boot13A new version of Chrome appears to fix a single bug. Since the bug is unrelated to security, this is one update you can safely ignore. Of course Chrome will most likely update itself anyway. The full change log has only four entries, three of which seem to exist only to record changes in version numbers. Makes a nice change from the browser-annihilating change logs we’ve come to expect, anyway.
Monthly Archives: June 2016
WordPress 4.5.3: critical security update
WordPress sites that are configured for automatic updates should be running version 4.5.3 by now. However, it’s still a good idea to make sure, because the auto-update system isn’t perfectly reliable.
WordPress 4.5.3 addresses several critical security vulnerabilities found in previous versions. It also fixes at least seventeen other bugs.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds 14352, 14361, 14366, and 14367
I was starting to wonder why my Windows 10 test computer wasn’t getting new preview builds. It was seemingly stuck on build 14342, as new build announcements paraded past in my RSS feed reader.
As much as possible, I’ve attempted to evaluate Windows 10 as a regular user, so I held off trying to fix this, assuming it would fix itself. A couple of days ago, I finally relented, and started to investigate.
Looking at All Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update, I was confronted with this message: “We couldn’t connect to the update service. We’ll try again later, or you can check now. If it still doesn’t work, make sure you’re connected to the Internet.” I clicked the Check for Updates button and initially it seemed to be working. It showed a new available build, and actually installed a minor update, but then when it started to download the new build, the message reappeared.
I found plenty of reports on the web of other people having similar difficulties, but mostly for earlier builds. None of the suggested solutions had any effect, including disabling the option Updates from more than one place, and running the Windows Update troubleshooter. The troubleshooter found nothing untoward.
I use a special DNS service for privacy reasons, so on a hunch, I switched to my ISP’s DNS and again checked for updates. Preview Build 14366 started downloading, and eventually installed.
Is Microsoft somehow preventing Windows 10 preview builds from being downloaded when certain DNS services are being used? I find that difficult to believe, but it’s certainly possible.
What’s new in builds 14352, 14361, and 14366?
Build 14352
Release announcement (May 26, 2016).
- Cortana improvements
- Windows Ink improvements
- Feedback Hub now shows Microsoft’s responses
- A load of bug fixes
Build 14361
Release announcement (June 8, 2016).
- LastPass extension for Microsoft Edge
- Windows Ink improvements
- Settings – visual improvements
- Start screen – visual improvements
- the usual pile of bug fixes, many related to Edge
Build 14366
Release announcement (June 14, 2016).
- Windows Store app – resource usage improvements
- a bunch more bug fixes, including several for user interface glitches
Build 14367
Release announcement (June 16, 2016).
- New tool to clean-install the latest Windows 10 release
- the usual pile of bug fixes
Chrome 51.0.2704.103
There’s not much to talk about in the latest version of Chrome, but it does include fixes for at least three security vulnerabilities. The announcement for Chrome 51.0.2704.103 doesn’t contain much useful information, and the full change log only lists a few bug fixes.
Critical Flash update
Earlier this week, Adobe announced that they would delay this month’s Flash update for a few days, which would allow them to include a fix for a critical vulnerability (CVE-2016-4171) that’s being actively exploited on the web.
Yesterday Adobe released Flash 22.0.0.192, which addresses CVE-2016-4171 and thirty-five other vulnerabilities. Anyone who uses Flash should install the new version as soon as possible, but those of us who still use Flash in a web browser need to check their version and update immediately.
Recent versions of Internet Explorer and Edge will get the new version of Flash via Windows Update. Microsoft issued a related bulletin yesterday.
Chrome’s embedded Flash will be updated via its own internal updater. You can trigger the update by clicking the ‘hamburger’ menu button at the top right, then clicking Help and About Google Chrome.
Getting rid of the Windows 8.1 Charms bar
I’ve been running Windows 8.1 on my main computer for a while now, and while I was initially dreading the goofy new touch-centric user interface, most of the time it stays out of the way.
There is one exception: the ‘Charms Bar’. There’s nothing ‘charming’ about this thing; it pops up at the most inconvenient times, usually when I’m gaming.
The Charms Bar is a toolbar and clock overlay that – by default – appears when the mouse moves to the top right or bottom right of the display. The toolbar contains links to the Devices and Settings apps, and the Start screen. I already have plenty of ways to get to those things, so the bar is pure annoyance.
Sure, if I was using a tablet, the Charms Bar would probably be useful. But I’m not. Thankfully, Microsoft provided some settings for getting rid of it. Unfortunately, the settings involved are in more than one place, and there is no setting to disable the lower right corner trigger.
To stop the Charms Bar from appearing when you move the mouse to the top right, navigate to Control Panel > Taskbar and Navigation > Navigation > Corner Navigation and disable the option When I point to the upper-right corner, show the charms.
If your computer supports mouse or touch swiping motions, you will probably need to disable those as well. To do that, navigate to Control Panel > Mouse, look for swipe-related options, and disable them.
That’s as far as you can go with built-in Windows settings. You’ll still see the Charms Bar when you move your mouse to the lower right. The best solution I’ve found so far is the freeware Charms Bar Killer from Winaero. Even this tool can’t fix the problem permanently, because the changes it makes are reversed whenever Windows (or Explorer) restarts. You can configure it to start with Windows, or just run it whenever you want to disable the Charms Bar until the next reboot.
Microsoft: frustrating people needlessly since 1975.
Opera 38.0.2220.31
The only notable change in Opera 38.0.2220.31 is an upgrade to the Chromium engine on which it is based. Chromium upgrades typically improve performance and stability.
The change log for 38.0.2220.31 lists only one difference: DNA-54944 All downloads not working. The meaning of this is unclear.
Based on the available information, no security fixes were addressed in the new version.
Patch Tuesday for June 2016
It’s that time again, folks. This month Microsoft has sixteen updates, which address forty-four vulnerabilities in the usual culprits: Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and Edge. Five of the updates are flagged as Critical.
Adobe issued an alert earlier today, saying that they have identified a vulnerability in Flash that is being actively exploited. There’s no update as yet, but they expect to have one ready by June 16. I imagine that Adobe was planning to release a Flash update today to coincide with Microsoft’s updates, but this new threat messed up their timing.
Opera 38.0
Changes in Opera 38.0 include power use improvements for mobile users, customization for the ad blocker, and numerous bug fixes and other performance improvements.
The full change log has all the details, which as usual distinguishes between the beta and developer versions that led up to the stable version 38.0.2220.29.
There don’t appear to be any security fixes in Opera 38.0, so this isn’t an urgent update.
Firefox 48.0
The announcement for Firefox 47.0 highlights a few changes: synchronized tabs (between Firefox instances), improved video playback, and some security and performance improvements for Android users.
According to the release notes, Firefox 47.0 takes a few more steps in the process of moving away from Flash and toward HTML5 for video, and removes support for some older technologies related to plugins. The click-to-activate plugin whitelist, a security feature that was introduced in 2013, has been removed.
Most importantly, Firefox 47.0 fixes at least thirteen security issues. So don’t delay, update Firefox as soon as you can.
Check your Firefox version and trigger an update by navigating to its About page:
- Click the ‘hamburger’ (three horizontal bars) menu button at the top right.
- Click the question mark at the bottom of the menu.
- Click ‘About Firefox’ in the menu.