Software updates for May 2013
Updates
Microsoft – There are a total of 10 updates from Microsoft this month with 2 of them listed as critical and the remaining 8 listed as important. The first critical vulnerability affects all version of MS 
Windows and Internet Explorer and allows an attacker to install viruses, malware, etc. or completely take over the computer simply by getting the victim to view an infected web page. The second critical vulnerability affects MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista and MS Windows 7 (this reportedly does not affect Windows 8 or Windows RT) and also allows an attacker to install viruses, malware, etc. or completely take over the computer simply by getting the victim to view an infected web page.
Microsoft releases regular updates the second Tuesday of each month, often referred to as ‘Patch Tuesday’. These updates are categorized as Low, Moderate, Important or Critical. The updates can include any *supported* Microsoft product from Windows (Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows Server, etc.) to Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, OneNote, and even MS Office for Mac) to Internet Explorer to server products like Exchange, SQL Server and more. If you have one of these products installed, especially if the update is listed as Important or Critical, it’s important that the update be installed.
Additional details are available from Microsoft here.
Adobe – Adobe has released updates this month for Adobe Reader and Acrobat as well as Cold Fusion. 
Like Microsoft, Adobe now releases updates to their products on the second Tuesday of each month. Adobe will also release ‘out of band’ updates if necessary to address critical vulnerabilities in their products. Adobe products include Adobe Reader (for viewing PDF files), Adobe Flash Player (often used to watch videos like YouTube and in interactive web content like games) and Adobe Shockwave.
Additional details and downloads are available from Adobe here.
Also of note, Adobe Systems has announced a new business model for Creative Suite. Beginning in June, the new software as a service (SaaS) model will replace the disks they used to sell. Creative Cloud has been expanded to include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver. The service will be priced about $20/month per app to about $50/month for the whole suite. CC can be used on Mac, iOS, Windows and Android.
Java – The latest version of Java (download below) is version 7 update 21 but there are still a LOT of folks running older versions. Java version 6 is no longer being updated; the last update was 
released in April 2013. We are seeing computers daily that have been compromised due to outdated installs of Java. Although there are no *new* updates for Java, you still need to make sure that you have the latest version (or just remove it altogether).
Java is a tool that’s widely used by Banks, online service providers and even security companies for VPN connections. Java’s ‘official’ release cycle is approximately quarterly but Java updates have been ‘fast and furious’ for the past several months. It’s worth noting again that, if you don’t absolutely need Java on your computer, it’s worth removing it altogether (this can be done from Add / Remove programs). And it is highly recommended you remove Java version 6 if it is still on your computer.
Additional details and downloads are available from Oracle here.
Monthly Update Clients
* If you are not currently taking advantage of our monthly update service and would like more information or to sign up, additional information is available here
For our Monthly Update clients, if a date and time hasn’t already been scheduled to install your updates, we will be contacting you shortly to schedule.
If you aren’t already taking advantage of our monthly update service, there’s no time like the present to get started. We offer a monthly update service to keep all of your computers up-to-date for a low monthly fixed price with no long-term committment. Additional information is available on our website.
Support Center: http://helpdesk.cybertechcafe.net/index.php?