Jeff Rivett has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s. His first computer was an Apple II+, built by his father and heavily customized. Jeff's writing appeared in Computist Magazine in the 1980s, and he created and sold a game utility (Ultimaker 2, reviewed in the December 1983 Washington Apple Pi Journal) to international markets during the same period. Proceeds from writing, software sales, and contract programming gigs paid his way through university, earning him a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree at UWO. Jeff went on to work as a programmer, sysadmin, and manager in various industries. There's more on the About page, and on the Jeff Rivett Consulting site.

All posts by jrivett


Java, Patches and updates, Security

Java 8 Update 261

Leave a comment

Oracle recently released its Critical Patch Update Advisory for July 2020. The advisory includes a list of vulnerabilities in Java 8 Update 251 and earlier versions. The fix is to install the latest version, Java 8 Update 261.

There are eleven Java vulnerabilities listed in the advisory, all of which may be remotely exploitable without authentication (exploited over a network without requiring user credentials).

This is a good time to check whether your Windows computers have Java installed, and either update it, or remove it completely if it’s no longer required.

If you’re not sure whether you need Java, you might as well remove it. If you subsequently encounter an application or web site that doesn’t run properly without Java, it’s easy enough to simply reinstall Java from the main Java download page.

The simplest way to check whether Java is installed is to open up the Windows Control Panel and look for a Java (or Java 32-bit) entry. If you see one, open that and navigate to the About tab.

To update Java, you can use the Update tab of the Java Control Panel applet, or just head to the main Java download page.

Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Patches and updates, Security, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8.x

Patch Tuesday for July 2020

Leave a comment

Another month, another load of patches from Microsoft.

This month we have seventy-one bulletins and corresponding updates. One hundred and twenty-six vulnerabilities are addressed in all, affecting .NET, Internet Explorer 9 and 11, Edge, Office, SharePoint, Visual Studio, OneDrive, Skype, Windows, and Windows Defender. Nineteen of the vulnerabilities are flagged as having Critical severity.

As usual, you can find all the details in Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

Those of you running Windows 10 know the drill: depending on which version of Windows 10 you’re running, you can delay installation of updates for a while, but not indefinitely. On Windows 8.1 computers, Windows Update is still the best way to install updates. Windows 7 users don’t have an official way to obtain updates for that O/S, despite the fact that Microsoft continues to develop them.

Update 2020Jul17: Again with this crap, Microsoft? One of the updates from this batch caused Outlook 2016 to crash on starting for users worldwide. This affected one of my clients, and affected critical business operations. A fix posted by someone other than Microsoft allowed Outlook to run, but killed the ability to print. Linux never looked so good.

You will now use Microsoft Edge!

On a related note, you may have noticed that Microsoft is pushing its new Chromium-based Edge browser to all Windows computers. This is happening not only on Windows 10 computers, but also those running Windows 8.1 and even 7. The new Edge cannot be removed in the usual way once it’s installed. This is causing consternation for many users, as Edge seems to take over once installed, forcing the user to make certain choices before the desktop can even be accessed. Isn’t this the kind of behaviour that got Microsoft in trouble in the 1990s?

The Verge has additional details. In case you were thinking about switching to Edge, you should be aware that a recent study by Yandex ranked Edge last in terms of privacy.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 78

Leave a comment

Mozilla released Firefox 78.0 on June 30th, and followed up with Firefox 78.0.1 the next day, to fix a specific issue which “could cause installed search engines to not be visible when upgrading from a previous release.”

Changes in Firefox 78

The new Protections Dashboard, accessible from the Firefox menu or by browsing to about:protections, provides a summary of various protections provided by the browser. If Enhanced Tracking Protection is enabled, you’ll see the number of times Firefox has blocked social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, fingerprinters, and crypto-miners. If you’re using Firefox’s password manager, Lockwise, and you’ve signed up for breach alerts, those alerts will be shown here, along with references to exposed passwords.

The Firefox uninstaller will now offer an alternative to uninstalling Firefox when it’s not working properly: a Refresh button. “Refreshing Firefox can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state, while saving your essential information like bookmarks, and passwords.”

The new version also includes improvements to video calls and videoconferencing, as well as graphics performance.

Firefox 78 addresses thirteen security vulnerabilities in earlier versions.

