Happily just a few patches this month, but they are important nonetheless, especially a Critical patch for XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Let the web do the work

As always, how many of this month’s patches & updates will actually affect you personally depends on your Operating System version and certain applications.

Fortunately the Microsoft Update process will automatically determine what software you have installed that requires updating, if any, so you don’t need to fret over which to apply and which you can ignore. Read on for instructions on how to update automatically.

Readers who want more details about this month’s patches and updates can click here.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side of the Microsoft updates page you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Webcast

Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…
You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

Special Tip:
In some of the related articles below you may encounter instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version X” and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and that’s going to continue to be the case well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Did you find this post useful?

Please insert your comment below to let me know
that I’m providing the information you want.
On-topic questions welcome!

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Well, at a rough count, this month there are a total of 17 Microsoft updates designed to address something like 40 vulnerabilities. Yep, no misprint there: F-O-R-T-Y !!!

Security issues with Microsoft products aren’t improving any — in fact they’re getting worse.

I hope this gives you some idea of the abysmal situation that must exist for people who never update.

There is little to be gained by addressing the details of each patch individually. Just be aware that there are CRITICAL patches amongst them, and that you definitely need to apply the updates offered.

Let the web do the work

As usual, how many of this month’s patches & updates will actually affect you personally depends on your Operating System version and certain applications.

Fortunately the Microsoft Update process will automatically determine what software you have installed that requires updating, if any, so you don’t need to fret over which to apply and which you can ignore. Read on for instructions on how to update automatically.

Readers who want more details about this month’s patches and updates can click here.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side of the Microsoft updates page you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Webcast

Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…
You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

Special Tip:
In some of the related articles below you may encounter instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version X” and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and that’s going to continue to be the case well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Did you find this post useful?

Please insert your comment below to let me know
that I’m providing the information you want.
On-topic questions welcome!

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Patch Tuesday for November 2010 sees the release of three Security Bulletins which are designed to address 11 vulnerabilities.

This month it’s all about Microsoft applications, there being no reference to patches/updates for any of the Windows operating system versions.

The applications targeted this month are:

These fixes are rated from “important” to “critical”, so please pay them due attention.

*NOTE: The Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG) is a virtual private networking (VPN) solution designed to provide secure remote access to corporate networks for remote employees and business partners.

There are also non-security updates to:

Although of a “non-security” nature, these updates should be regarded as “high-priority”.

Fortunately the Microsoft Update process will automatically determine what software you have installed that requires updating, if any, so you don’t need to fret over which to apply and which you can ignore. Read on for instructions on how to update automatically.

Readers who want more details about this month’s patches and updates can click here.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side of the Microsoft updates page you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Webcast

Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…
You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

Special Tip:
In some of the related articles below you may encounter instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version X” and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and that’s going to continue to be the case well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Did you find this post useful?

Please insert your comment below to let me know
that I’m providing the information you want.
On-topic questions welcome!

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Is this another record for the number of Microsoft patches & updates in one month? I don’t know, but there’s a lot of them. Patches for something like 49 “holes” in Windows, Internet Explorer and the .NET framework. So make sure you take action now.

Fortunately the Microsoft Update process will automatically determine what software you have installed that requires updating, if any, so you don’t need to fret over which to apply and which you can ignore. Read on for instructions on how to update automatically.

Readers who want more details about this month’s patches and updates can click here.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side of the Microsoft updates page you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Webcast

Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: In some of the related articles below you may encounter instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version X” and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’m still getting variations on questions related to performing Microsoft/Windows updates, so perhaps it’s time for a brief refresher.

If, in any Microsoft operating system, you follow the sequence

Start –> Programs –> Microsoft Update

you will end up staring at the Microsoft browser which of course is Internet Explorer.

Abandon Internet Explorer!

It is my strongest and oft repeated recommendation that for many reasons you should abandon Internet Explorer in favour of Firefox. Firefox is not only a far better and more usable browser, it is also much safer. Or, use Google Chrome if you like, but it’s a bit spartan for my tastes. The main thing is to get away from Internet Explorer as your default browser.

Unfortunately in its raw state Firefox cannot process updates for you from update.microsoft.com or windowsupdate.com, or any variation that accesses the Microsoft/Windows update website.

