Newsletter Archives

• Yet another massive release of patches, re-patches, re-grouped patches, and a few explanations

  Posted on January 19, 2018 at 10:43 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  UPDATE: There’s another bunch of patches out today, Jan. 19:

  The Update Catalog shows a new Jan. 19 entry for KB 4057144, the second cumulative update this month for Win10 1703. It also shows a Jan. 19 entry for KB 4057142, the second cumulative update this month for Win10  1607. Both are available in 64-bit and 32-bit versions. I have no idea if there’s anything new in those 64-bit patches, or if they’ve just been re-issued to yank our (or at least my) chain.

  There’s also a new Preview Monthly Rollup for Win7/Server 2008R2 (KB 4057400) in 64-bit and 32-bit flavors.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4011021, KB 4011022, KB 4011273, KB 4011610, KB 4011611, KB 4011626, KB 4011659, KB 4055002, KB 4055532, KB 4056898, KB 4057270, KB 4073291, KB 4074880, KB 4075199, KB 4075200, Symantec Endpoint Protection

• Microsoft yanks all of this month’s Windows patches for “devices with impacted AMD processors”

  Posted on January 9, 2018 at 05:49 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Let’s hear it for beta testing.

  Early this morning, Microsoft officially announced that it was pulling all of this month’s Meltdown/Spectre patches for folks with AMD processors.

  That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  UPDATE: Kevin Beaumont has a sobering report on the status of antivirus vendors cooperating (or not) with Microsoft:

  this has been incredibly messy for everybody involved. My belief is organisations shouldn’t rush these patches out. They need to carefully test and see where they need to mitigate the vulnerability.

  As I’ve said many, many times before, there’s no reason to install any of the patches yet. In spite of what you saw on TV, or read in the newspaper — or what you heard from a Windows security “expert.”

  Windows Patches/Security AMD, KB 4056888, KB 4056890, KB 4056891, KB 4056892, KB 4056893, KB 4056894, KB 4056897, KB 4056898

• Reaffirming that we’re still at MS-DEFCON 2

  Posted on January 5, 2018 at 08:28 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  There’s still no pressing reason to install the early crop of Patch Tuesday patches.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Correction: @teroalhonen notes that there’s no such thing as Win10 1511 LTSC. He’s right, my Computerworld article’s wrong. Win10 1511 is supported through April 2018, but only for Enterprise and Education editions.

  But that brings up a related question. Why are the Surface firmware updates only going out to 1703 and 1709? What about 1607 and 1511? They’re both being supported.

  UPDATE: We have a report of a BSOD with the Win7 32-bit patch. Details to follow.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4056888, KB 4056890, KB 4056891, KB 4056892, KB 4056893, KB 4056894, KB 4056897, KB 4056898, MS-DEFCON 2