

GameMaker Studio 2023.2.1.75 adds a new particle editor to the IDE and reworks some of the interface. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

GDevelop 5.1.160 resolves several bugs and adds more than a dozen new assets and feature improvements. This is not a security update.
https://gdevelop.io/download

Lego Studio 2.23.3.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd

Nintendo Switch 16.0.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 23.01-07.01.01 resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2023.03.15 resolves dozens of bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.steampowered.com/platform/update_history/index.php?skin=0&id=0

Office Updates

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

Adobe Reader DC 23.001.20143 is a security update.
https://get.adobe.com/reader

Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187658 is a security update.
https://www.adobe.com/solutions/ebook/digital-editions/download.html

Adobe InCopy 18.2 and 17.4.1 are security updates. Use Creative Cloud to install the update.

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 23.001.20143 and 20.005.30467 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-24.html

Adobe Substance 3D Stager 2.0.2 is a security update.
https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-stager.html

Adobe Dimension 3.4.9 is a security update.
https://www.adobe.com/products/dimension.html

Adobe Substance 3D Designer 12.4.1 is a security update.
https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-designer.html

Artweaver 7.0.15 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.artweaver.de/

Calibre 6.15.1 resolves several bugs and improves document compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://calibre-ebook.com/

ImageMagick 7.1.1-6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://imagemagick.org/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.5.2 resolves over 90 bugs. This is a security update. The “Fresh” line is beta software and should be avoided by most users.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Nextcloud Desktop 3.8.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

Notepad++ 8.5.2 resolves several context menu and cosmetic bugs. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 5.0.3 adds center-point shape drawing and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.368.0 is a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

Security Software Updates

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

Caine 13.0 is a security update.
https://www.caine-live.net/

Chainsaw 2.6.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

FSS 2023.3.19 updates service list. This is not a security update.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/farbar-service-scanner/dl/62/

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.5.26 improves reporting and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

ProtonVPN 2.4.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

ProtonVPN (macOS) 3.0.15 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://protonvpn.com/download

QubesOS 4.1.2 is a security update.
https://www.qubes-os.org/downloads/

RogueKiller 15.8.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

Stinger 12.2.0.570 improves detections. This should be treated as a security update.
https://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

SuperAntiSpyware 10.0.1250 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.superantispyware.com/download.html

Tails 5.11 is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html

uBlock Origin 1.48.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

Velociraptor 0.6.8 integrates several net
https://github.com/Velocidex/velociraptor/releases/latest

Wireless Network Watcher 2.31 adds a dark mode option and updates internal MAC address database. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

YARA 4.3.0 resolves several bugs and adds new functions and behaviors. This should be treated as a security update.
https://github.com/VirusTotal/yara/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Camtasia 22.5.3 resolves several crash bugs, installation issues and improves the UI. This is not a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html

SnagIt 23.1.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.1.0.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/download.htm

StreamFab 6.1.1.6 improves compatibility and provides new output options. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/downloader-new.htm

UniFab 1.0.1.7 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.dvdfab.cn/unifab.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 8.10.4 fixes of a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

1Password for Windows 8.10.4 fixes over a dozen bugs. This is a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/windows/

AstroGrep 4.4.9 updates libraries, adds dark theme, improves filters and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
http://astrogrep.sourceforge.net/

Bitwarden 2023.3.3 adds domain verification, improved browser security, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://bitwarden.com/

CalyxOS Device Flasher 1.0.7 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://calyxos.org/install/

Carbonite 6.4.6 is a security update.
https://account.carbonite.com/

CCleaner 6.10.10347 improves cleaning and adds to the their driver update solution. This is not a security update.
https://www.ccleaner.com/

CrucialScan 20230308 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.crucial.com/store/systemscanner

CurrPorts 2.71 adds full screen display option. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

DesktopOK 10.77 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

DMDE 4.0.6.806 fixes several bugs. This is a security update.
https://dmde.com/

Everything Toolbar 1.0.5 improves stability and compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stnkl/EverythingToolbar/

FolderChangesView 2.35 adds dark mode support and sort-by to the toolbar. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/folder_changes_view.html

Go 1.20.3 is a security update.
https://go.dev/

GoodSync 12.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

IsMyHdOK 3.88 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2023.4.9191 adds components, new settings and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

osquery 5.8.2 is a security update.
https://osquery.io/downloads

PowerToys 0.69.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

Process Explorer 17.04 is a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

PsExec 2.42 adds support for long paths. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/psexec

Regedix 2.0.0.0 adds registry scan and resolves paste bug. This is not a security update.
https://regedix.webrox.fr/

RoboForm 9.4.6 is a security update.
https://www.roboform.com/

Rufus 3.22 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://rufus.ie/en_US/

