It’s time once again to roll up the sleeves and get patching. This month we have thirteen security bulletins and associated updates from Microsoft. The updates address at least forty-four security vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Edge, Office, Windows Server, and .NET. Five of the updates are flagged as Critical.
Adobe’s contribution this month is new versions of Acrobat/Reader. You may have noticed that Adobe has confused things by splitting Acrobat/Reader into several variations: classic, continuous, and desktop. According to Adobe, the continuous variant always has all the most recent updates, fixes, and new features. I think it’s safe to assume that’s the variant most people should be using. The new continuous version of Reader is 15.010.20060. All of the new versions include fixes for three security vulnerabilities.
In February, a security researcher discovered that a Silverlight exploit – patched by Microsoft in January – is now being distributed through the Angler hacking kit. The researcher also found web sites using the exploit to infect site visitors who have not yet installed the Silverlight patch.
Comodo Internet Security, a highly-rated security package, was found to include features that actually make the host computer less secure. Most notably, that included a VNC server running without a password. VNC is a remote desktop application. The problems were resolved in subsequent updates from Comodo.
Brian Krebs wrote about serious security issues found in some Internet-connected Trane thermostats, and warns buyers to use caution when purchasing ‘smart’ devices.
Improvements to Cortana are featured in the latest Windows 10 preview build. Cortana now understands Spanish (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil) and French (Canada), and it’s now easier to set reminders without a specific date or time.
Build 14279 also includes fixes for a few stability issues, including problems experienced by some users when installing driver updates.
Windows 10 preview builds are being pushed out more frequently these days. Build 14271 doesn’t include anything particularly exciting, consisting mostly of minor bug fixes. The associated announcement provides details.
For those of you interested in the Windows 10 Insider Preview builds, the latest is build 14267, which was announced on February 18.
Build 14267 finally fixes the WSClient.dll error dialogs that were popping up in previous builds. Problems with certain front-facing cameras have been fixed. The ‘Reset this PC’ function is once again working properly with this build.
It’s now easier to use Cortana to identify playing music. There are several improvements to Edge, including Favorites management, an option to clear browsing data on exit, and better download management.
My Windows 10 testing computer is still on the Windows Insider Preview ‘Fast Ring’, which means it gets the very latest Windows 10 preview builds as soon as they become available.
The test machine was just updated to preview build 14257. This build includes a lot of bug fixes, including one for a nasty app crashing problem related to memory management. The WSClient.dll error dialog box problem has not yet been resolved.
Responding to a steady stream of complaints since the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has finally relented and will now provide useful notes to accompany changes to the operating system.
The Windows 10 update history page shows changes to release versions, starting with the initial release (build 10240.16683) in July, and ending with the most recent release version, 10586.104.
Thirteen security updates from Microsoft this month address over forty issues in Windows, Internet Explorer, Edge, Office, server software and .NET. Six are flagged as Critical.
In keeping with their recent practise of tagging along with Microsoft, Adobe also just released several updates, most notably for Flash. The latest version of Flash is now 20.0.0.306. As usual, Internet Explorer on Windows 8.1 and 10 and Edge on Windows 10 will get their new Flash via Windows Update, and Chrome will update itself with the latest Flash. The associated security bulletin gets into all the technical details. A total of 22 vulnerabilities are addressed in the new version.
EMET is not a substitute for anti-malware software, but it does provide an additional layer of security against typical malware activity. If malware finds its way onto your Windows computer, EMET can prevent it from causing actual damage; by default, it kills the affected process.
EMET is free, and recommended. Unfortunately, when you use EMET, there’s a chance that it will cause problems for legitimate software. A few weeks ago – before EMET 5.5 was released – EMET started reporting problems with my main computer’s Office software, including Outlook and Excel. I was forced to disable some of EMET’s detection settings for those programs. I had hoped that EMET 5.5 would resolve these issues, but it did not.
Still, EMET can be a useful addition to your security toolkit, if you’re willing to put up with the occasional glitch.
As expected, Microsoft recently changed the status of the Windows 10 update for Windows 7 and 8.1 computers, from ‘optional’ to ‘recommended’. If your PC’s Windows Update settings are configured to automatically install recommended updates, Windows 10 will be downloaded, silently consuming multiple gigabytes of bandwidth and hard drive space.
Thankfully, the Windows 10 upgrade won’t actually be installed without your consent; users will be given a chance to skip or reschedule the upgrade. You can also avoid the update completely by making some changes to the Windows registry, or by using the excellent GWX Control Panel.
Rants and musings on topics of interest. Sometimes about Windows, Linux, security and cool software.
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