Head's up -- Software Updates:

Piriform has now released CCleaner v5.12.5431; the new update comes in three installer variants: Standard ( Freeware - Free to use ), Professional and Professional Plus ( Shareware - Paid/Premium with Customer Support ). The main publisher's download section also offers the Portable version, while most downloading hubs will be offering the three offline installer variants

Adobe has released Shockwave Player v12.2.1.172; the new update comes in two forms: Slim and Full ( the Full installer contains bloatware installation of Chrome if you have none installed ) -- the installers are available only at the main publisher's section, as most downloading hubs will be offering a redirect link

Malwarebytes has released Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit v1.08.1.1045; the new Freeware update is available at most downloading hubs and at the main publisher's secure downloading hub ( which is in HTTPS )

Sidenotes
1 -- Please do note that if you have certain products installed in your gear, it may not be fair to install MBAM Anti-Exploit as it may cause program/system crashes -- to review the said programs, please visit the MBAM Support Forums posted Thread:

Reference source -- Known Issues & Conflicts - Anti-Exploit Product Support - Malwarebytes Forum

2 -- Members should refrain from posting any affiliate links to such Security Forums, which is considered as Forum Spamming -- I have seen from time to time that some Clickers post their affiliate links as a Thread post on such places; Staff members from such sites does not take Forum spamming lightly

Head's up -- News Update:

There's been talk about Lenovo months back due to the Superfish issue ( a quick search on your favorite search engines should provide old Tech News about the incident ); where Lenovo products ( desktops / laptops ) were pre-installed with rouge security certifcates that served as spyware platforms. Now, Tech Blogs are reporting that Dell seems to be heading in that same direction -- as it comes pre-installed in Dell products ( desktops / laptops )

Though that Dell has been informed of the issue, some tech analysts have found out that there was more than one instance of the rouge certificate -- the review can be read at the GHacks tech blog:

Reference source -- Dell does a Lenovo: ships laptops with rogue root CA - gHacks Tech News

The Tech Blog will provide links to test ( if you have a Dell unit ) if you are affected with the security vulnerability, as well as a guide how to remove the rouge certificates

Sidenote: As always, the comments left by the Blog are good gems to keep tabs of

Head's up -- Software Updates


Microsoft has released Optional Security Update kb3112343 -- this update is meant to provide additional support for systems that will be taking the upgrade from their current OS to Win10; for members who DON'T want to have to upgrade to Win10, it's best to hide this update

Aside from the provided Tech Article below, it notes that users must be very cautious of the wordings on the said MS Optional Update description ( see screen cap provided in the Tech Blog )

If you have Windows, please check your updater and make sure that it's set to Manual if you don't wish to have this update installed automatically into your Windows OS

Reference source -- Windows 7/8.1 updates KB3112343 and KB3112336 | Born's Tech and Windows World

Head's up -- Tech News

Believe it or not, Microsoft will be laying down IE -- IE 11 will be the last version that will be on the Windows system, but for those who have Win7/8/8-1 will need to update to this or lose any security patches. Details of the news can be seen at the ZDNet Tech Blog:

Reference source -- Millions of Internet Explorer users must update, or lose patches | ZDNet

oberder wrote: Head's up -- Tech News

Believe it or not, Microsoft will be laying down IE -- IE 11 will be the last version that will be on the Windows system, but for those who have Win7/8/8-1 will need to update to this or lose any security patches. Details of the news can be seen at the ZDNet Tech Blog:

Reference source -- Millions of Internet Explorer users must update, or lose patches | ZDNet

So finally this dinosaur is going to die!
I wonder who uses IE

Quote:I wonder who uses IE

In Japan and Korea, oddly, it's still the number one browser,

China and Russia have a lot of IE users too.

