MS-DEFCON 2: Copilot for Christmas

By Susan Bradley

The upcoming December updates will begin Microsoft’s process of dribbling out Windows Copilot.

No question here — I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

I’m not sure I understand why Copilot needed to be so deeply embedded in Windows, at least right now. It’s obvious that putting the guts of AI support into the operating system is inevitable, because Microsoft’s apps are rapidly evolving to include Copilot.

However, Microsoft’s icon for Copilot still includes the “PRE” badge, which in effect signals that we’re all still beta testers for a Copilot preview. Besides, with your Microsoft account and Edge, you can play around with Copilot at low risk. Even that generates some uncertainty, because I’ve seen Copilot in Bing deliver wrong answers.

Maybe the bugs should be worked out before Copilot is welded permanently to Windows.

Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.49.1, 2023-12-07).

December 2023 Office non-Security Updates

Microsoft released NO non-security updates for Office on December 5, 2023.

On April 10, 2018, Office 2013 reached End of Mainstream Support. Extended Support ended for Office 2013 on April 11, 2023.
Office 2016 also reached  End of Mainstream Support on October 13, 2020. EOS for Office 2016 is October 14, 2025.

Updates are for the .msi version (perpetual). Office 365 and C2R are not included.

Security updates for all supported versions of Microsoft Office are released on the second Tuesday of the month (Patch Tuesday).

How to do a Windows 11 repair install

PATCH WATCH

By Susan Bradley

Most of us install updates every month with no issues whatsoever. But then there are times when updates don’t install.

Sometimes updates fail for obvious reasons. I’ve seen cases where one update will inadvertently trigger a reboot while a second update is in the works. This is an easy fix — just ignore the reboot message and wait for the machine to kick a reboot later on in the day or evening.

Other errors may point to corruption in the operating system.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

Ignore Susan Bradley’s Patch Watch at your peril

PUBLIC DEFENDER

By Brian Livingston

They say a cobbler’s children have no shoes. I proved this aphorism — the hard way — when I absent-mindedly clicked on a Microsoft update that seriously messed up some features of Windows 11 that I rely on.

I’ll tell you what occurred and how you can prevent it from happening to you. Most importantly, I’ll explain how you can recover if an update has already wreaked havoc on your system.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).

Tmas Greetings!

LEGAL BRIEF

By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

It is a mystery why a company would voluntarily replace one of the most recognizable product names in the world with a name that has multiple pre-existing uses and connotations.

It isn’t the first time that a famous brand changed its logo. Standard Oil of New Jersey replaced ESSO with EXXON in 1972. But it’s a rare event, so it is interesting when the owner of a famous brand announces such a major change in brand identity.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).

Microsoft Photos, Photos Legacy, and Windows 10

WINDOWS 11

By Ed Tittel

An investigation into the backport of the new Microsoft Photos app into Windows 10 raises some interesting questions. Not all have answers.

A funny thing happened to Windows 10 late this summer. Microsoft proclaimed in April that no new feature upgrades would happen for this older but still vigorous Windows OS, an unexpected feature release for Windows 10 silently upgraded the Photos app. This “new” version turns out to be the same as the Photos app in Windows 11. At the end of October, yet another Photos app, called Photos Legacy, appeared in the Microsoft Store; it supposedly matches the original version bundled with Windows 10.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).

Hardening your operating system

ON SECURITY

By Susan Bradley

Several years ago, it was considered a best practice to protect business computer systems by “hardening” them.

You would turn off unnecessary services, disable features, and basically follow a checklist provided by the Center for Internet Security (CIS). But now our protection must be much more than hardening the operating system. We must harden our perimeter and — more importantly — our browsing.

You probably spend as much time surfing on a phone as you do surfing on a computer. Today’s big picture is that there are more and more people who use tablets or phones, touching traditional PCs only at the office. The result? Attackers are targeting business users through email, and home users through browsing.

What can we do to harden these?

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).

Permanent posts for blocking Copilot

I’m adding some permanent post locations for guidance and information about how to block Copilot.

Remember you have lots of choices once Microsoft starts rolling it out.

One of which includes just ignoring the multi colored icon with the “Pre” label on it until they finally call it released.

Info on blocking it in Home versions

Info on blocking in professional versions

And of course blocking it in Microsoft 365 which is QUITE easy to do since right now it’s rollout is EXTREMELY limited, and you have to purchase a minimum of 300 seats.

Apple zero days fixed – November 30, 2023

End of the month zero days for Apple
Apple pushed updates for 2 new zero-days that may have been actively exploited.

🐛 CVE-2023-42916 (WebKit),
CVE-2023-42917 (WebKit):
– iOS & iPadOS 17.1.2
– macOS Sonoma 14.1.2
– Safari 17.1.2

Link at the Apple site

MS-DEFCON 3: A slightly bumpy November

By Susan Bradley

For most Windows 10 and 11 users, including me, there have been no side effects as a result of November’s updates.

Nonetheless, there appear to be a few potholes in the road. That’s enough to make me cautious — I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to only 3.

One thing I did notice was updates taking more time to complete than usual — not a good sign. At the very least, it’s a good reason to take a look at the update history in Settings.

Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.48.1, 2023-11-28).

Privacy is complicated

EDITORIAL

By Will Fastie

AskWoody spends a lot of time discussing matters of privacy and security.

It would be great if we could write one article that would serve as a permanent primer on the subject. Unfortunately, you know from decades of experience that the threat landscape changes constantly. We’re lucky if we can stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Or, for that matter, the good guys, who seem hell bent on learning everything they can about us and using that information — for better or for worse.

Although a single primer seems an unreachable goal, we can offer some guidance around specific technologies. That’s the theme of this, our fall Bonus Issue. In the following four articles, Susan Bradley shares her thoughts and offers guidance to help you keep your personal information as private as possible, short of becoming a hermit on an isolated atoll in the remote Pacific. She covers privacy from the perspective of location, gadgets, the Web, and the PC.

Your patronage makes it possible to provide this bonus material, and more. Thank you for being a Plus member.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).

Why do computers want my location?

PRIVACY

By Susan Bradley

On a regular basis, my phone and computers ask whether they can use my location.

iPhone apps, in particular, often generate multiple requests. To be fair, these annoying prompts are meant to alert you to the fact that the apps want your location for one reason or another.

But why do these apps need location information? Are they spying on you?

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.48.0, 2023-11-27).