ScreenConnect 23.2.9.8466 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

TCPView 4.18 resolves a crash bug and improves dark mode. This is not a security update.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview

TeamViewer 15.40.8 resolves a LAN bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

Unity 2022.2.14 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.
https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive

Ventoy 1.0.91 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

WifiInfoView 2.79 resolves a display bug. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

WinScan2PDF 8.55 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.13 adds regexp search, search history, command line options, virtual drives, sorting options, and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

XnConvert 1.98 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/

ZoomText 2023 2023.2303.77.400 adds tethered view. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 34.0.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

GitHub Desktop 3.2.1 resolves a dozen bugs and provides several improvements. This is not a security update.
https://desktop.github.com/

Node.js 16.20.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js 19.9.0 adds a new tracing feature, URL parser improvements, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

SQLite 3.41.2 resolves several bugs and improves several features. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.77.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.24 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Drupal 9.4.12 is a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

Drupal 9.5.7 resolves a bug in the editor. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

WordPress 6.2 adds several new native features – custom CSS, sticky positions, new site editor, block management, Openverse media access, and more. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Akismet 5.1 resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/akismet/

Autoptimize 3.1.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/autoptimize/

Contact Form 7 5.7.5.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/contact-form-7/

Duplicator 1.5.3.1 doesn’t provide a change log so should be treated as a security update.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/

Limit Login Attempts 1.7.2 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/limit-login-attempts/

Redirection 5.3.10 resolves a save bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection/

W3 Total Cache 2.3.1 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/

WooCommerce 7.5.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woocommerce/

WP Cerber Security 9.5.3 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://wpcerber.com/

WPtouch 4.3.52 resolves a cosmetic bug. This is not a security update.
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

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

Regards,

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

 

Updates 2022-03-08

Posted on by

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for March, 2022. It’s a big one. This month is ugly – and not just in the tech world. It seems that in the same breath that the elite acknowledged and swept the COVID hysteria under the rug, admitting their intervention was entirely propaganda, every government, financial system, media outlet, and software vendor has chosen to simultaneously swallowed a new collection of (quickly disproven) propaganda without the slightest hint of irony. Sigh. We can only do what we can do, but do not be afraid to talk about it. Censorship is how you make enemies, not friends.

This Month in Technology

A1 Hrvatska, Adafruit, Aetna ACE, Allen ISD, Alliance Physical Therapy Group, LLC, Amazon Alexa, AON, Ascension Michigan (single affiliated covered entity) ACE, Asterisk, Asustor NAS devices, Axeda agent, Axis Communications, Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success, Beetle Eye, Belarus online services, Bible Fellowship Church Homes, Bronx Addiction Services Integrated Concepts Systems, Inc., CA State Bar, CareOregon Advantage, Caritas Internationalis, CBORD’s GET Mobile security platform, Charlotte Radiology, Cisco’s Email Security Appliance, Coinbase, Community Medical Center, Comprehensive Health Services LLC, Conti ransomware gang, Credit Suisse, Crossroads Health, CVS Pharmacy, dozens of COVID passport apps, Dr. Morrow, Element Vape, Englewood Health, EPIC Pharmacy Network, Inc., Expeditors International, Extend Fertility, Family Christian Health Center, Family Fare LLC, Fleetwood Area School District, FlexBooker, Gems Education, GiveSendGo/Canadian Freedom Convoy, Google Android, Harbour Plaza Hotel, Hays USD 489, Highland Hospital, Houston Health Department, Intel CPU vulnerabilities can expose your cryptographic keys, International Committee of the Red Cross, Internet Society (ISOC), Ireland’s Health Service, Jackson County Hospital District, JAX Spine and Pain Centers, Jersey City Medical Center, KLAYswap, La Posada at Park Centre, Inc., LAPSUS$, LendUs, Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation, Logan Health Medical Center, MacGeneration, Memorial Hermann Health System, Meyer, Microsoft, Microsoft App Store, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Servers, Mizuno, Monongalia Health System, more than 500 Magento 1-based online stores, Morley Companies, Moscow Stock Exchange, Motorola Solutions Inc, new form of distributed denial of service attack, New York State’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Nvidia (and it’s BAD), Ohlone College, Oklahoma City Police Department Rape Kit information, Okta Advanced Server Access, PressReader, Priority Health, PROMESA, Puma, Reality Winner’s Twitter account, Rompetrol, Russian TV stations, Samsung Electronics (including source code), San Francisco 49ers, SAP Internet Communication Manager, Sberbank, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Seneca Nation Health System, South Shore Hospital, Swissport, T-Mobile, Taylor, Ganson & Perrin LLP, TfNSW, the Russian Military, Town Home Care, LLC, Toyota Motor Corp., UK’s Foreign Office, UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, Ukraine local government websites, Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, UMass Memorial Health, Inc., 52 organizations from multiple US critical infrastructure sectors, US defense contractors, US Radiology Specialists, Inc., Viasat, Visual Voice Mail, Vodafone Portugal, VxWorks-based Smart Infusion Pumps, Washington Department of Licensing, WatchGuard firewalls, Williamsville Central School District, Zabbix servers, Zenly, and Zoe Therapy Services have been hacked.