Firefox updates itself automatically by default. If you’ve disabled that option, or just want to get the new version right away, navigate the browser’s ‘hamburger’ menu at the top right to Help > About Firefox. You’ll see an update button if a newer version is available.

Adobe, Flash, Patches and updates, Security

Adobe Flash 32.0.0.387

Leave a comment

A new version of Flash was released by Adobe earlier this week.

Flash 32.0.0.387 fixes a single security vulnerability in earlier versions.

If you use Flash, and in particular if you use a web browser with Flash enabled, you should make sure you’re running the latest version.

The easiest way to determine whether you’re running Flash is to visit the Flash Player Help page on the Adobe web site. Click the Check Now button to see the version your browser is running. Further down the page, there’s a small Flash demo that you can use to verify that Flash is installed and running in your browser. Your browser may also block Flash or prompt you to allow Flash to run.

Also on that page there’s a link to Download the latest version of Flash Player.

Adobe will stop supporting and updating Flash after December 31, 2020. At that point we’ll be recommending that everyone completely disable and/or remove Flash from all their computers, unless there’s some specific reason it’s still needed. And the world will be a much better place.

Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Patches and updates, Security, Windows

Patch Tuesday for June 2020

Leave a comment

It’s another Patch Day, and this month from Microsoft we’ve got thirty-two update bulletins and associated patches. Twenty-one of the bulletins are flagged as having Critical severity. One hundred and twenty-four security vulnerabilities are addressed, affecting Internet Explorer 9 and 11, Adobe Flash embedded in Microsoft browsers, Office applications, Edge (both the original version and the new version based on the Chromium engine), Sharepoint, Visual Studio, Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, and Windows Defender, the anti-malware program included with Windows 10.

You can find all the relevant details by perusing Microsoft’s Security Update Guide.

Although Microsoft produced Windows 7 updates this month, you won’t be able to obtain them through Windows Update unless you’ve subscribed to Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Still, you should check Windows Update because occasionally Microsoft makes new Windows 7 updates available to everyone.

Windows 8.1 is still getting updates, and that will continue until January 10, 2023. Windows Update is still the easiest way to check for and install updates for Windows 8.1.

As usual, Windows 10 computers will be force-fed these updates over the next few days. You can delay the inevitable for as much as a year for feature updates (changes other than bug fixes), or a month for bug fixes, but eventually they’ll be installed whether you want them or not. Which still seems crazy, given how many problems Windows 10 updates have caused.

Microsoft, Patches and updates, Things that are bad, Windows 10

Windows 10 update problems continue

Leave a comment

With Windows 10, Microsoft shifted a lot of their testing to users, through the Windows Insider program. Anyone can join the Insider program, and what you get is early access to new versions of Windows 10.

In return, you are expected to provide feedback to Microsoft when you encounter problems, primarily via the Windows 10 Feedback Hub app. I’ve used the Feedback Hub, and Microsoft does indeed seem to look at — and act on — user feedback.

While I do appreciate having the option of contributing to the quality of Windows 10, it seems clear that relying on users for testing is woefully inadequate, and hardly a substitute for systematic, formal software testing. Each new set of Windows 10 updates, and especially new versions, seem to cause more problems than they solve.

Windows 10 version 2004, released on May 27, is no exception. Microsoft has identified at least ten separate problems with the new version, mostly related to device drivers. Users unlucky enough to have the affected devices are reporting application crashes and good old Blue Screens of Death (BSODs). In some cases the new version renders affected computers unusable.

At least updates can now be delayed. Earlier versions of Windows 10 forced new updates on all computers. Without the ability to to put off updates, these unwanted and problematic changes would cause worldwide carnage at least every Patch Tuesday.

Hey, Microsoft. Thanks for giving us the option to help out with Windows testing. But please go back to doing more formal testing. Nobody needs these headaches. We’ve got enough problems without you piling on.

Update 2020Jun02: Microsoft has put a ‘compatibility hold’ on the recent problematic updates. If Microsoft decides that your device may have problems with an update, it won’t get installed until the hold is released. Of course that doesn’t help people who installed those updates before they were held.

Internet, Tools

Deciding whether to install a web ad blocker

Leave a comment

I just discovered an interesting and useful web site: Should I Block Ads?

Created by Michael Howell, it’s collection of information that can be helpful in deciding whether to install an ad blocker in your web browser. It also provides ad-blocker recommendations for various platforms and browsers.

