Category Archives: Patches and updates

Java, Patches and updates, Security

Java 8 Update 20 released

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Java 8 is not yet available from the main Java site (java.com), because it’s officially still in the developer testing/acceptance phase. The current end-user version of Java is Version 7 Update 67.

However, you can download Java 8 from the Oracle web site.

The latest version of Java 8 is Version 8 Update 20. It was made available on the Oracle site on September 18. Java 8u20 contains some new features, and fixes numerous bugs, including several security vulnerabilities.

Of particular interest to system administrators is the new Java 8 Advanced Management Console, which includes several tools that should make it easier to monitor and understand Java client systems.

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

Patch Tuesday for September 2014

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This month’s crop of updates from Microsoft includes four security bulletins, addressing 42 CVEs in Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, .NET Framework, and Lync Server. The update for Internet Explorer is Critical, and should be installed ASAP.

From Adobe, we get another new version of Flash, 15.0.0.152. The new version addresses memory leakage vulnerabilities that could be used to bypass memory address randomization (CVE-2014-0557), a security bypass vulnerability (CVE-2014-0554), a use-after-free vulnerability that could lead to code execution (CVE-2014-0553), memory corruption vulnerabilities that could lead to code execution (CVE-2014-0547, CVE-2014-0549, CVE-2014-0550, CVE-2014-0551, CVE-2014-0552, CVE-2014-0555), a vulnerability that could be used to bypass the same origin policy (CVE-2014-0548), and a heap buffer overflow vulnerability that could lead to code execution (CVE-2014-0556, CVE-2014-0559). Anyone still using Flash, especially within a web browser, should update immediately.

Google Chrome and Internet Explorer on Windows 8.x will be updated automatically to include the new version of Flash.

Patches and updates, WordPress and other CMS

WordPress 4.0 released

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A new version of WordPress was announced on September 4.

WordPress 4.0 has some new features, but nothing groundbreaking. Mostly this version is about tweaking existing features to make them more useful: for example, media embedding is now slightly easier. The official change log has the complete list of changes.

WordPress 4.0 doesn’t include any security fixes, so there’s no need to rush your site updates.

Firefox, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 32.0 released

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A new version of Firefox was released yesterday, with the usual complete lack of any kind of proper announcement. The only thing posted on the Mozilla blog (“the official source for Mozilla-related news, opinions, events and more”) yesterday was this post about Firefox for Android.

On a more positive note, the release notes for Firefox are looking better. It looks like my insistent prodding has led to some action, because the Firefox 32.0 release notes page now has a page title that includes the version, and the topmost heading also includes the version.

Firefox 32 includes fixes for at least six security vulnerabilities, so anyone using Firefox should update it as soon as possible. Version 32 also improves performance, and adds some minor features, including changes to the page context (right-click) menu.