Windows 10 Optional Preview Cumulative Update

   

Microsoft released KB5007235, the monthly “C” release preview cumulative update with non-security improvements and fixes for Windows 10 Versions 21H1, 20H2, and 2004.  

IMPORTANT:  Windows 10, version 2004 will reach end of servicing on December 14, 2021. To continue receiving security and quality updates, it is strongly recommended that you update to the latest version of Windows 10.

Note:  Due to the holidays, there will not be a "C" release preview in December.

The highlighted changes include the following:

• Updates an issue that that causes some variable fonts to display incorrectly.   

• Updates an issue that might cause the 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel to stop working on certain devices when you export to PDF. 

• Updates an issue that displays letters or characters at the wrong angle when you use the Meiryo UI font and other vertical fonts. These fonts are frequently used in Japan, China, or other countries in Asia.  

• Updates an issue that causes Internet Explorer to stop working when using the Input Method Editor (IME) to insert elements. 

• Updates an issue that causes the Settings page to unexpectedly close after you uninstall a font. 

• Updates an issue that affects your ability to rename a file using folder view in File Explorer when you use the new Japanese IME. 

• Updates an issue that turns off screen capture and recording functionalities on the Windows Game Bar after a service failure. 

• Updates an issue that prevents the applications that you use often from appearing on the Start menu as they should.

• Updates an issue that causes Internet Explorer to stop working.

Microsoft now combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest LCU. For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.

For information about the types of updates released by Microsoft each month see Windows 10 update servicing cadence primer.

Update:  To get the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.  The link to download and install the update can be found in the Optional updates available area.  To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Windows 10 update history

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Windows 11 Optional Preview Cumulative Update

 

Microsoft released KB5007262, the monthly “C” release preview cumulative update with non-security improvements and fixes for the Windows 11 original release, Build 22000.282.

Note:  Due to the holidays, there will not be a "C" release preview in December.

The highlighted changes include the following:

• Updates an issue that causes Internet Explorer to stop working when you copy and paste text while using the Input Method Editor (IME).

• Updates an issue that displays the incorrect background for the iFLY Simplified Chinese IME icon in the notification area.  

• Updates an issue that prevents the display of File Explorer and desktop shortcut menus. This issue often occurs when you choose to use a single click to open an item.

• Improves the animation performance of icons on the taskbar.

• Updates volume control issues that affect Bluetooth audio devices.

• Updates an issue that causes File Explorer to stop working after you close a File Explorer window.

• Updates an issue that displays incorrect closed-caption shadows for some videos.

• Updates an issue that automatically removes the Serbian (Latin) Windows display language from a device.

• Updates an issue that causes flickering when you hover over icons on the taskbar; this issue occurs if you’ve applied a high contrast theme.

• Updates an issue that, under certain conditions, prevents the keyboard focus rectangle from being visible when you use Task View, Alt-Tab, or Snap Assist.

• Updates an issue that might cause Windows Mixed Reality to start when you put on a headset. This issue occurs even when you’ve turned off the option “Start Mixed Reality Portal when my headset's presence sensor detects that I'm wearing it”.

• Updates an issue that might cause your device to report that it doesn't detect a printer after you plug it in.

• Updates an issue that might cause a temporary loss of audio on your device.

• Updates an issue that that causes some variable fonts to display incorrectly.

• Updates an issue that displays letters or characters at the wrong angle when you use the Meiryo UI font and other vertical fonts. These fonts are frequently used in Japan, China, or other countries in Asia.

• Updates an issue that causes certain apps to stop responding to input. This issue occurs on devices that have a touchpad.

• Adds an option for you to choose whether to automatically turn on Focus Assist for the first hour after a Windows feature update.

• Updates an audio distortion issue that affects Xbox One and Xbox Series Audio peripherals and occurs when you use them with spatial audio.

• Updates several aspects of Windows emoji. As part of an iterative and ongoing work, we have made the following improvements for this release:

  • Updates all emoji from the Segoe UI Emoji font to the Fluent 2D emoji style

    

  • Includes support for Emoji 13.1, which:

    • Updates the emoji dictionary

    • Adds the ability to search for Emoji 13.1 in all supported languages

    • Updates the Emoji and more panel so you can enter emoji in your applications

See the referenced KB article for the long list of improvements and fixes included in the update.

Microsoft now combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest LCU. This update includes SSU 2200.345.  For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.