Without getting into a lot of unnecessary detail, the reason is that the Microsoft update websites require an ActiveX control (follow that link if you want more info), and Firefox doesn’t “do” ActiveX — which is one of the reasons it’s much safer than Internet Explorer. ActiveX is a security nightmare.

Now many people are still under the impression that, while they prefer to use Firefox as their day-to-day browser, they have to switch to Internet Explorer to perform their Microsoft/Windows updates.

That hasn’t been the case for quite some time, and here’s how to make it not apply to you either. What we need to do is…

Fool the MS Update Websites

• If you don’t already have it installed and configured as your default browser, download Firefox from http://www.mozilla.com and install it. If you are already using Firefox make sure you are using the latest version. Very often new versions are released for valid security security reasons, not just to present a new feature or two.
• Locate the Firefox plug-in “IE Tab Plus” at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10909/ and install it.
• In Firefox, go to: Tools –> IE Tab Plus Options.
• Select the Site Filter tab and ensure that the following entries are present. From memory I think they are there by default, but if not it’s easy enough to add them:

• Click OK to close the options dialog.

So What’s All That Mean?

What it means is that from now on, whenever you point Firefox to update.microsoft.com or windowsupdate.com, Firefox will load the Internet Explorer Rendering Engine to display those sites, and everything should work just fine.

But You CANNOT Ignore Internet Explorer!

Please please please be aware that Firefox add-ons such as IE Tab Plus aren’t the only software that call upon some part of Internet Explorer code, so it is vitally important that you keep Internet Explorer up to date even if you’re not using it as your day-to-day browser.

Need more explanation? Want to offer a viewpoint? Please use the Comment Box below.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Well, Patch Tuesday rolls around again, and it’s a truly frenetic month for Microsoft patches & updates!

• 14 bulletins
• 34 vulnerabilities
• Numerous reboots!

And yes, it’s a pain, but with eight of those patches rated critical you really can’t afford to ignore this lot.

The Microsoft Update process will automatically determine if you have software installed that requires any or all of the patches, so there’s no need you to agonise over which to apply and which to ignore.

Readers who want to know more can get detailed information on this month’s patches and updates by clicking here.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side of the Microsoft updates page you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Webcast

Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: In some of the related articles below you may encounter instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version 8″ and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Related articles:

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

• Microsoft releases record number of security patches
• Microsoft Investigating Color Management Bug In Windows 7
• Critical Updates for Windows, Flash Player
• Record Patch Tuesday: Where to Begin
• Record Patch Tuesday yields critical Windows, IE fixes

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft has just released a critical patch that is applicable to all currently supported versions of Windows.This is a must-install for all Windows users!

Each month, on the second Tuesday of the month (fondly ????  known in the industry as Patch Tuesday) Microsoft releases a series of patches and updates for their various products. But occasionally something comes up that won’t wait until the next Patch Tuesday. They call these “out-of-band security bulletins”.

If you have Automatic Updates enabled in your Windows version, you should already have this critical out-of-band patch installed — or at least downloaded and awaiting installation. Either way, check now to see that you have it.

If you don’t have Automatic Updates enabled you should take steps to download and install this update immediately. There’s a reason it is classified as CRITICAL.

The Microsoft Update process will automatically determine if you have the patch installed, so it’s easy enough to sort out. If you want more information on this patch click here.

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: You will often encounter the recommendation “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version 8″ and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

This month’s patch activity involves four security bulletins which address five vulnerabilities in Windows and Microsoft Office.

The Microsoft Update process will automatically determine if you have software installed that requires any or all of the following, so there’s no need you to agonise over which to apply and which to ignore.

However, just so you know, the four bulletins for this month, along with the Microsoft’s severity classification of each, are:

MS10-042 (CRITICAL): Addresses an issue in the Windows Help and Support Center feature of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Windows XP users in particular should make installing this update a priority.

MS10-043 (CRITICAL): This bulletin will affect very few of my readers, as it applies only to 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 with Windows Aero enabled.

MS10-044 (CRITICAL): If you have Microsoft Office Access 2003 or 2007 installed this patch is rated Critical for you.