Slack and Twitter both had large outages.

AB Volvo, Activision Blizzard, Adobe, Airbnb, Apple, Apple Maps, Apple Pay, Aston Martin, BMW, Cisco, Coinbase, Daimler Truck, Dell, Epic Games, Ford Motor Company, Google, Google AdWords, Google Maps, Harley-Davidson, Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, Jolla, Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Motors, Namecheap, Netflix, Nintendo, PayPal, Reddit, Readdle, Samsung Electronics, Snapchat, Spotify, SWIFT, Telegram, The EU, TikTok, Toyota Motor Corporation, Twitter, Ubisoft, Visa, Volkswagen, and YouTube have imposed their own private sanctions on Russia and sometimes Belarus.

In response to software vendors (Apple, Microsoft, Readdle and others) imposing their own form of sanctions on Russia, Russia has passed new a licensing law, effectively greenlighting piracy. After ceasing reporting from Russia, the BBC has launched Tor access in several languages. Meanwhile Russia blocks sites that violate their new propaganda law and even rocket sales to the US.

Elon Musk, never a stranger to controversy, has declared that his Starlink service will not bow to censorship demands.

It was disheartening when Canada stole the bank accounts of anyone who dared to donate to a legal protest and dispatched Antifa and the UN to put down protestors

it was worse when they simply locked down all the banks (or at least realized the damage they were doing to themselves), even if they did quickly reverse their insanity. The Mercury account lockouts affected “a large set of accounts” throughout Africa. Worse yet, the entire world banking system has locked out Russia. By the way, do Google and Apple think that disabling their pay platforms in Russia will be the move that will encourage adoption by the rest of the world?

On the topic of social credit systems, I’d like to address the theory that cryptocurrency can be used in spite of bank interventions and government lockdowns. That’s not always the case, as Coinbase demonstrated this week.

As if spurned to action by the recent release of vaccine information and bribery, Twitch is now banning streamers that share “misinformation,” such as the actual medical fraud vaccine information and research by the vaccine manufacturers themselves…will now be banned.

That’s ok, you can go back to “real life” now that cities are opening back up. Did the science change, is it all part of some greater agenda, or are people just bored?

With such a war on truth and science, how can anyone fall for the Battle of Snake Island, Ghost of Kiev, Ukrainian ransomware, or any of the dozen other examples of legacy media propaganda right now?

The CIA has been conducting bulk surveillance on US citizens and the Supreme Court is okay with police planting hidden cameras throughout your property. Telegram isn’t as secure as you might think it is.

Oh – Let’s talk about Apple AirTags…one lady tracked her shipped goods with them and caught the mover lying about it. I’m more skeptical of this story about exposing a secret intelligence service, but the reality is that stalking and tracking for vehicle/home theft are part of the downside.

Microsoft is testing a new build of Windows 11 Pro that will now require a Microsoft account in order to be able to use Windows. This directly violates their previous statements about not forcing Windows Professional and Enterprise versions to use Microsoft accounts. While this will increase deployment and maintenance costs, the real trouble is going to be with transient users that are forced to login with “a” Microsoft account on a business machine and will no longer be able to easily untie that machine or role account from the deeply embedded Microsoft “features.”

Meris Botnet was used to target a single website with over 21 million requests per second. Google Drive is flagging native macOS files as violating copyright. Another new rootable vulnerability has been discovered for Linux. The EU is trying to mandate weakened security so they can better enforce the GDPR, digital identity and social credit systems.

Now for the good news:

The problem with cryptocurrency is that it necessarily depends on a public ledger (the blockchain). Espresso intends to fix that.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is a big one. The typical computer should see roughly 2.2 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for .NET and Visual Studio, HEIF Image Extension, HEVC Video Extension, Microsoft 365, Raw Image Extension, Remote Desktop client, VP9 Video Extension, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows RT, Windows Server, Azure Site Recovery, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for IoT, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Windows ALPC, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Paint 3D, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Skype Extension for Chrome, Tablet Windows User Interface, Visual Studio Code, Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock, Windows CD-ROM Driver, Windows Cloud Files Mini Filter Driver, Windows COM, Windows Common Log File System Driver, Windows DWM Core Library, Windows Event Tracing, Windows Fastfat Driver, Windows Fax and Scan Service, Windows HTML Platform, Windows Installer, Windows Kernel, Windows Media, Windows PDEV, Windows Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, Windows Print Spooler Components, Windows Remote Desktop, Windows Security Support Provider Interface, Windows SMB Server, Windows Update Stack, XBox, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for iOS 15.3.1 and iPadOS 15.3.1, macOS Monterey 12.2.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.4, Security Update 2022-002 Catalina, Safari 15.3, and watchOS 8.4.2. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.3.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.3.1 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

watchOS 8.4.2 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 98.0.4758.107 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.4.9 improves cleanup. This is not a security update.