Michael’s analysis addresses all of the concerns I’ve had with web-based advertising, and confirms my choice to install and use uBlock Origin in Firefox, my primary web browser.

If you’re considering installing an ad blocker in your web browser, keep in mind that there can be a bit of a learning curve, and that blocking ads can cause some web sites to stop working. Blocking web ads usually ends up being an ongoing process; don’t expect it to be a magic bullet.

There are of course arguments against ad-blocking. Just keep in mind that a site owner always has the option of placing hand-crafted advertisements on their site; as long as they don’t use Javascript and are not associated with known advertising networks, they will not be blocked.

Adobe, Edge, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Patches and updates, Security, Windows

Patch Tuesday for May 2020

Leave a comment

We’re in the middle of a pandemic, but that’s no excuse to leave software unpatched. There’s certainly been no reduction in the rate at which vulnerabilities and exploits are being discovered.

This month’s contribution from Microsoft, as documented in the Security Update Guide, consists of thirty-eight updates, with corresponding bulletins, addressing one hundred and eleven vulnerabilities in .NET, Internet Explorer, Edge, Office, Visual Studio, and Windows. Eighteen of the updates are flagged as having Critical severity.

If you’re still using Windows 7, and you haven’t shelled out for Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates, you won’t find any of this month’s Windows 7 updates via Windows Update. You do have at least one other option: an organization called 0patch. These folks provide what they call ‘micropatches’ for known vulnerabilities in no-longer-officially-supported versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. I haven’t tried these myself, but they seem legitimate. Well, presumably not in the view of Microsoft.

Windows 10 users will get the latest updates whether they’re wanted or not, although there are settings that allow you to delay them, for a while. That leaves Windows 8.1, for which Windows Update is still the appropriate tool.

Adobe logoAdobe once again tags along this month, with new versions of Reader and Acrobat. Most people use the free version of Reader, officially known as Acrobat Reader DC. The new version, 2020.009.20063, includes fixes for twenty-four security vulnerabilites in earlier versions.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 76 and 76.0.1

Leave a comment

Announced on May 5, Firefox 76 tightens up password management and related security in several ways:

  • Lockwise, the password manager built into Firefox, now prompts for your Lockwise master password when you try to show or copy a password. If you’re not using a master password, Lockwise will prompt for your device’s password. Previously, Lockwise only prompted for the master password once, on Firefox startup.
  • Firefox now checks all your saved passwords against records from known breaches. Any password known to have been revealed in any breach will show in your Logins & Passwords list with a special icon. A different icon is shown if the associated site was breached since you last changed your password for that site.
  • Firefox can now generate secure, complex passwords for you.

Other changes in Firefox 76 include improvements to the Picture-In-Picture feature, and native support for more complex audio applications, including Zoom. There are also some minor cosmetic tweaks to the address bar and bookmarks bar.

There are eleven security fixes in Firefox 76 as well.

Default installations of Firefox keep themselves up to date, but you can hurry the process along by navigating its ‘hamburger’ menu to Help > About Firefox.

Firefox 76.0.1

The release of Firefox 76 was followed up quickly by Firefox 76.0.1, which fixes two bugs, neither of which are security-related.

Java, Patches and updates, Security

Java 8 Update 251

Leave a comment

At this point, most folks probably don’t need Java. Which is good, because it’s still a target for malicious hackers. If you don’t actually need Java, it’s a good idea to remove it completely from your computers.

You can check whether Java is installed by opening the Windows Control Panel and looking for a Java entry. On my Windows 8.1 computer, it looks like this: . If you can’t see a Java entry in the Control Panel, try changing View by to Small icons. If you still can’t see it, Java probably isn’t installed. To find the Control Panel on Windows 10, press the Windows key, then type ‘control’. You should see Control Panel in the search results.

You can also double-check by opening Programs and Features in the Control Panel. Search the Programs and Features list for ‘java’.

If you’re not sure whether you still need Java, uninstall it, then if something stops working, you can always reinstall it.

If you do need to keep Java around, to run old Java applications and games, access ancient Java-enabled web sites, or use work-related resources you have no control over, it’s best to keep it up to date.

The Java Control Panel will let you see the currently installed version, and provides a link to download and install the newest version.

Java 8 Update 251 includes fixes for fifteen security vulnerabilities in earlier versions.