Head's up -- Software Updates

Thomas Koen has released the new GeekUninstaller v1.3.5.55; the new stand-alone update is available at the main publisher's site as well as most reputable downloading hubs

* Note: this program is a Stand-Alone Freeware, which means it can be store in a USB; no need to install, and updating any previous versions of it is just a quick delete/replace

Chronium, the stable fork of the popular Google Chrome, has released Chromium 49.0.2584.0; the new update is available at most reputable downloading hubs

in re: to Adobe Flash---that has been a real pain on Chromium- with no way to fix. I get emails frequently re: crashes. Glad I am not an Owner or Admin. as it continues to be a problem no matter who tackles it ---even Googles fixes don't work.
OK Back to the Grid & surveys just in case I find one that has a bit of cash.

adinkle wrote: in re: to Adobe Flash---that has been a real pain on Chromium- with no way to fix. I get emails frequently re: crashes. Glad I am not an Owner or Admin. as it continues to be a problem no matter who tackles it ---even Googles fixes don't work.
OK Back to the Grid & surveys just in case I find one that has a bit of cash.

From what I can get from the Chronium Wiki page, is that you'll need the Pepper variant of Adobe Flash ( also known as PPAPI ) :

Reference source -- Chromium - ArchWiki

From the main publisher ( Adobe ) Flash player downloading section, look for the Need Flash Player for a Different Computer, then click on that -- when the redirected window opens, on step1 just select the appropriate OS, and step2 select the PPAPI plugin

* EDIT: Make sure to opt-out of the McAfee add-on

Head's up -- Software Updates



Microsoft has now released is Security Updates ( collectively known as "Patch Tuesdays Updates" ) for December 2015 -- the new updates are highlighted in the GHacks Tech Blog, with each Security Update having it's description and importance. Details can be seen at the link below:

Reference source -- Microsoft Security Bulletins For December 2015 - gHacks Tech News

* NOTE: Make sure that you get to review the Security Updates; if you have your Windows set to Automatic updating, check if you have inadvertenly installed any update that may prompt you to have a Win10 Update

** Side Note: Like most Blogs, reading through the reader's comments is a good source of info, and a gem to review

Head's up -- Software update

Mozilla will soon be releasing Firefox v43.0 either today, or within this week -- the Relase Notes of the new version ( which is currently in Beta ) has been provided at the main publisher's site, and so far the details are also review by tech blogs

Reference sources:

a) Mozilla Release Channel News -- Firefox — Beta Notes (43.0beta) — Mozilla

b) GHacks Tech Review -- Firefox 43: Find out what is new - gHacks Tech News

The new update will be available via the browser's updater; the offline installer should follow within the week, where all variants ( OS designations, and it's respective regional translations ) shall be offered at the main publisher's downloading hub ( most reputable downloading hubs will be offering the EN-US Offline installer )

* Sidenote: Please do not install Beta variants, unless you know how to troubleshoot and uninstall such versions safely from your gear

Quote:GTK3 integration (GNU/Linux only)

That's not a feature. That's doublespeak for "We broke QT again".

BouldRake wrote:

Quote:GTK3 integration (GNU/Linux only)

That's not a feature. That's doublespeak for "We broke QT again".

Heheh, guess they took notice on that at the GHacks tech blog -- it got strucked out

Head's up -- Firefox Tweak

In regards to the new update of Mozilla Firefox v43.0, you'll be able to notice something annoying -- every time you type, or use a bookmark, you'll see a "VISIT" on the address bar

There's a way to disable this!

a) Make sure to log out of your online accounts ( you'll be closing and restarting the browsers later )
b) On the Firefox address bar, type "about:config" ( without the quotation marks ) -- and click on the I'll Be Careful to continue
c) On the address line, copy-paste: browser.urlbar.unifiedcomplete ( The default value of this is True, change it to False )
d) Close your browser, count to at least 3-5 seconds, the reopen your Firefox browser

Reference source -- FF 43 Search Suggestions • mozillaZine Forums


EDIT: Personal observation -- found that loading time has drastically dropped; the tweak may or may not work, depending on your IP strength/speed; if the tweak does not work, revert back t the default setting as indicated

EDIT2: Personal observation -- the earlier mention of disabling the "VISIT" status on the address bar DOES works; was testing it earlier during connection difficulty due to the current rainstorm ( sorry about that )

Looks like Conduit toolbars are not compatible with Firefox 43 (atleast for now).

