{"id":17906,"date":"2020-03-17T20:32:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T04:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/news-11639\/"},"modified":"2020-03-17T20:32:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T04:32:37","slug":"news-11639","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/news-11639\/","title":{"rendered":"Patch Tuesday\u2019s tomorrow. We're in uncharted territory. Get Automatic Updates paused."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2020 07:06:00 -0700<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to pause Windows updates just before they hit the rollout chute. This month, we\u2019re facing two extraordinary issues that you need to take into account. Wouldn\u2019t hurt if you told your friends and family, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take last month\u2019s Windows patches. Please. We had one patch, KB 4524244, that slid out on Patch Tuesday, clobbered an <\/span>unknown number of machines<\/span><\/a> (HP PCs with Ryzen processors got hit hard), then remained in \u201cautomatic download\u201d status until it was finally pulled on Friday. We had another patch, KB 4532693, that <\/span>gobbled desktop icons and moved files<\/span><\/a> while performing a nifty trick with temporary user profiles. Microsoft never did fix that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those aren\u2019t isolated incidents. We<\/span> see the same pattern<\/span><\/a>, over and over again. Microsoft releases patches that aren\u2019t adequately tested. Screams of pain ensue. Microsoft fixes some of the patches, doesn\u2019t fix others. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting out of the automatic update-induced karmic crapwheel is a mighty pain \u2014 and one that\u2019s entirely avoidable. Just avoid the automatic updating, wait and see while crowdsourced beta-testing runs its course.<\/span><\/p>\n

As if you needed more incentive, this month two additional problems loom.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, the \u201coptional, non-security, C\/D Week\u201d patch that rolled two weeks ago, KB 4535996, has had <\/span>all sorts of problems<\/span><\/a>. Mayank Parmar <\/span>at Windows Latest<\/span><\/a> and Lawrence Abrams <\/span>at BleepingComputer<\/span><\/a> document an impressive list of freezes, crashes, broken drivers, lousy performance, and black and blue screens. Microsoft hasn\u2019t officially acknowledged any of the bugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only bug that has been acknowledged, one that breaks the signtool.exe app in Visual Studio used to sign projects, <\/span>drew a reference<\/span><\/a> in one blog post from one Microsoft engineer. \u201cWe are working on a resolution and estimate a solution will be available in mid-March.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In normal times, we\u2019d expect the bugs in the \u201coptional\u201d patch to get ironed out by the time the regular cumulative update appears. The past couple of weeks, though, have been anything but normal times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost all of Microsoft\u2019s staff in the Northwest has been working from home for the past week. Microsoft <\/span>announced late last week<\/span><\/a> that two of its employees in the Seattle area have tested positive for COVID-19, the new coronavirus. You would think that the transition to telecommuting would be easy \u2014 after all, Microsoft\u2019s been selling telecommuting-friendly software for decades \u2014 but word from the trenches is that there are plenty of bumps in the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

That brings me to my second concern about this month\u2019s patches. Even if Microsoft gets its act together and fixes the known (and unknown!) bugs in this month\u2019s Patch Tuesday patch, we have exactly zero experience with Microsoft handling new bugs in this coronavirus-influenced work-from-home environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Microsoft has a hard enough time fixing bugs when the whole crew\u2019s in one building, in shouting distance. Heaven only knows what\u2019s going to happen this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

You have to patch sooner or later. But there\u2019s even more reason this month to not be in the \u201csooner\u201d cohort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who paid for Win7 Extended Security Updates should be plenty cautious about installing patches immediately. Those who didn\u2019t will either ignore the patches (large majority there), or wait to see if free alternatives appear. We\u2019ll be covering both intently on AskWoody.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re using <\/span>Windows 7 or 8.1<\/strong>, click Start > Control Panel > System and Security. Under Windows Update, click the “Turn automatic updating on or off” link. Click the “Change Settings” link on the left. Verify that you have Important Updates set to “Never check for updates (not recommended)” and click OK.<\/span><\/p>\n

By now, almost all of you are on Win10 version 1903 or 1909. Not sure which version of Win10 you\u2019re running? Down in the Search box, near the Start button, type About, then click About your PC. The version number appears on the right under Windows specifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re using Win10 1803 or 1809, I strongly urge you to <\/span>move on to Win10 version 1909<\/span><\/a>. If you insist on sticking with Win10 1809 (hard to blame ya!), you can block updates by following the steps in <\/span>December\u2019s Patch Tuesday warning<\/span><\/a>. Be acutely aware of the fact that Microsoft won\u2019t be handing out any more security patches for 1809 Home or Pro after the May Patch Tuesday. Two months to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

In version 1903 or 1909 (either Home, Pro, Education or Enterprise, unless you\u2019re attached up an update server), using an administrator account, click Start > Settings > Update & Security. If your Updates paused timer is set before March 30 (see screenshot), I urge you to click Resume Updates and let the automatic updater kick in — and do it now, before noon in Redmond on Tuesday, when the Patch Tuesday patches get released.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Pause is set to expire before the end of March, or if you don\u2019t have a Pause in effect, you should set up a patching defense perimeter that keep patches off your machine for the rest of this month. Using that administrators account, click the “Pause updates for 7 days” button, then click it again and again, if necessary, until you\u2019re paused out into late March or early April.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you see an Optional update available (you can see one in the screenshot), DON\u2019T click “Download and install.” You\u2019ll be bit by those bugs soon enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be spooked. Don\u2019t be stampeded. And don\u2019t install any patches that require you to click \u201cDownload and install.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If there are any immediate widespread problems protected by this month\u2019s Patch Tuesday \u2014 a rare occurrence, but it does happen \u2014 we\u2019ll let you know here, and at AskWoody.com, in very short order. Otherwise, sit back secure in the knowledge that you aren\u2019t in the first round of cannon fodder. Let\u2019s see what problems arise.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re at MS-DEFCON 2 <\/span><\/i>on AskWoody<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2020 07:06:00 -0700<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to pause Windows updates just before they hit the rollout chute. This month, we\u2019re facing two extraordinary issues that you need to take into account. Wouldn\u2019t hurt if you told your friends and family, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take last month\u2019s Windows patches. Please. We had one patch, KB 4524244, that slid out on Patch Tuesday, clobbered an <\/span>unknown number of machines<\/span><\/a> (HP PCs with Ryzen processors got hit hard), then remained in \u201cautomatic download\u201d status until it was finally pulled on Friday. We had another patch, KB 4532693, that <\/span>gobbled desktop icons and moved files<\/span><\/a> while performing a nifty trick with temporary user profiles. Microsoft never did fix that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

To read this article in full, please click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[11062,10643],"tags":[10516,714,10525],"class_list":["post-17906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computerworld","category-independent","tag-microsoft","tag-security","tag-windows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}