HP M281cdw Firmware 20211221 resolves the network stability issue from the previous firmware that effectively disabled the device.

Logitech Options 9.60.87 is a security update.

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.36.111 is a security update.

Firefox 98.0 is a security update.

Firefox ESR 91.7.0 is a security update.

Google Chrome 99.0.4844.51 is a security update.

Microsoft Edge 99.0.1150.36 is a security update.

SeaMonkey 2.53.11 is a security update.

Vivaldi 5.1.2567.57 is a security update.

Email Updates

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

Mailspring 1.10.0 is a major update to the underlying code, adding ARM support, improved spellcheck, performance, and port improvements. This is not a security update.

Thunderbird 91.6.2 is a security update.

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 7.0.6 improves password management and resolves several bugs. This should be treated as a security update.

curl 7.82.0 resolves dozens of bugs and adds several new automations. This is not a security update.

Dropbox 143.4.4161 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.

FileZilla Client 3.58.0 updates libraries, log details and prepares for 2FA support. This is not a security update.

FileZilla Server 1.3.0 is a security update.

FreeFileSync 11.18 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Omada Software Controller 5.1.7 resolves several bugs, adds new services and features, increases hard limits, and adds support for newer hardware. This is not a security update.

Skype 8.81.0.268 resolves several bugs and adds ability to revoke and recreate profile. This is not a security update.

Syncthing 1.19.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WinSCP 5.19.6 is a security update.

Zoom 5.9.7.3931 is a security update.

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

darktable 3.8.1 improves performance and stability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

iTunes 12.12.2.2 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.

Plex Desktop 1.41.0.2876 resolves DVR and LiveTV bugs, and improves search. This is not a security update.

Plex Home Theater 1.12.0.2884 resolves several bugs, resolution and MPV improvements, and improves stability. This is not a security update.

Plex Media Server 1.25.6.5577 resolves several bugs, improves collection, smart filtering, and reliability during media changes and replacement. This is not a security update.

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.6 and 23.2 are security updates.

Adobe Illustrator 26.1.0 is a security update.

Adobe After Effects 22.2.1 and 18.4.5 are security updates.

Game Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Epic Games 13.2.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

GameMaker Studio 2022.2.0.614 adds Text-In-Sequence, Track-In-Sequence, changes array behavior, updates libraries, and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

Steam 2022.03.04 resolves over 20 bugs. This is not a security update.

PlayStation PS5 21.02-04.51.00 improves performance. This is not a security update.

Office Updates

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

Atom 1.60.0 improves usability and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

IcoFX 3.7 resolves several bugs and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

LibreOffice Fresh 7.3.1 resolves over a hundred bugs, including crash and freeze issues. This is not a security update. Remember that the Fresh line is beta software and should be avoided in favor of the Still (stable) version by most users.

Nextcloud Desktop 3.4.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Notepad++ 8.3.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Paint.net 4.3.8 resolves several bugs and updates libraries. This is not a security update.

Calibre 5.38.0 resolves several bugs and adds new news sources. This is not a security update.

Adobe Reader DC 22.001.20085 is a security update.

Security Software Updates

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

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware 4.5.4 resolves a dozen bugs. This is not a security update.

RogueKiller 15.4.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

uBlock Origin 1.41.8 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Velociraptor 0.6.3 adds several new features and improves performance. This is not a security update.

Wireless Network Watcher 2.30 adds custom context menu items option. This is not a security update.

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Elgato Game Capture HD 3.70.56 updates Twitch API. This is not a security update.

Open Broadcaster Software 27.2.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

ScreenToGif 2.36 resolves several bugs and adds new installation packages and package types. This is not a security update.

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 12.0.6.3 adds support for new encodings and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

IsoBuster 4.9.1 doesn’t provide a detailed changelog so should be treated as a security update.

MakeMKV 1.16.7 improves reliability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Agent Ransack 2022.3307 resolves several bugs and adds new columns for Folder Depth, Product Version, File Version, and filtering for Owner and Product Version. This is not a security update.

Autoruns 14.09 resolves a reliability bug. This is not a security update.

