FAQ: Are you in danger from the WannaCry ransomware?

May 15, 2017, 7:11 am

≫ Next: How to make sure your Windows PC won't get hit by ransomware like WannaCry

≪ Previous: HP computer owners: Check for the MicTray Conexant keylogger

The worm called WannaCry (aka WannaCrypt, WannaCry0r, WanaCry, and WCry) dominated tech headlines through the weekend. According to Europol, quoted in the New York Times, WannaCry infected 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, tied the UK health service in knots, knocked out the Spanish phone company, troubled train travelers in Germany, and took big swipes out of FedEx, Renault, a reported 29,000 Chinese institutions, and networks all over Russia—including the Russian Interior Ministry.

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How to make sure your Windows PC won't get hit by ransomware like WannaCry

May 15, 2017, 9:06 am

≫ Next: Shadow Brokers threaten to release even more NSA-sourced malware

≪ Previous: FAQ: Are you in danger from the WannaCry ransomware?

You need to get your Windows computer protected against WannaCry and its ilk. Here are detailed instructions on how to see if you need patching and, if you do, how to get patched.

By far the easiest method is to simply run Windows Update and install all important patches. You may not be able to do that—or may not want to do that—for several important reasons:

You may not want all of the latest patches, whether for compatibility reasons or because you don’t trust Microsoft’s additional snooping in Windows 7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups
If you’re using Windows XP or Windows 8, Windows Update doesn’t work
If you’re running Windows 7 or 8.1 on a newer computer (Kaby Lake and Ryzen processors, as well as several others), Microsoft may have gratuitously blocked Windows Update
You may have problems running Windows Update for myriad reasons, and you don’t want to futz around with figuring out the reason or resetting while the threat lingers

Your approach to checking if you need the patches, and then installing them, will vary depending on your operating system.

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Shadow Brokers threaten to release even more NSA-sourced malware

May 16, 2017, 6:20 am

≫ Next: There's a reason Microsoft is patching Windows XP again this month

≪ Previous: How to make sure your Windows PC won't get hit by ransomware like WannaCry

Late last night, someone claiming to represent Shadow Brokers—the people responsible for releasing stolen NSA hacking tools—posted a new message on the Steemit website. In a hard-to-fathom rant, the group makes several claims and also threatens to release even more damaging material.

I've loosely quoted Shadow Brokers' post below, editing their statement heavily for clarity. Any translation errors are mine. Note that The Equation Group is a well-established “persistent threat” organization, widely thought to be tied to the NSA.

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There's a reason Microsoft is patching Windows XP again this month

June 13, 2017, 5:54 pm

≫ Next: Microsoft releases 15 Office patches for July, but some June bugs still stink

≪ Previous: Shadow Brokers threaten to release even more NSA-sourced malware

Microsoft has released its usual Patch Tuesday flood, and it's enormous. Computerworld's Gregg Keizer has details.

Microsoft released individual patches for Windows XP and Vista -- both of which are beyond their end of support dates -- in a move eerily similar to the one last month. Per the Microsoft Security Response Center:

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Microsoft releases 15 Office patches for July, but some June bugs still stink

July 6, 2017, 7:23 am

≫ Next: New Surface Pro 2017 shuts off unexpectedly? Return it while you can

≪ Previous: There's a reason Microsoft is patching Windows XP again this month

On Patch Wednesday of this week, Microsoft said it released 14 non-security Office updates, covering such fascinating topics as improved Dutch translations in Word 2013, Danish translations in Access, and Finnish and Swedish translations in Excel. Typical first Tuesday stuff.

Microsoft neglected to mention that it also shipped a fix for the bugs introduced by last month’s patches to Outlook 2010. Dubbed KB 4011042, the neglected fix appears to be a non-security patch that fixes bugs created by a security patch—a red flag for many advanced patchers.

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New Surface Pro 2017 shuts off unexpectedly? Return it while you can

July 7, 2017, 6:16 am

≫ Next: With Patch Tuesday imminent, make sure you have Automatic Update turned off

≪ Previous: Microsoft releases 15 Office patches for July, but some June bugs still stink

If you have a new Surface Pro 2017 and it keeps dying unexpectedly, the best current advice is to turn it in for a replacement—while you still can. For reasons as yet unknown, and not discussed by Microsoft, newer hardware doesn’t seem to have the same problem. Or, at least, the problem isn’t as marked.

