Patch List for July 2024

We’re still in testing mode for this month’s updates. I’ve updated the master patch list here.

In my early consumer testing we’re seeing some folks having issues getting Office updated. My recommendation is to put it on defer and wait until Microsoft gets to the bottom of the issue.

For business patchers this is a month with a lot of SQL updates.  If you rely on RDGateway be aware that some are reporting crashes in TSgateway after installing the updates.

If you use radius server – be aware of  KB5040268

Server print problems with SAP — see link

As always, thank you all for supporting the cause! Remember we use the “name your price” model where you can choose how much you will pay for  a membership . Plus membership gives you access and if you donate $50 or more you’ll get a special code to enable text messages sent to your phone each time the Master Patch List gets updated and when I change the MS-DEFCON level.

More details about these updates in Monday’s newsletter.  You are missing out if you don’t sign up. All content is human made with our own blood, sweat, tears, fingers and brain power and 100% AI free.  Therefore, if I’ve fat fingered any KB numbers or if you have any questions, as always post in the forums and I’ll follow up!

July updates out – still tracking Office updating issues

July updates are out and as usual Microsoft is dribbling out changes.

At this time we are tracking an issue with SOME (not all) Office 2019 installs. My advice is to sit tight and not start ripping out Office.

In addition, you might start seeing the name of Outlook change to “classic” Outlook. Remember we’re in this awkward transition right now between classic Outlook (aka the one that works) and New Outlook (aka the one that is missing features like offline use, support for plug ins – they have to be rewritten). My advice if you are on Microsoft 365 is to ensure you are on the slower patching channel. More in next week’s Patch Watch.

For now settle in, ensure your backups are working, let those that test these patches do their thing and I’ll be running my own tests on various workstations, servers, etc., as well as keeping an eye out for side effects.

Adobe released updates for Premier Pro, InDesign and Bridge (nothing for PDF)

Here are some of the changes for Windows 10:

Note this is JUST for EU:

• New!  We are advancing the Copilot experience on Windows. The Copilot app is now pinned to the taskbar and behaves like an app. This gives you the benefits of a typical app experience. For example, you can resize, move, and snap the window. For existing Windows 10 PCs, the timing of availability and delivery method will vary. This might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.Important This feature only applies to new Windows 10 PCs and new Copilot+ PCs that ship to the European Economic Area (EEA)and other markets where Copilot is available.

Finding the Achilles’ heel of TPM

BEN’S WORKSHOP

By Ben Myers

Eclypsium, a security firm, recently discovered a vulnerability in the system-board firmware supporting the Trusted Platform Mode (TPM) for a wide range of Intel processors.

As described by an Eclypsium blog entry, it is “a high impact vulnerability (CVE-2024-0762 with a reported CVSS of 7.5) in the Phoenix SecureCore UEFI firmware that runs on multiple families of Intel Core desktop and mobile processors.”

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.28.0, 2024-07-08).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

Social-media apps are killing our kids. Do adults care?

PUBLIC DEFENDER

By Brian Livingston

Rates of suicide and self-harm among teens and preteens in the US and other countries have doubled, tripled, and even quintupled in the past dozen years. Now we may finally know why.

An explosive front-page article in The Wall Street Journal on June 21, 2024, revealed that Instagram — with more than 2 billion monthly active users — feeds disturbing videos to viewers who register as minors. The website’s Reels stream, the newspaper said, feeds to teenagers three times as many sex videos as it sends to adults over the age of 30, 1.7 times as much violence, and 4.1 times as much bullying.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.28.0, 2024-07-08).

Escape from the clutches of OneDrive

MICROSOFT 365

By Peter Deegan

Saying that Microsoft pushes OneDrive on customers is putting it mildly.

It’s more like ramming OneDrive down the throats of customers by means of all those many direct and passive-aggressive tricks.

I’ll explain how OneDrive, as well as other cloud and email stores, is reorienting how we think about computer storage. I’ll discuss how Windows changes when OneDrive is enabled, and how to undo it. Finally, I’ll show how to get the best of both worlds by making a mixed — cloud and local — file-storage system.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.28.0, 2024-07-08).

Security information for an end-of-life operating system is lacking

ON SECURITY

By Susan Bradley

Lately, I’ve been working on painting the trim on my house.

We have old-fashioned caulked windows. To make sure that the caulk doesn’t crack with the weather, maintenance is required. That means painting.

I like doing it because it gets me off the computer and thinking of other things. Painting the house is great for appearances and — more importantly — protects it from weather and other damage.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.28.0, 2024-07-08).

How hot is too hot?

So last night at 1:30 a.m. we lost power in the house. You don’t realize how much “white noise” electronics make in your house until the power goes out. The power company indicated it would be about 2 hours before the power situation was resolved, but fortunately, we got the power back within 20 minutes.

I did dig out several battery operated fans I have as the house had residual a/c but the fans help to keep the air moving.

But it reminded me that we’re going to be HOT and equipment …. like transformers…. don’t like it.  Computers as well are not too keen to be in the extreme heat. If you accidentally put your iphone in the hot sun, it will shut itself down to save the phone.

If you are uncomfortable in the heat, so is your technology.

No longer do you have to have desktops and laptops in really cold rooms like they still do for datacenters. But you shouldn’t have them in a hot car or other really warm location.

What temperature related oddities have you experienced with your technology?

MS-DEFCON 2: Never install previews

By Susan Bradley

Microsoft regularly releases updates. Previews are betas.

In the first week of each month, Microsoft issues the non-security Office releases that PKCano documents in the AskWoody blog. In the second week of each month, Microsoft releases its main security patches. Finally, in the last week, Microsoft releases previews of the following month’s non-security fixes.

Previews do not go through the same rigorous testing as the security updates. (Credit where it is due: Microsoft does perform basic testing of its main security updates.) As a result, issues can occur. This is why I strongly recommend that you do not install preview updates when offered for Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 10 22H2. In addition, pause all updates now while I test, vet, and approve. This is the reason I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (21.27.1, 2024-07-03).