For information about the types of updates released by Microsoft each month see Windows 11 life cycle and servicing update.

Update:  To get the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.  The link to download and install the update can be found in the Optional updates available area.  To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Windows 11 update history

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Mozilla Firefox Version 94.0.2 Released

       Mozilla sent Firefox Version 94.0.2 to the release channel today.  

Fixed

• Improved hangs experienced by users of assistive technology such as NVDA when installing Firefox through the Microsoft Store (bug 1736742)
• Resolved general instability/crashes on Linux caused by a file descriptor leak when backgrounding tabs using WebGL (bug 1741997)

Changed

• Updated preference design for Firefox Suggest for improved clarity.

Update:  To get the update now, select "Help" from the Firefox menu, then pick "About Firefox."  Mac users need to select "About Firefox" from the Firefox menu. If you do not use the English language version, Fully Localized Versions are available for download.

References

• Security Updates
• Release Notes
• Rapid Release Calendar

Windows 10 Version 21H2 Released

 

Although it is being rolled out in stages, Windows 10 Version 21H2 has been released.  It is available to systems running Windows 10 Version 2004 and higher.  

It is particularly important to update Windows 10 Version 2004 as it reaches end of support on December 14, 2021.  Also note the following from the Lifecycle FAQ (which also includes the Windows 10 end of support dates.): 

 "Important

Beginning with Windows 10, version 21H2 (the Windows 10 November 2021 Update), feature updates will be released annually in the second half of the year via the General Availability Channel. Go here to learn more. Microsoft will continue to support at least one Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025."

Update:  To get the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click the button to "Check for updates".  Because the update is being rolled out stages, users of later versions of Windows 10 may not find the update available yet.

Windows 10 update history

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Lest We Forget

 The "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.  Whether you call it Veteran's Day, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, November 11th is a time to put aside politics and pay tribute to all who died for their country.  It is also a perfect time to thank the Veterans in whatever country you live in.

As in previous years, I am republishing a portion of my friend Canuk's last tribute and, once again, adding a special thank you to my friends Mitch the "Phantom Phixer" and Larry, "Ghost".

The comment Canuk posted provides one example of why he was a special person:

"I too "will remember your friends who never had a full life", while thanking you and your comrades who have served with pride, honesty and honour."

LEST WE FORGET

We Shall Keep the Faith by Moira Michael, November 1918Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet - to rise anew! We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died. We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields. And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead. Fear not that ye have died for naught; We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields. Flags courtesy of3DFlags.com

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Pale Moon Version 29.4.2.1 Released

 

Pale Moon has been updated to version 29.4.2.1.  Both Windows and Linux versions have been published.

This is a small update to address the following:

Autocomplete drop-downs would have incorrect styling, causing issues with custom themes (e.g., resulting in readability issues) and not displaying as intended. 

Pale Moon includes both 32- and 64-bit versions for Windows:  Pale Moon for Windows downloads.

Update

To get the update now, select "Help" from the Pale Moon menu at the upper left of the browser window.  Select About Pale Moon > Check for Updates.

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Windows 11 Security Update Released

 

Microsoft released security update KB5007215 for the Windows 11 original release, Build 22000.318.

The security update includes quality improvements.  The highlighted changes include the following:

• Addresses an issue in which certain apps might have unexpected results when rendering some user interface elements or when drawing within the app. You might encounter this issue with apps that use GDI+ and set a zero (0) width pen object on displays with high dots per inch (DPI) or resolution, or if the app is using scaling.

• If you installed earlier updates, only the new fixes contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

  For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the November 2021 Security Updates.

IMPORTANT:  Because of minimal operations during the holidays and the upcoming Western new year, there won’t be a preview release (known as a “C” release) for the month of December 2021. There will be a monthly security release (known as a “B” release) for December 2021. Normal monthly servicing for both B and C releases will resume in January 2022.

Microsoft now combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest LCU. For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.

For information about the types of updates released by Microsoft each month see Windows 11 life cycle and servicing update.

Update:  To get the update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.  The link to download and install the update can be found in the Optional updates available area.  To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Windows 11 update history

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Microsoft November 2021 Security Updates

     

The Microsoft November 2021 security updates have been released and consist of 55 CVEs.  Of these CVEs, 6 are rated Critical, and 49 are rated Important severity.  At the time of release, four listed as publicly known and two are listed as under active exploit.

