Vivaldi 1.13.1008.36

December 16, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

Vivaldi’s new version announcements seem to be getting worse. Version 1.13.1008.36 was released a few days ago as another ‘Minor update to Vivaldi 1.13’, but details are scant: the new version number is never actually mentioned, and there’s no reference to any release notes.

The announcement does at least provide a brief list of the new version’s changes, which consist of a few bug fixes and an update to the Chromium engine that includes security fixes.

Given that there are security fixes in this release, Vivaldi users should probably upgrade as soon as possible. You can do that by clicking the browser’s ‘V’ menu at the top left, then Help > Check for Updates.

IoT, Malware, Security

Mirai botnet update

December 15, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

It wasn’t Russia, or China, or any other nation-state. The motive wasn’t political. The IoT-based Mirai botnet was created by three young American men as a tool for crippling Minecraft servers and related services.

Of course, once Mirai’s authors realized the unprecedented power of their creation, they started using it for other things: as a tool for gaining customers for an anti-DDoS service; to kick Brian Krebs’ web site off the Internet as revenge for outing the authors of vDOS; and later as a lucrative click fraud engine.

Last week, in a courtroom in Alaska, Mirai’s creators all pleaded guilty to charges related to Mirai, including conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). FBI agents had tracked the botnet’s activities to the trio.

While I’m happy that these assholes have been caught, and are likely to spend significant time behind bars, Mirai is a sobering reminder of the fragility of the Internet. The earliest version of the Internet was ARPANET, which was literally designed to withstand nuclear attack. But even nukes can’t compare with the power of smart, young people with plenty of spare time. Not long after the Internet was born, a college student named Robert Morris brought the nascent network to its knees with a simple software worm.

Meanwhile, because the Mirai authors shared the botnet’s source code (in a futile attempt to confuse investigators), Mirai clones are popping up regularly, and doing a lot of damage.

Still, it’s encouraging to see that the FBI and other agencies are getting better at tracking the perpetrators of these malicious schemes. Other recent arrests include the person behind an attack on Deutsche Telekom that used a Mirai variant; and the operator of the Kelihos botnet. Hopefully these arrests will provide a sufficient deterrent for those similarly inclined.

Adobe, Chrome, Flash, Patches and updates, Security

Flash 28.0.0.126

December 13, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

Adobe released a new version of Flash to coincide with yesterday’s Microsoft updates. Flash 28.0.0.126 fixes a few minor issues and one security vulnerability.

As usual, Chrome will update itself with the latest Flash, and Microsoft browsers will receive updates via Windows Update.

If you still use Flash, and in particular if you use a web browser that is configured to play Flash content, you should install the new version as soon as possible. Better still, stop using Flash altogether. Flash is being phased out in some browsers, including Firefox. Many web sites that formerly used Flash have switched to HTML5.

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

Patch Tuesday for December

December 12, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

Today, Microsoft published twenty-four updates, addressing thirty-three vulnerabilities in Flash player (for Microsoft browsers), Office, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Windows.

As usual, Microsoft’s announcement is little more than a pointer to the Security Update Guide (SUG). If you’re looking for details about any of these updates, that’s your only official option. The SUG’s user interface is somewhat headache-inducing, but there’s useful information to be had there.

Windows 10 gets these updates whether you want them or not; Windows 7 and 8.1 can be configured for automatic or manual updates. I personally don’t like the idea of updates being installed on my computers at Microsoft’s whim, so I’m sticking with manual updates. And avoiding Windows 10 completely. And gradually switching to Linux.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 57.0.2

December 9, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

According to the release notes, Firefox 57.0.2 fixes two bugs, neither of which is related to security. And yet there’s also a security advisory for Firefox 57.0.2, which lists two vulnerabilities fixed in the new version.

In the past, Mozilla linked to relevant security advisories on Firefox release notes pages, so presumably someone simply forgot. Fixes for security bugs are a lot more important than fixes for obscure non-security-related bugs, so hopefully this isn’t the new normal for Firefox release notes.

Since this update includes security fixes, it’s a good idea to make sure your Firefox installation is up to date. You can do that by clicking its menu button at the top right (three horizontal lines, sometimes referred to as a ‘hamburger’ button), then choosing Help > About.

Chrome, Google, Patches and updates, Security

Chrome 63.0.3239.84

December 9, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

The change log for Chrome 63.0.3239.84 has ten thousand entries. I’d like to read it, and I might even find something interesting buried there, but instead I’ll assume Google would point out any notable changes in the release notes.

Alas, while the release notes do point out that the new Chrome includes fixes for thirty-seven security vulnerabilities, none of the other changes are discussed. In a way I suppose that’s a good thing: as long as Google isn’t making large changes or adding new features, while they continue to fix vulnerabilities and other bugs, the outcome is almost always going to be a better browser.

Chrome typically updates itself within a few hours or days of a new release, although in the release notes, Google says “This will roll out over the coming days/weeks.” Given the number of security fixes in this version, it’s a good idea to check the version you’re running, and hopefully trigger an update, by clicking Chrome’s menu button (three vertical dots at the top right), then choosing Help > About Google Chrome.