Bitwarden 1.31.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Carbonite 6.4.1 resolves two bugs. This is not a security update.

CPU-Z 2.00 adds support for new hardware. This is not a security update.

DesktopOK 9.71 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

DMDE 4.0.0.800 adds Btrfs support, improves ReFS, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

dnGrep 3.0.29.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Etcher 1.7.7 updates libraries, improves updater, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.

FileLocator Pro 2022.3307 resolves several bugs and adds new columns for Folder Depth, Product Version, File Version, and filtering for Owner and Product Version. This is not a security update.

GoodSync 11.10.5 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

grepWin 2.0.10 improves cosmetics. This is not a security update.

Nextcloud Server 23.0.2 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

NTLite 2.3.4.8643 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

osquery 5.2.2 updates libraries, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.

AOMEI Partition Assistant 9.6.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

PowerToys 0.56.2 adds new features and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

ProcessMonitor 3.89 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.

Recuva 1.53.2065 adds telemetry. This is not a security update.

Macrium Reflect 8.0.6636 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

ScreenConnect 22.2.7029.8094 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

SimpleWMIView 1.48 adds quick-filter option “begins with.”

Sysmon 13.33 resolves a crash bug and improves memory handling. This is not a security update.

TaskSchedulerView 1.70 adds option to open task folder and enable or disable header line in exports. This is not a security update.

Unity 2021.2.14 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Wazuh Agent 4.2.5 resolves several bugs. This is a security update.

WifiInfoView 2.75 adds MAC Group column, MAC Group filtering and 64-bit build. This is not a security update.

WinGet 1.1.12653 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

WinRAR 6.11 improves reliability and compatibility. This is not a security update.

WinScan2PDF 7.55 improves reliability. This is not a security update.

WizTree 4.08 adds custom filtering for full scan results. This is not a security update.

ZoomText 2022.2202.36.400 adds new voices and languages, improves compatibility, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ADB 33.0.0 resolves a crash bug. This is not a security update.

Docker Desktop 4.5.1 is a security update.

GitHub Desktop 2.9.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Godot 3.4.3 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

Node.js 16.14.0 resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

Node.js 17.6.0 updates libraries and resolves dozens of bugs. This is not a security update.

SQLite 3.38.0 resolves several bugs and updates syntax and compatibility. This is not a security update.

Visual Studio Code 1.65.1 is a security update.

Web Package Updates

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

Dada Mail 11.18.0 adds LWP support and resolves an invalid mailbox bug. This is not a security update.

Drupal 9.2.13 is a security update.

Drupal 9.3.7 is a security update.

Joomla 4.1.0 is a major update adding task scheduling, child template overrides, accessibility improvements and syntax highlighting. This is not a security update.

MailArchiva 8.7.4 improves performance. This is not a security update.

MailEnable 10.38 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

phpList 3.6.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

phpMyAdmin 5.1.3 is a security update.

SMF 2.1.1 is a major update release with several new features, and improves compatibility and reliability. This update will disable any mods and custom themes and some older mods and themes will need changes to be compatible. This is not a security update.

WordPress 5.9.1 resolves over 80 bugs. This is not a security update.

Antispam Bee 2.11.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

BuddyPress 10.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.5.6 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.18 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Social Post Feed 4.1.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

myStickymenu 2.5.8 resolves a couple bugs and adds cosmetic and layout features. This is not a security update.

Widgets on Pages 1.6.0 is a security update.

WooCommerce 6.3.0 is a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 3.3.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.2.15 is a security and woke-ness update. Since they’re now injecting content of their own choice into your website, they can no longer be trusted and you should remove this plugin from your websites.

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

Regards,

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

Updates 2021-12-14

Posted on by

Welcome back, Folks!

Today is Patch Tuesday for December, 2021. This month has been relatively mild, especially for the typical user. Businesses are facing some serious Christmas disasters including massive botnets targeting WordPress, Log4j, payment platforms, and state-run “passport” systems. Nevertheless, the grind continues.