The updates apply to the following long list of products:  3D Viewer, Azure, Azure RTOS, Azure Sphere, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) in IE Mode, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Access, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office SharePoint, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Power BI, Role: Windows Hyper-V, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Windows Active Directory, Windows COM, Windows Core Shell, Windows Cred SSProvider Protocol, Windows Defender, Windows Desktop Bridge, Windows Diagnostic Hub, Windows Fastfat Driver, Windows Feedback Hub, Windows Hello, Windows Installer, Windows Kernel, Windows NTFS, Windows RDP, Windows Scripting, and Windows Virtual Machine Bus.

See the KBs listed at November 2021 Security Updates - Release Notes - Security Update Guide - Microsoft for information regarding known issues with the security updates as well as the CVEs with FAQs, Mitigations and/or Workarounds.

Recommended Reading:   See Dustin Childs review and analysis in Zero Day Initiative -- The November 2021 Security Update Review.

 

Additional Update Notes:

• MSRT -- The Malicious Software Removal Tool is now run on a quarterly basis rather than monthly.  See Remove specific prevalent malware with Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. 
• Servicing Stack Updates -- Microsoft now combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the Latest Cumulative Updates (LCU). For general information about SSUs, see Servicing stack updates and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.
  
• Windows updates are cumulative. The monthly security release includes all security fixes for vulnerabilities that affect Windows, in addition to non-security updates. The updates are also available via search for the KB number in the Microsoft Update Catalog.
• For information on lifecycle and support dates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems, please see Windows 10 Home and Pro - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Docs and Windows 11 Home and Pro (Version 21H2) - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Docs.
• Windows Update History:
• Windows 11
• Windows 10
• Windows 8.1

 

References

• Security Update FAQ
• Security Updates Guide

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

 

Pale Moon Version 29.4.2 Released with Security Updates

   

Pale Moon has been updated to version 29.4.2.  This is a security update.  Linux versions will follow shortly.

Changes/fixes:

• Fixed a spec compliance issue with IDN that could potentially cause confusion of domain names.
• Fixed several intermittent thread sanity issues. DiD
• Fixed a potential UAF risk in certain situations in networking. DiD
• Fixed a potential crash risk (not exposed). DiD
• Fixed a potential spoofing risk using form validation. (CVE-2021-38508)
• Fixed a script sandbox escape issue through XSLT. (CVE-2021-38503)
• Unified XUL Platform Mozilla Security Patch Summary: 3 fixed, 1 already applied, 4 DiD, 7 not applicable.

Security notice: If you have enabled HTTP Alternative Services for Opportunistic Encryption, it is strongly recommended you disable this at this time through Preferences -> Security -> Opportunistic Encryption -> Enable HTTP Alternative Services for Opportunistic Encryption. This inherently weak transitional technology for http -> https has been compromised and can be abused (partial opt-in bypass). Note that our platform default for this setting (and any other OE) is disabled due to these kinds of inherent risks, as well as lack of transparency about the connection and server contacted. See CVE-2021-38507 for more details about this problem.

*DiD This means that a fix is "Defense-in-Depth": It is a fix that does not apply to a (potentially) actively exploitable vulnerability in Pale Moon, but prevents future vulnerabilities caused by the same code, e.g. when surrounding code changes, exposing the problem, or when new attack vectors are discovered.

Pale Moon includes both 32- and 64-bit versions for Windows:  Pale Moon for Windows downloads.

Update

To get the update now, select "Help" from the Pale Moon menu at the upper left of the browser window.  Select About Pale Moon > Check for Updates.

Release Notes
Release Cycle

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

OneDrive Desktop Application End of Support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1

Effective January 1, 2022, there will be no further updates for the OneDrive application on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.  In addition, files will stop syncing to the cloud on March 1, 2022.  

Note, however, that files on those operating systems can continue to be added to OneDrive by manually uploading them.  If you are unsure how to do this, see the first two examples in Upload photos and files to OneDrive.

As explained in Ankita Kirti's blog post, End of support for OneDrive desktop application on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, the reason for this change is "to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience".

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Mozilla Firefox Version 94.0.1 Released

   Mozilla sent Firefox Version 94.0.1 to the release channel.