Forums are ablaze with complaints about the new Surface Pro—the one that doesn’t have a model number but is generally known as Surface Pro 2017. Becca05 on the Microsoft Answers forum says:

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With Patch Tuesday imminent, make sure you have Automatic Update turned off

July 10, 2017, 4:17 am

≫ Next: Driver fix for Surface Pro 2017 hibernation seems to work; now, about that backlight bleed

≪ Previous: New Surface Pro 2017 shuts off unexpectedly? Return it while you can

In case you hadn’t noticed, Microsoft has had a tough time with patches this year. From a total lack of patches in February (except for a late IE patch), to yanked and reissued botched patches that followed, to a jumble of problems with Windows and Office patches—including seven admitted bugs in last month’s Office patches—Microsoft has proved itself adept at Jack-in-the-box patching. You don't have to join the legions of unpaid patch beta testers.

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Driver fix for Surface Pro 2017 hibernation seems to work; now, about that backlight bleed

July 15, 2017, 4:26 am

≫ Next: Microsoft yanks bad Outlook patches of patches KB 3191849, 3213654, 401042

≪ Previous: With Patch Tuesday imminent, make sure you have Automatic Update turned off

Two weeks ago, I wrote about an ongoing problem with the new Surface Pro, commonly called Surface Pro 2017. Many customers found that their machines suddenly turned off—went into hibernation for no apparent reason, sometimes swallowing data in the process. After hemming and hawing about it for a few weeks, Microsoft released a new driver on July 14. Reports I’ve seen say the new driver works.

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Microsoft yanks bad Outlook patches of patches KB 3191849, 3213654, 401042

July 15, 2017, 1:16 pm

≫ Next: More June security patch bugs: You can patch an IE flaw, CVE-2017-8529, or print inside iFrames—but not both

≪ Previous: Driver fix for Surface Pro 2017 hibernation seems to work; now, about that backlight bleed

I just received word from Gunter Born that Microsoft has pulled three of its Outlook patches:

KB 4011042 - July 5, 2017, update for Outlook 2010
KB 3191849 - June 27, 2017, update for Outlook 2013
KB 3213654 - June 30, 2017, update for Outlook 2016

As I mentioned last week, Microsoft still hasn't fixed any of the Office 2007 bugs it introduced in the June security patches.

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More June security patch bugs: You can patch an IE flaw, CVE-2017-8529, or print inside iFrames—but not both

July 19, 2017, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Where are the fixes to the botched Outlook security patches?

≪ Previous: Microsoft yanks bad Outlook patches of patches KB 3191849, 3213654, 401042

Strap on your hip waders. This particular “scare” article should have you thinking yet again about the advisability of installing Windows updates as soon as they’re available. As you’ll see, Microsoft itself has flip-flopped on the resolution and those who subscribe to Windows Update have been taken along for the ride.

Buggy June patches to Windows, Internet Explorer and Edge left customers in the horns of a dilemma:

You can plug a security hole known as CVE-2017-8529, in which IE or Edge reveal the presence of a specific file on your computer when you simply surf to a compromised web site, OR
You can print content on web pages that are inside an HTML construct known as an iFrame, using IE 9, 10 or 11.

Microsoft’s up against a hard bug that makes this an either-or proposition: Until Microsoft figures out how to fix both problems at the same time, either you patch the security hole, or you can print inside iFrames with IE, but not both.

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Where are the fixes to the botched Outlook security patches?

July 21, 2017, 5:39 am

≫ Next: Problems with Surface Pro 4/Surface Book firmware update

≪ Previous: More June security patch bugs: You can patch an IE flaw, CVE-2017-8529, or print inside iFrames—but not both

On June 13—five and a half weeks ago—Microsoft released a series of buggy patches for Outlook. We know they’re buggy because Microsoft acknowledged seven bugs (including one primarily caused by bugs in Windows patches) in those four original June 13 security patches. As of this morning, we still don’t have fixes for those seven bugs.