This Month in Technology

ActMobile Networks (VPN), Alberta Health, Astoria Company LLC, thousands of AT&T Edgewater Networks devices, Atraf, Bay Village High School, Beaverhead County High School, BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy Services, LLC, Bitmart, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Broward Public Schools, Brussels Bru-Vax, Bureau Veritas, Central Depository Services Ltd, California Pizza Kitchen, Costco, Cox Communications, DeKalb County School District, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, DNA Diagnostics Center, Episcopal Retirement Services, Escambia County School District, Eskenazi Health, Evanston Township High School, Florida Heart Associates, French-Public School Board, Frontier Software, GoDaddy Inc (and 123Reg, Domain Factory, Heart Internet, Host Europe, Media Temple, and tsoHost), Gravatar, Headwaters Health Care Centre, Health Service Executive, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, Hikvision surveillance systems, Hisar health department, HPE, dozens of HP printer models, Huntington Hospital, IDC Games, IKEA, Indonesian police, various Iranian gas stations, Johnson Memorial Health, Kisters AG, KMSPico, Kronos, Lakeside School, LINE Pay, Lewis and Clark Community College, Maryland Department of Health, Manhasset School District, Microsoft Exchange Servers, Medsurant Health, MNG Cargo, Newfoundland and Labrador Health-Care System, Nordic Choice Hotels, North Oklahoma County Mental Health Center, Northeastern University, Nowiny Commune Office, Old Pulaski Middle School, One Community Health, Oregon Anesthesiology Group, P.C., Pakistan’s National Database Biometric Data, Panasonic, Pellissippi State Community College, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, millions of PlayStation 5 devices, QNAP NAS devices, RedDoorz, Rideau Valley Health Centre, Riverhead Central School District, Robinhood, S&R Membership Shopping, SanDisk SecureAccess, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Shelley School District, Simon Eye Management, millions of Sky Routers, SonicWall SMA 100 VPNs, South Australian Government, Southern Ohio Medical Center, SPAR Stores, Spotswood Public Schools, Stor-a-file Limited, Stripchat, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Swire Pacific Offshore, TATA, TP-Link routers, True Health New Mexico, Tulane University Medical Center, Ulss 6 Euganea, US defense contractors, U.S. State Department, Utah Imaging Associates, Virginia’s Division of Legislative Automated Systems, Vestas, Volvo, Waikato DHB, Yemeksepeti, Za: Standard Bank, and Zoho ServiceDesk have reportedly been hacked this month.

A Tesla server outage prevented owners worldwide from unlocking their cars.

Another 5 hour outage at AWS caused problems for thousands of websites that depend upon the “reliability” of cloud services. Netflix, Ring, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon deliveries, and Roku were just a few affected sites and services.

Google Photos suffered from a bug for 10 days that damaged all downloads over 128 MB. They alerted their customers to the problem about a month after fixing the bug.

Instead of focusing on providing a more secure product, Apple is suing the NSO Group for developing malware that exploits vulnerabilities in Apple products.

Google, Apple and Samsung payment services exposed to provide unlimited access to digital wallets without authentication.

Grafana – used in thousands of applications for the gorgeous displays it can provide – has patched multiple critical security vulnerabilities. Expect vendors to play catch-up as they release updates that update their Grafana libraries.

Like Grafana, Log4j is another widely used engine across thousands of applications – mostly in corporate and enterprise applications. It’s been exploited in 40% of corporate networks globally, so far. It’s not just corporate risk – even Minecraft is vulnerable.

A massive series of attacks targeting managed WordPress websites has compromised at least 1.8 million sites so far. Merely patching the sites and removing unused and out-dated plugins and themes would have eliminated the risk here.

Now for the good news:

Alexa.com is finally being shut down after 25 years of misrepresenting the web.

Let’s Get Busy

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Patch Tuesday this month is smaller than it has been in months. The typical computer should see roughly 2 GB in updates today. Let’s get started.

Microsoft released updates for Windows, Edge, .NET, and MSRT (~1.5 GB). This includes updates for Windows Server 2008. This includes security updates. A reboot is required.

Apple released updates for macOS Monterey 12.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.2, Security Update 2021-008 Catalina, iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2, tvOS 15.2, watchOS 8.3, and watchOS 8.1.1. This includes security updates. Use Apple Software Update to install these updates. A reboot is required.

iOS 15.2 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

iPadOS 15.2 is a security update. Use Settings, General, Software Update to install the most current update.

tvOS 15.2 is a security update. Use System, Software Update to install the most current version.

watchOS 8.3 and 8.1.1 are security updates. Use the Watch app on your iPhone to install the most current version.

Google Chrome OS 96.0.4664.77 is a security update. Use Menu, Help, About to install the most current version. A reboot is required.

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

Important Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Driver Updates

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

Citizen Driver 2021.3 adds support for over 430 hardware printer models and resolves several minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/citizen/download/

CognitiveTPG Driver 2021.3 adds support for over 430 hardware printer models and resolves several minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/cognitivetpg/download/

Logitech Options 9.40.86 adds support for new hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025297893

Logitech SetPoint 6.70.55 adds support for new hardware and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025141274

Xerox Smart Start 1.6.28.0 adds support for newer drivers. This is not a security update.
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/content/143617

Zebra Driver 2021.3 adds support for over 430 hardware printer models and resolves several minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.seagullscientific.com/support/downloads/drivers/zebra/download/