Firefox, Patches and updates

Firefox 57.0.1: a few bug fixes

December 1, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

It’s been two weeks since the release of Firefox 57, the first version of a new generation for the browser dubbed Quantum, and it’s clearly faster, cleaner, and lighter than its predecessors.

Firefox 57.0.1, released on November 29, addresses a few minor problems in 57.0. The release notes mention security fixes, but the linked Security Advisories page shows fixes that were already in Firefox 57.0. So there’s no particular urgency about this update, unless you’re affected by one of the issues the new version fixes.

Patches and updates, Vivaldi

Vivaldi 1.13 released

November 27, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

A new version of alternative web browser Vivaldi improves window and tab handling, and includes a new window management sidebar panel. Download management is also improved: downloads can now be resumed after interruption. Bookmark handling is slightly improved, although in my opinion there’s still more work to be done in that area.

A variety of bugs were fixed in Vivaldi 1.13 as well. This Vivaldi blog post lists all the significant changes in Vivaldi 1.13.

Vivaldi remains an excellent alternative to the more popular browsers. Although it has some quirks, it also has features not found in other browsers, such as tab stacking. If you’re looking for a different browser, Vivaldi is worth checking out.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security, User Interface (UI)

Firefox 57: faster and better

November 17, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

I’ve been using Firefox 57 for a few days now, since it was released on November 14. So far, I like what I see. Mozilla is hyping how much faster the browser is, and while it doesn’t feel a lot faster, it is indeed somewhat snappier. Given that Firefox had been getting noticeably sluggish in recent months, this is very welcome.

There are some major changes in Firefox 57: the user interface (UI) has had a major overhaul, using a new set of design guidelines called Photon. Most user interface elements will look familiar, but slightly different. Photon’s main objectives are to improve performance while making the interface consistent across various platforms. You’ll notice new icons throughout (including the main application icon), new positioning of interface elements, new animations, new appearance and behaviour for tabs, cleaned up menus, and new page loading animation.

The ‘new tab’ page has also been improved, and is more customizable. There are some new search engines to choose from, and Google is now the default for search. The on-page search feature now includes an option to highlight all matches on a page.

Numerous other changes in Firefox 57 were made to improve performance, including a new CSS engine called Stylo. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, and it’s a set of standards used by web developers to define the style and layout of web sites. Stylo is faster than its predecessors because it uses available processing power more sensibly.

The upgrade process for Firefox 57 is no different than for earlier versions, and you don’t need to do anything special. As always, your existing Firefox profile (which contains your settings, bookmarks, login credentials, history, etc.) will be used by the new version. You may notice that your toolbar has been rearranged slightly, but that’s easy to fix using the Customize feature. You may also see blank spacer elements on either side of the address box, but these can be removed.

I noticed one possible problem: the contents of the address bar drop-down list occupy a narrow section in the middle of the list. The width of that section matches the width of the address box itself. This may have been done intentionally, but in my opinion it looks weird and severely limits the displayable length of addresses in the list.

With version 57, Firefox is no longer quite as sensitive about the use of Windows accessibility features. Previously, running the Windows On-Screen Keyboard would trigger Firefox to disable multi-process mode, resulting in reduced performance. That no longer happens in Firefox 57.

Firefox 57 also includes fixes for fifteen security vulnerabilities, so even if you’re not sure about the new user interface, you should really go and ahead and upgrade.

All in all, it’s good news for Firefox fans: Firefox 57 is faster, and has a cleaner, tighter, and more consistent user interface. I don’t see any reason to hold off on upgrading.

Firefox 57 may even be good enough to slow the recent wave of users, fed up with Firefox’s increasing bloat and decreasing performance, and feeling abandoned after Mozilla recently orphaned thousands of useful add-ons, who have been switching to Chrome and other browsers.

Adobe, Chrome, Edge, Flash, Internet Explorer, Patches and updates, Security, Shockwave

November updates for Adobe products

November 15, 2017 jrivett Leave a comment

Yesterday, Adobe announced updates for several of its main products, including Flash, Acrobat Reader, and Shockwave.

Flash 27.0.0.187 addresses five critical vulnerabilities in earlier versions. You can download the new desktop version from the main Flash download page. That page usually offers to install additional software, which you should avoid. Chrome will as usual update itself with the new version, and both Internet Explorer and Edge will get their own updates via Windows Update.

Acrobat Reader 11.0.23 includes fixes for a whopping sixty-two vulnerabilities, all flagged as critical, in earlier versions. Download the full installer from the Acrobat Reader Download Center.

Shockwave Player 12.3.1.201 addresses a single critical security issue in earlier versions. Download the new version from the Adobe Shockwave Player Download Center.

If you use Flash, Reader or Shockwave to view content from untrusted sources, or if you use a web browser with add-ons enabled for any of these technologies, you should update affected systems immediately.

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