Here are the known buggy original security patches:

KB 3191898 – Security update for Outlook 2007, released June 13, 2017
KB 3203467 – Security update for Outlook 2010, released June 13
KB 3191938 – Security update for Outlook 2013, June 13
KB 3191932 – Security update for Outlook 2016, June 13

If you have Automatic Update turned on, you were treated not only to those patches, but to all of these three later, interim fixes for the bugs in the security patches. Don't get too excited about them. In fact, they didn't fix the bugs:

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Problems with Surface Pro 4/Surface Book firmware update

July 24, 2017, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Tiptoe through the bugs and get Windows and Office updated

≪ Previous: Where are the fixes to the botched Outlook security patches?

We have no way of knowing why Microsoft released the driver updates last Friday or what they’re supposed to accomplish. What we do know is that the last set of patches came just 10 days earlier, on July 11, when Microsoft added support for the new Surface Pro Type Cover and Signature Type Cover.

With two dozen major firmware and driver updates pushed onto the Surface Pro 4 since its release in October 2015, and a new Surface Pro 2017 currently on offer, it’s noteworthy that Microsoft is still trying to get the SP4 and SB drivers right.

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Tiptoe through the bugs and get Windows and Office updated

July 26, 2017, 9:55 am

≫ Next: Microsoft releases KB 3213643, 2956078, 4011078, 4011052 to fix June Outlook security bugs

≪ Previous: Problems with Surface Pro 4/Surface Book firmware update

The fourth Tuesday of the month has come and gone, and it now looks reasonably safe to patch Windows and Office. I was expecting two big releases yesterday—one to fix numerous bugs in Win10 Creators Update, version 1703; the other to plug the bugs introduced by June’s Office security patches—but neither trove appeared. Given Microsoft’s past patterns, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any more serious patches until next month’s Patch Tuesday, on Aug. 8.

There’s also a bit of additional impetus right now. On July 17, security researcher Haifei published a proof of concept for running malware scripts directly in Office apps. I haven’t seen any exploits in the wild as yet, but it would be a good idea to install KB 3213640 (Office 2007), KB 3213624 (Office 2010), KB 3213555 (Office 2013) and/or KB 3213545 (Office 2016) in the short term. (Thx to @LeaningTowardsLinux.) Note that none of these patches, as best as I can tell, correct the Office bugs introduced in June.

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Microsoft releases KB 3213643, 2956078, 4011078, 4011052 to fix June Outlook security bugs

July 27, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Win10 machines with 'Defer feature updates' now getting Creators Update

≪ Previous: Tiptoe through the bugs and get Windows and Office updated

A week ago, I lamented the lack of a fix for the bad June Office security patches. On June 13, those of you with Automatic Update turned on were treated to seven different, documented bugs that persisted until today.

I expected to see these patches on Tuesday, in normal cadence. For reasons that are only known to Microsoft, they waited until today, Thursday, to release the files.

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Win10 machines with 'Defer feature updates' now getting Creators Update

July 31, 2017, 7:44 am

≫ Next: Surface Pro 4 problems: Windows Hello disappears, shaky screen

≪ Previous: Microsoft releases KB 3213643, 2956078, 4011078, 4011052 to fix June Outlook security bugs

Over the weekend I heard howls from folks who are being pushed onto the latest version of Windows 10 — the Creators Update, version 1703 — when they had specifically told Win10 Anniversary Update — version 1607 — to “Defer feature updates.” If you thought the “Defer feature updates” setting would permanently protect you from pushed version changes, you’re mistaken. Here’s what happened, and what you can do about it.

Those of you experiencing forced updates even on machines attached to a WSUS server, read on...

As I explained back in April, folks with Windows 10 Anniversary Update Pro or Enterprise can click Settings > Update & security > Advanced options, then check the box marked “Defer feature updates” (see screenshot).

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Surface Pro 4 problems: Windows Hello disappears, shaky screen

August 1, 2017, 10:02 am

≫ Next: The fine print behind Microsoft’s new Surface financing plan, Surface Plus

≪ Previous: Win10 machines with 'Defer feature updates' now getting Creators Update

In the past couple of days, your Surface Pro 4 likely installed a new set of driver updates known as “Surface - System - 7/21/2017 12:00:00 AM - 1.0.65.1.” Many Surface Pro 4 owners now report that after installing that driver, their camera refuses to log in with Windows Hello. Microsoft hasn’t yet responded, but a user has come up with a fix that seems to work most of the time—manually uninstall the driver.