My old toolbar has been disabled and when I tried to remove it and reinstall it, I get a message :
The add-on downloaded from this site could not be installed because it appears to be corrupt.

ptcscrutiny wrote: Looks like Conduit toolbars are not compatible with Firefox 43 (atleast for now).

My old toolbar has been disabled and when I tried to remove it and reinstall it, I get a message :
The add-on downloaded from this site could not be installed because it appears to be corrupt.

Hope this Firefox tweak ( About:Config ) can help: xpinstall.signatures.required -- the default value is TRUE, change that to FALSE so you can still use the add-ons without worries of signature verification

That is, until v44 where the tweak will be removed ( if that happens, the best bet is to using the Nightly or ESR variants )

EDIT: I just had to find the article regarding this tweak

Reference source -- What you do when Firefox disables installed add-ons - gHacks Tech News

Head's up -- Software updates

Brightfort Studios ( formerly JavaCool ) has released new security data for SpywareBlaster v5.2; to date, there are now 17340 Database Security Signatures -- one can manually check these, or for those who purchased it, it will automatically add the database to your systems

TheDocumentFoundation has now released LibreOffice Productivity Suite v5.0.4; the new update is available for all OS variants at the main publisher's site, including multi-language variants for both 32-bit and 64-bit machines; most reputable downloading hubs will also be offering either 32/64-bit variants

John T. Haller of PortableApps has released Mozilla Firefox Portable v43.0; this browser variant of Firefox is a stand-alone program that can be run directly from a USB ( no installations needed ) -- the stand-alone USB installer is available at the main publisher's site, and a few reputable mirror downloading hubs

-----
EDIT: Microsoft is ( once more ) pushing kb3035583 into the MS Updater; this Optional Update is responsible of preparing your Win7/8/8.1 for migration to Win10 -- and adds the annoying pop-ups and message prompts on your system; make sure that your MS Updater is not set to automatically download and install any update package, so you can review them and make your own decision whether to install them or hide them

EDIT2: Providing source in regards -- Enough already: Microsoft pushes Windows nagware patch KB 3035583 for sixth time | InfoWorld

oberder wrote: Hope this Firefox tweak ( About:Config ) can help: xpinstall.signatures.required -- the default value is TRUE, change that to FALSE so you can still use the add-ons without worries of signature verification

That is, until v44 where the tweak will be removed ( if that happens, the best bet is to using the Nightly or ESR variants )

EDIT: I just had to find the article regarding this tweak

Reference source -- What you do when Firefox disables installed add-ons - gHacks Tech News

Perfecto! The solution works 100%
Thanks a lot.

Head's up -- Software updates

Mozilla has now released a patch; Firefox v43.0.1 is ready on your browser's update system, and the Offline installers for all OS ( with regional translated variants ) are available at the main publisher's site -- most downloading hubs will be offering the Offline EN-US Installer

EDIT: Unfortunately, the Release Notes for the new version aren't appear, instead it leads to the Mozilla Blog regarding new Contributors; please refer instead to the prior changes as noted in the Beta version

Brightfort Studios has now released SpywareBlaster v5.4; the new update is available at the main publisher's site ( make sure to opt-out of the offer page section ) and at most reputable downloading hubs

NOTE: Make sure that after you installed the new version of SpywareBlaster, manually check for updates since the new version will be carrying new protection signatures that needs to be confirmed

It's not clear at what point 43.0.1 was tagged, but I looked over the commit notes for the last few days, and JS fixes, Canvas fixes, not much else.