Browser Updates

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

Brave 1.32.115 is a security update.
https://brave.com/

Google Chrome 96.0.4664.110 is a security update.
https://www.google.com/chrome/

Microsoft Edge 96.0.1054.53 is a security update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download

Firefox 95.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Firefox ESR 91.4.0 is a security update.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/

SeaMonkey 2.53.10.1 is a security update.
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Vivaldi 5.0.2497.28 is a security update.
https://vivaldi.com/

Email Updates

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

Thunderbird 91.4.0 is a security update.
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/

Internet Updates

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

AnyDesk 7.0.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

AnyDesk for macOS 6.3.3 improves M1 compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://anydesk.com/en/downloads

curl 7.80.0 resolves over 100 bugs. This should be treated as a security update.
https://curl.haxx.se/windows/

Dropbox 136.4.4345 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.dropbox.com/

FileZilla Client 3.57.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://filezilla-project.org/

FreeFileSync 11.15 resolves several bugs and improves user interface and compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://www.freefilesync.org/download.php

Google Drive 54.0 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drive.google.com/start

Npcap 1.60 resolves over a dozen bugs and improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://nmap.org/npcap/

Syncthing 1.18.5 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://syncthing.net/

Telegram 3.3.0 adds media distribution controls, bot improvements and channel controls. This is not a security update.
https://telegram.org/

WinSCP 5.19.5 resolves several bugs and adds Google Cloud S3 API support. This is not a security update.
https://winscp.net/eng/index.php

Zoom 5.8.7.2058 adds many new features and resolves a dozen bugs, mostly with compatibility. This is a security update.
https://zoom.us/

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

3tene 2.0.19 improves compatibility with VRoid Studio and adds Leap Motion. This is not a security update.
https://en.3tene.com/

Plex Desktop 1.39.1.2763 resolves code signing. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Home Theater 1.9.0.2741 adds audio stream selection, resolves several bugs, and improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/#plex-app

Plex Media Server 1.25.2.5319 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.

GameMaker Studio 2.3.7.606 improves reliability and performance, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker

Nintendo Switch 13.2.0 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22525/kw/system%20updates/p/989

PS5 21.02-04.50.00 improves performance. This is not a security update.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

Steam 2021.11.19 resolves several bugs, improves reliability and stability. This is a security update.

Office Updates

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

Audacity 3.1.2 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Blender 3.0 is a major new version with dozens of new features, improvements in modeling, shadows, geometry and more. This is not a security update.
https://www.blender.org/download/

LibreOffice Fresh 7.2.4 is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice Still 7.1.8 is a security update.
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Notepad++ 8.1.9.3 resolves several bugs and improves diagnostics to troubleshoot a persistent crash bug. This is not a security update.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Paint.net 4.3.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.getpaint.net/

PDF-XChange Editor 9.2.359.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor

Adobe Premiere Rush 2.0 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_rush/apsb21-101.html

Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.11 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb21-103.html

Adobe Connect 11.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb21-112.html

Adobe Photoshop 22.5.4 and 23.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb21-113.html

Adobe Prelude 22.1.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-114.html

Adobe After Effects 22.1.1 and 18.4.3 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb21-115.html

Adobe Dimension 3.4.4 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb21-116.html

Adobe Premiere Pro 15.4.3 and 22.1.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/premiere_pro/apsb21-117.html

Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.3 and 22.1.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb21-118.html

Adobe Lightroom 5.1 is a security update.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/lightroom/apsb21-119.html

Adobe Audition 14.4.3 and 22.1.1 are security updates.
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/audition/apsb21-121.html

Security Software Updates

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

Tails 4.25 adds backups, external storage support, updates applications and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html

BelArc Advisor 11.1 doesn’t provide a changelog so should be treated as a security update.
https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

Chainsaw 1.1.4 improves logging, error handling, and removes progress bar for reliability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/countercept/chainsaw

Hashcat 6.2.5 improves improves hardware compatibility, performance, and resolves several bugs. This is a security update.
https://hashcat.net/hashcat/#downloadlatest

RogueKiller 15.1.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/

uBlock Origin 1.39.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/latest

VT-CLI 0.10.0 adds support for managing collections. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/VirusTotal/vt-cli/releases/latest

Wireless Network Watcher 2.26 updates internal MAC address database and improves high-DPI support. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

SnagIt 2022.0.0 adds several new features including a universal file format, cross-platform markup, and cloud storage, improves performance, and resolves several bugs.
https://download.techsmith.com/snagit/releases/snagit.msi

VideoCacheView 3.08 adds compatibility with newer browser builds. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

PDF Creator 4.4.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

1Password for Mac 7.9.2 improves compatibility and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://1password.com/downloads/mac/

7-Zip 21.06 adds memory controls, dictionary size improvements, hash validation support, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.7-zip.org/

