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.