Fixed

• Fixed browser hangs when viewing fullscreen videos on macOS 10.12 (bug 1737998)

Update 

To get the update now, select "Help" from the Firefox menu, then pick "About Firefox."  Mac users need to select "About Firefox" from the Firefox menu. If you do not use the English language version, Fully Localized Versions are available for download.

References

• Release Notes

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...

Mozilla Firefox Version 94 Released with Security Updates

      Mozilla sent Firefox Version 94.0 to the release channel today.  The update includes thirteen security updates of which seven (7) are rated high, four (4) are rated moderate, and two (2) are rated low.

Firefox ESR was updated to Version 91.3.

High

• CVE-2021-38503: iframe sandbox rules did not apply to XSLT stylesheets
• CVE-2021-38504: Use-after-free in file picker dialog
• CVE-2021-38505: Windows 10 Cloud Clipboard may have recorded sensitive user data
• CVE-2021-38506: Firefox could be coaxed into going into fullscreen mode without notification or warning
• CVE-2021-38507: Opportunistic Encryption in HTTP2 could be used to bypass the Same-Origin-Policy on services hosted on other ports
• MOZ-2021-0003: Universal XSS in Firefox for Android via QR Code URLs
• MOZ-2021-0007: Memory safety bugs fixed in Firefox 94 and Firefox ESR 91.3

Moderate

• CVE-2021-38508: Permission Prompt could be overlaid, resulting in user confusion and potential spoofing
• MOZ-2021-0004: Web Extensions could access pre-redirect URL when their context menu was triggered by a user
• CVE-2021-38509: Javascript alert box could have been spoofed onto an arbitrary domain
• CVE-2021-38510: Download Protections were bypassed by .inetloc files on Mac OS

Low

• MOZ-2021-0005: 'Copy Image Link' context menu action could have been abused to see authentication tokens
• MOZ-2021-0006: URL Parsing may incorrectly parse internationalized domains

New

• 
  
  

 

With 94, you’ll find a selection of six fun seasonal Colorways (available for a limited time only). Now you can find a color to suit (or lift) your every mood.
Fun fact: Did you know we have more daily users with color themes than dark or Alpenglow on Beta? With Firefox 89, 32% of users clicked through to customize their color theme. And that was just on the first day! We decided to introduce these new Colorways to give our users more to love.Firefox macOS now uses Apple's low power mode for fullscreen video on YouTube and Twitch. This meaningfully extends battery life in long viewing sessions. Now your kids can find out what the fox says on a loop without you ever missing a beat…

• With this release, power users can use about:unloads to release system resources by manually unloading tabs without closing them.
• On Windows, there will now be fewer interruptions because Firefox won’t prompt you for updates. Instead, a background agent will download and install updates even if Firefox is closed.
• To better protect all Firefox users against side-channel attacks such as Spectre, we’ve introduced Site Isolation. We’ve got your back...errr...side!
• We’re rolling out the Firefox Multi-Account Containers extension with Mozilla VPN integration. This lets you use a different server location for each container.
• Firefox no longer warns you by default when you exit the browser or close a window using a menu, button, or three-key command. This should cut back on unwelcome notifications which is always nice--however, if you prefer a bit of notice, you’ll still have full control over the quit/close modal behavior. All warnings can be managed within Firefox Settings. No worries! (More details)
• And now, Firefox supports the new Snap Layouts menus when running on Windows 11.

Fixed

• We’ve reduced the overhead of using performance.mark() and performance.measure() APIs with a large set of performance entries.
• Plus, we’ve modified paint suppression during load to greatly improve warmload performance in Site Isolation mode.
• You’ll also notice a small reduction in Javascript memory usage.
• With this release, you’ll notice faster Javascript property enumeration as well.
• We’ve also implemented better scheduling of garbage collection which has improved some pageload benchmarks.
• This release also sees reduced CPU usage during socket polling for HTTPS connections.
• Additionally, you’ll notice faster storage initialization.
• We’ve also improved cold startup by reducing main thread I/O.
• Plus, closing devtools now reclaims more memory than ever before.
• And we’ve improved pageload (especially with Site Isolation mode) by setting a higher priority for loading and displaying images.

Update To get the update now, select "Help" from the Firefox menu, then pick "About Firefox."  Mac users need to select "About Firefox" from the Firefox menu. If you do not use the English language version, Fully Localized Versions are available for download.

References

• Security Updates
• Release Notes
• Rapid Release Calendar