0patch pushes out another Windows patch, but will leave the real work to Microsoft
Last week 0patch produced what was described as the first 0-day patch for Windows in lieu of Microsoft's usual Patch Tuesday release. It came after Google revealed a pair of vulnerabilities affecting IE/Edge and Windows.
Having addressed the problem in Windows, 0patch is at it again, this time patching the "type confusion" bug (CVE-2017-0037) that plagues Internet Explorer and Edge. This patch is described as an attempt to "release a simple temporary patch that blocks an attacker than try to create a perfect patch", and it's available for anyone who is willing to place their trust in third-party patching.
Microsoft releases Visual Studio 2017, Visual Studio for Mac Preview 4
Microsoft today releases Visual Studio 2017 and the fourth preview of Visual Studio for Mac. The latest official version of its longstanding IDE for Windows adds improvements related to productivity, performance, mobile apps, cloud development, DevOps and the ecosystem surrounding Visual Studio.
Visual Studio 2017, according to Microsoft's blog post announcing the release, features an improved startup and project load times, better navigation, the ability to edit files without having to open a project or solution, CMake support and Linux support for C++, Xamarin Forms Previewer, a new Connected Services experience, the ability to build .NET Core 1.0 and .NET Core 1.1 apps, support for Azure App Service and more.
0patch creates a 0-day patch for Windows gdi32.dll vulnerability before Microsoft
Following the revelation of vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer and Edge by Google, and the delaying of the traditional Patch Tuesday, Microsoft security update practices have been in the spotlight. Google's Project Zero has exposed security issues that Microsoft is yet to fix, so a third party has decided to step in to help out.
A new project going by the name of 0patch has created a "0patch" for a zero-day, addressing the Windows gdi32.dll memory disclosure (CVE-2017-0038) yet to be fixed by Microsoft. As the issue is unlikely to receive an official patch until at least the middle of March, this third-party option is all that's available for now.
Windows botnet spreads Mirai malware
Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab are currently investigating the first Windows-based spreader for the Mirai malware, something that can have huge implications for companies that invested heavily in IoT.
The spreader was apparently built by someone with "more advanced skills" than those that had created the original Mirai malware. This, Kaspersky Lab says, has "worrying implications for the future use and targets of Mirai-based attacks."
PCs still at risk from end-of-life programs
The latest software vulnerability report from Secunia Research at Flexera Software reveals that the average US private PC user has 75 installed programs on their PC, 7.4 percent of which are no longer patched by the vendor.
More detailed analysis of the findings shows that 7.5 percent of users had unpatched Windows operating systems in the final quarter of 2016, up from 6.1 percent in Q3 of 2016 and down from 9.9 percent in Q4, 2015.
Google publishes details of Windows bug after Microsoft misses 90-day Project Zero disclosure deadline
Google's Project Zero has proved controversial on several occasions already, with the search giant publicly revealing details of software bugs when companies fail to fix them. Now the project has unearthed a bug in Windows, and as Microsoft failed to patch it within 90 days of being notified, details of the flaw have been made available for everyone to see -- and exploit.
A problem with the Windows Graphics Component GDI library (gdi32.dll) means that a hacker could use EMF metafiles to access memory and wreak all sorts of havoc. While Microsoft has issued Security Bulletin MS16-074, Google's Mateusz Jurczyk says it failed to properly address the problem -- hence the public outing of the bug.
Safely eject almost any drive type with HotSwap!
Finished with that USB key? Unplugging it risks losing data, so in theory you should click the Windows "Safely remove hardware" icon, choose the drive, and wait to be told it’s safe to unplug.
Unfortunately, the Safely Remove Hardware system is very strict about the drive types it supports. SATA or eSATA drives, fixed drives with a USB connections, even some USB keys won’t appear on the list, and the only guaranteed safe way to swap them out is to grind your way through Device Manager.
