While this month’s Microsoft Patch Tuesday itself is not large, there are some updates from Apple and Adobe released today also.
So, something for nearly everyone to update this November. Also, there is a major vulnerability that is not yet patched – I’ll save that for last.
First Microsoft’s monthly update.
This is what Window Update looks like in the start menu
Like I said, this month there are not too many updates from Microsoft. I’m only seeing 2-4 patches on well updated Windows XP and Windows 7 systems. Some needed restarts while at least one did not, so plan on a restart after the update.
Also, Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Office seems to have been released somewhat recently. You may see this if you choose the custom option in a manual Windows Update. It is a bit larger than a regular patch so maybe leave that one to run when you don’t need to use the computer. That’s all for Microsoft updates at the moment.
[mc src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2coTJHY8O-8&feature=youtu.be" type="youtube"]How To Update Windows XP Manually[/mc]
Adobe also announce a critical update for Shockwave.
Shockwave is an animation plugin a bit similar to Flash. I am really not sure why both are still in use (any Shockwave experts out there that can explain this to me?). There is a chance you don’t have it installed (it’s not as widely used as Flash). The best way to see if you have it installed is to check the Add/Remove Programs in Windows Control Panel. If you have it installed (or still are not sure if it is or not) go the the Adobe website adobe.com and update it by downloading and installing it. It is very similar to installing the Adobe Flash Player and I usually do both when I go to the Adobe site (and then I check Reader to be safe). If you are sure you do not have Shockwave installed, you may not need it. Just remember never follow any link to install it if you are on a website that says you need Shockwave. Always type in the Adobe.com site and then install it yourself.
Here’s a video for updating Adobe Flash and Shockwave
[mc src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL2mmSSfKks" type="youtube"]How To Install or Update Adobe Flash Player[/mc]
Apple released some updates for Mac OS today too.
My understanding is the update is primarily to update Java (the rest of the world updated Java several weeks ago). There were several bulletins by Apple on it so this does fix several problems. Do whatever you do to make sure your Mac OS is updated.
Also, I’m hearing of malware targeting the Mac OS more and more. It’s time to make sure you have some form of anti-virus software on your Mac.
Finally, I’ll end this post with something for you to worry about – the Malware Duku.
Sounding like something that could be fixed by a Jedi, Duku is an information gathering trojan. Initially, it seemed to be targeting specific organizations. This malware is installed in your computer simply by viewing an html document with an embedded infected True-Type font. Yep, a font. This could infect your computer just by viewing a web page with the font embedded in it. It may be possible just viewing an html email with an embedded font could infect a computer.
At the time of this post, there is no patch to fix this. Microsoft does have a work-around Fix-It but the accounts I have read find it is not very good and tends to mess up things on the computer. I will post here as soon as I hear of a patch from Microsoft for Duku. If you not subscribed to this site yet, you may want to sign up for the free email newsletter or subscribe to the RSS feed so you’ll know when there is an update. I expect there will be an out of band update for this one. It is in use on the Internet and infecting computers right now.
That’s all for now. Don’t just surf the Internet, dive.
I didn’t know you could get a malware just by viewing HTML, does anti-virus program have already protection on it or the only solution is to update windows?
That Duku thing sounds pretty scary, I’ll have to watch out for that. I think my computer has Shockwave and Flash, I’ll have to ask my computer friend if he knows the difference. If there’s no point in having it I’ll delete it, I think I was prompted somewhere to download it and thought I needed it. Whoops!
Great! Very helpful post. I like what you have shared about the updates for Mac OS. Can you suggest what anti-virus is the best to use? I’m using Avida right now.
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Macromedia flash can be integrated into Macromedia Shockwave, which is a more complex program that is harder to master. Flash is cheaper and more popular and it is used mostly for clips and animation, where as shockwave takes care of more complex tasks such as coding for browser games.
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I know a bit about Shockwave but it’s not that ideal to have it on my site so I concentrate on Photoshop. Malware could be dangerous.
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RE: Shockwave vs Flash Player
It used to be that the difference was that Shockwave was used to display movies made in Adobe/Macromedia Director, rather than in Flash. I’m actually surprised to see that Director still exists, to be honest – as most things you used to put on a CD-ROM now can go online.
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