Agent Ransack 2022.3277 adds OCR, new themes, improves indexing, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/download/

Bitcoin 22.0 removes defunct protocols, updates privacy and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://bitcoin.org/en/download

Carbonite 6.4.0 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://account.carbonite.com/

Cygwin 3.3.3 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://cygwin.com/

DesktopOK 9.44 adds dark theme support, high-DPI improvements, and several bug fixes. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/DesktopOK

Etcher 1.7.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Fido 1.27 adds support for Windows 10 v21H2. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases

FileLocator Pro 2022.3277 adds OCR, new themes, improves indexing, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.mythicsoft.com/filelocatorpro/download

Git SCM 2.34.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://git-scm.com/

GoodSync 11.9.7 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.goodsync.com/

grepWin 2.0.9 improves reliability and adds exact match support. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/stefankueng/grepWin/releases/latest

Homedale 2.01 improves MAC Address vendor detection and IE DFS dump. This is not a security update.
https://www.the-sz.com/products/homedale/

IsMyHdOK 3.44 improves accuracy. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/IsMyHdOK

NTLite 2.3.2.8519 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.ntlite.com/download/

PointerStick 5.61 improves high-DPI support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Freeware/PointerStick

PowerToys 0.51.1 improves stability. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

ReactOS 0.4.13.32 resolves over a hundred bugs, and improves stability, compatibility and reliability. This is a security update.
https://reactos.org/

SearchMyFiles 3.15 improves summary mode, zero-value filters, and search improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

Synergy 1.14.2 resolves over a dozen bugs, improves reliability, adds M1 support, and adds automatic restart on settings change. This is not a security update.
https://symless.com/synergy/

TraceRouteOK 2.66 adds dark theme support, high-DPI improvements, and several bug fixes. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/TraceRouteOK

USB Oblivion 1.17.0.0 resolves a key name bug and improves performance. This is not a security update.
http://www.cherubicsoft.com/en/projects/usboblivion

WakeMeOnLan 1.90 adds global and bulk WOL support and updates MAC addresses databases. This is not a security update.
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wake_on_lan.html

WhyNotWin11 2.4.3.1 improves stability, hardware detection, and compatibility improvements. This is not a security update.
https://github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11

WinScan2PDF 7.51 resolves several minor bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.softwareok.com/?seite=Microsoft/WinScan2PDF

WizTree 4.07 improves MTP/PTP compatibility, reliability, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.diskanalyzer.com/

ZoomText 2021 2021.2111.4.400 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

ZoomText 2022 2022.2110.70.400 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/ZoomText

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Docker Desktop 4.3.1 is a security update.
https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Node.js v14 14.18.2 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js v16 16.13.1 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Node.js v17 17.2.0 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://nodejs.org/en/

Redemption 6.1.0.6054 adds MarkSaved and OverridePSTDisableGrow, and IMAP4 controls, and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.dimastr.com/redemption/

SQLite 3.37.0 improves STRICT, CHECK constraints, and CLI improvements. This is not a security update.
https://www.sqlite.org/download.html

Visual Studio Code 1.63 adds several features and improves compatibility. This is not a security update.
https://code.visualstudio.com/

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 6.1.30 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Web Package Updates

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

Coppermine Gallery 1.6.16 improves compatibility and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://coppermine-gallery.net/

Drupal 9.3.0 updates libraries and dependencies, improves compatibility, and resolves a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
https://drupal.org/download

HumHub 1.10.2 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.humhub.com/en/download

MailArchiva 8.4.1 is a security update.
https://mailarchiva.com/

Nextcloud Server 23.0.0 is a major update adding massing performance improvements, improved external integrations, Backup and more. This is not a security update.
https://nextcloud.com/

ownCloud Client 2.9.2.6206 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://owncloud.com/desktop-app/

phpList 3.6.6 is a security update.
https://www.phplist.org/

Piwigo 12.1.0 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://piwigo.org/

ScreenConnect 21.14.5791.8004 improves reliability and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.
https://www.connectwise.com/software/control/download

WordPress 5.8.2 is a security update.
https://wordpress.org/

Autoptimize 2.9.3 improves multisite support and resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

bbPress 2.6.9 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Contact Form 7 5.5.3 improves Constant Contact integration, filters and form properties. This is not a security update.

Slider Revolution 6.5.11 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

Social Post Feed 4.1 updates libraries and resolves several bugs. This version will need to reconnect to any Facebook feeds you use. This is not a security update.

Theme My Login 7.1.4 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

W3 Total Cache 2.2.1 resolves several bugs. This is not a security update.

WP Mail SMTP 3.2.1 improves compatibility. This is not a security update.

WordPress Zero Spam 5.2.8 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/