Category Archives: Patches and updates

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

Patch Tuesday for June 2016

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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.

Android, Firefox, Flash, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 48.0

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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:

  1. Click the ‘hamburger’ (three horizontal bars) menu button at the top right.
  2. Click the question mark at the bottom of the menu.
  3. Click ‘About Firefox’ in the menu.
Microsoft, Patches and updates, Windows 7, Windows 8.x

Relief for Windows 7 update headaches

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As if in response to my recent post about the joys of updating new Windows 7 installs, Microsoft has just announced a solution. It’s effectively Service Pack 2 for Windows 7, but Microsoft is calling it the Windows 7 SP1 convenience rollup.

The new package will install all post-SP1 updates up to April 2016. After you install Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, you need only install the April 2015 servicing stack update for Windows 7 (KB3020369), a prerequisite for the rollup, then install the rollup, then install any updates published after April 2016.

I haven’t yet tried the new rollup, but it’s difficult to imagine how it could fail to be an improvement.

Microsoft also plans to provide monthly non-security update rollups for Windows 7 and 8.1.

Microsoft, Patches and updates, Windows 10

Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14342

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I’ve been running build 14342 for a few days now on my test PC. I haven’t experienced any new problems, and it seems to have resolved at least one annoying networking problem left over from the previous build.

What’s New in Build 14342

User Account Control prompts now look different, but their functionality hasn’t changed. There are enhancements for Microsoft Edge, and improvements for the new BASH shell integration. A new setting, Settings > System > Apps for websites doesn’t work yet, but will in the future allow you to designate an app to open specific web sites. The Feedback Hub was also improved in this build.

Build 14342 contains fixes for numerous issues in previous builds, including problems with media playback, Cortana, displays, login, the user interface, apps, location, and anti-virus software compatibility.

Interestingly, the Wi-Fi Sense feature has been disabled. There’s been a lot of debate about the security of this feature since Windows 10 was released. Microsoft says the feature was disabled because nobody was using it. The Verge has more about this, as does Brian Krebs.