MS10-045 (IMPORTANT): A must-apply for anyone using Microsoft Outlook 2002 or 2003, or Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

Background

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left un-addressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

WEBCAST:
Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: When you read some of the related articles below you will encounter numerous instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version 8″ and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Related articles:

• Microsoft Security Updates & Farewell to Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Microsoft Fixes Critical Bugs in Windows, Office
• Microsoft Issues Four Security Bulletins
• Microsoft To Patch 4 Critical Bugs On July 13
• MS Patch Tuesday: Googler Zero-Day Fixed in 33 Days
• Microsoft plugs critical Windows, Office holes
• Patch Tuesday & XP SP2 end of life
• With Fix Now Out, Microsoft Sees Jump in XP Attacks

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft Updates time is here again, and this is an exceptionally large and very important batch of patches and updates. Exactly how many will apply to you depends on your Windows/Office versions, but in total Microsoft has classified 3 updates as “critical” and seven as “important”, designed to fix a total of 34 vulnerabilities.

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left unaddressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW…

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

WEBCAST:
Each month, in association with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way, if you’re not in the US/Canadian Pacific Time Zone, SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for converting times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: When you read some of the related articles below you will encounter numerous instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version 8″ and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Related articles:

• Microsoft plans gigantic Patch Tuesday next week
• Ten bulletins on the way for Patch Tuesday
• Microsoft Patch Tuesday for June 2010: 10 bulletins
• MS lines up 10 bulletins for bumper Patch Tuesday
• After buggy patch, criminals exploit Windows flaw
• Microsoft Finally Admits Numbers of Vulnerabilities It Reports Are Fake

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft Updates time is here again! On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft releases software patches & updates for their various products, so this is a very important day for all Windows users who care about their privacy and security [full summary here].

Why? Well..

Often a Microsoft patch or update will close a vulnerability that, if left unaddressed, could allow an attacker to take complete control of your computer.

And that’s something you REALLY don’t want!

Keeping your installation patched up-to-date is so important that, whether or not you have Automatic Updates enabled, at this time of each month it’s still wise to manually double-check that everything that matters has been installed. Don’t be put off by the word “manually” — it’s a quick and easy process.

HERE’S HOW:

• Point your web browser to: http://www.update.microsoft.com
• Click the Custom button.
• Install any high-priority updates that are reported.

But Don’t Stop There!

In the column on the left-hand side you will see links for:

• Software, Optional (n)
• Hardware, Optional (n)

The number in brackets indicates how many updates of that type are applicable to your computer. If the number is anything other than (0) then click that link and investigate, installing the update if necessary (or if in doubt). Similarly, you may find relevant updates in one of the links under “Select by Product”, so do the same with any of those.

WEBCAST:
Each month, in association with PatchTuesday, Microsoft presents an online Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletins for that month. Webcasts are usually initially presented on the Wednesday, the day after Patch Tuesday, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). They are also recorded and available for later viewing. To register for a Webcast or to view Webcasts that have passed, click this link.

By the way… SymmTime is a great on-screen world time utility for anyone who needs to check or convert times around the world. It’s free and highly configurable.

Did you know…

Many of the malware threats that you are frequently warned about in the various news and information media, on and off-line, should never be the slightest threat to you.

How come? Well, because…

If you made a habit of applying the patches & updates that are issued by Microsoft every month, you would be IMMUNE from infection by many of the tens of thousands of threats currently circulating on the Internet, with more being churned out by the cyber-grubs on an almost daily basis.

The vast majority of these threats get into your computer by exploiting some known vulnerability in Windows. When one of these vulnerabilities is patched by Microsoft, the threat becomes benign — but only if you have applied the free patch to your version of Windows.

So remember…

You Ignore Patches & Updates at Your Peril!

PS: When you read some of the related articles below you will encounter numerous instances of “Microsoft recommends updating Internet Explorer to version 8″ and “Microsoft recommends avoiding blah blah blah” and etc. Listen up! You’ll be orders of magnitude safer if you take my advice instead — download the free Firefox browser and give Internet Explorer the flick. IE has been a real security problem for a long time and it’s going to continue to be so well into the future. Firefox is a far better browser in every respect.

Related articles:

• The Browser Wars: Another Milestone

©2012 Bill Hely's "Computer & Online Security" Blog. All Rights Reserved.