Meanwhile, SP4 screen flicker and shaking is an older problem, first reported early this year. It, too, has not been acknowledged by Microsoft and has not been fixed. There’s no known workaround, but overheating seems to be part of the cause.

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The fine print behind Microsoft’s new Surface financing plan, Surface Plus

August 1, 2017, 12:07 pm

≫ Next: Microsoft releases dozens of bug fixes for Win10 Creators Update, build 15063.502

≪ Previous: Surface Pro 4 problems: Windows Hello disappears, shaky screen

Microsoft just announced a new financing option for Surface Laptops, Surface Pro 2017s, Surface Books and Surface Studios. On the, uh, surface, the Surface Plus plan for individuals looks quite inviting: A new Surface Pro 2017, for example, costs only $34 per month for 24 months, Surface Laptops run $42 per month, and Surface Books cost $63 per month. But before you take the plunge, be aware of the footnotes.

I priced out a top-of-the-line Surface Pro 2017, i7, 16 GB, 1 TB storage, Iris Plus, Extended Service, and it came to a total of $2,848, or $119 per month with Klarna financing (formerly Kreditor), plus sales tax. If you go with the least-capable Surface Pro 2017, you end up with an m3 processor, 4 GB, 128 GB storage, built-in graphics and a Standard one-year limited warranty—for $799, or $33 per month.

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Microsoft releases dozens of bug fixes for Win10 Creators Update, build 15063.502

August 2, 2017, 6:48 am

≫ Next: New Surface Pro 4 driver restores Windows Hello — and this time it’s documented

≪ Previous: The fine print behind Microsoft’s new Surface financing plan, Surface Plus

There’s a reason why it feels like déjà vu all over again. The version of Windows 10 that was supposed to be ready to roll out to the world at large just got an “oh, wait a minute” update of several dozen minor bug fixes. It’s still too early to tell if the tiny tweaks cause more harm than good, but it might be prudent to hold off on the massive rollout for now.

On July 27, Microsoft declared that Windows 10 Creators Update, version 1703, had garnered what we used to call “Current Branch for Business” status. As Gregg Keizer reported, Microsoft determined that 1703 was ready to roll out to businesses. The next day, Microsoft posted information about a new security patch, KB 4032188, that added dozens of bug fixes to version 1703, bringing it up to build 15063.501. Somehow that patch never made it out the door, and Microsoft quickly removed reference to it.

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New Surface Pro 4 driver restores Windows Hello — and this time it’s documented

August 4, 2017, 3:43 am

≫ Next: The case against Windows Automatic Update

≪ Previous: Microsoft releases dozens of bug fixes for Win10 Creators Update, build 15063.502

Last night, Microsoft released a new Surface Camera driver called “Surface – System – 7/31/2007 12:00:00 AM - 1.0.75.1” that is intended to fix the Windows Hello problem introduced by the completely undocumented driver “Surface - System - 7/21/2017 12:00:00 AM - 1.0.65.1.” Many of you complained that after installing the buggy driver, your Surface Pro 4 no longer supported Windows Hello.

As best as I can tell, this 1.0.75.1 driver update fixes the problem. But there’s more to the story.

The original, buggy driver was dated July 21, the files were dated July 26, and the driver was sent down the Automatic Update chute on July 29 without warning or description.

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The case against Windows Automatic Update

August 7, 2017, 5:19 am

≫ Next: It’s time to check your Windows machines and temporarily turn off Automatic Update

≪ Previous: New Surface Pro 4 driver restores Windows Hello — and this time it’s documented

There’s no question that you need to keep your Windows machine patched. In this age of EternalBlue and Shadow Brokers, Wikileaks and the CIA, avoiding Windows security patches is like hanging a sign out on the internet that says, “Kick me.”

That said, there’s no reason for savvy Windows users to succumb to Microsoft’s patching pace. Windows Automatic Update is great — vital — for your sainted aunt Martha, who’s afraid that anything other than playing mahjong will break her computer. But Auto Update’s an unnecessary risk for people who know how to use Windows and who keep up to date on Windows developments. If you’re knowledgeable enough to be reading this, you should seriously consider taking Windows patching into your own hands.

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