View, hash, split, join and wipe files with PeaUtils
PeaUtils is a simple suite of file processing tools from Giorgio Tani, the developer of PeaZip.
The program can create hashes, process checksums, analyze and report on files, split and join files, display files in a hex view, securely delete confidential data, wipe drive free space, and more.
Why you need extra layers of security for your PC and how to get them for up to 55 percent off
These days, the threats posed to your PC have never been greater. It’s no longer enough to rely on simple basic anti-malware protection and the built-in Windows firewall. If you want to really close the door to hackers, Trojans and other threats, you need to add multiple layers of security to your computer.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news: thanks to the Downloadcrew Software Store, there’s never been a better time to beef up your protection, with great deals for the latest software, from Malwarebytes 3 to Emsisoft Anti-Malware 2017.
Quickly find Unicode symbols with SymbSearch
Need to enter a Unicode symbol on your PC? Then launch the Character Map, find what you need to the clipboard and copy it to the clipboard. Sounds easy, right? Until you try it.
The reality is the Character Map gives you hundreds of characters to examine, organised in a way which doesn’t always match their purpose, and displayed in such a small font that you’ll barely be able to see some of them at all.
TCP Monitor Plus is a portable network toolkit
Portable network toolkit TCP Monitor Plus has had its first update since 2015, adding a snapshot feature and some handy display tweaks.
The program opens with a scrolling graph of network traffic, and assorted low-level stats on bandwidth, speeds, and packets sent and received.
BurnAware 10 now available as free download
Optical media is in a weird place right now. Thanks to cloud storage and flash drives, fewer folks are backing up data to CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. Because of streaming media -- from services like Netflix and Hulu -- fewer consumers are buying movies and music on optical media. Does this mean that optical media is totally dead? Hardly.
As burning/mastering products such as Nero and Ashampoo become more and more bloated, however, it is getting harder for PC users to find a simple and rewarding solution. BurnAware is one such program that remains lightweight while offering a lot of useful functionality. The software recently hit version 10, and I have been trying the "Pro" version on my Windows 10 machine with great success.
Microsoft Build 2017 developer conference tickets available on Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day, you may have special plans, such as dinner and a movie with your significant other. If you are particularly romantic, you probably have jewelry, candy, or flowers planned too. If you are single, however, you may be planning to stay inside alone -- there is no shame in that, folks.
In 2017, there is something very exciting happening on February 14th -- tickets for Build will go on sale. If you aren't familiar, this is Microsoft's annual developer conference. Will you be buying tickets at noon ET this Valentine's Day?
Wine 2.0 is here -- run Windows software on Linux and macOS
One of the big hurdles for people looking to switch from Windows to Linux or macOS is a dependence of software that requires Microsoft's operating system. This is becoming less of an issue, however, as more and more programs become cross-platform. Not to mention, a lot of software solutions are web-based nowadays, meaning they can run on any operating system with compatible web browser.
If you are someone that depends on software that only runs on Microsoft's operating system, you should probably stick with Windows. I mean, why deal with headaches? But OK, if for whatever reason you would rather use macOS or a Linux-based operating system like Ubuntu, there is a solution -- Wine. This is a compatibility layer that can be used to run Windows software on other operating systems. With that said, it is not perfect -- it can be a frustrating experience.
How to run openSUSE Leap 42.2 or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 on Windows 10
Linux and Windows living happily side-by-side is not something many people would have predicted, but Windows 10 Anniversary Update saw the arrival of Bash on Ubuntu thanks to the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Not everyone was happy with Microsoft's choice of Ubuntu, with many preferring a different flavour of Linux.
Senior Product Manager for SUSE Linux Enterprise, Hannes Kühnemund, is -- unsurprisingly -- one of those whose taste buds were not tantalized by Ubuntu. He would rather you ran SUSE on Windows 10. In fact he doesn't just want this to happen, he tells you how to do it -- specifically with openSUSE Leap 42.2 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 -- so you too can run Linux binaries natively on Windows.
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