Software updates are number one of the Cyber hygiene practices.
Cyber hygiene is the practices and precautions businesses can take to prevent and protect from theft and outside attacks. Updating the software we use should be a part of our Cyber Hygienic Practices.
Update Tuesday
Microsoft releases security updates for their operating systems and applications, including Office, on the second Tuesday of each month in North America. That is what we have known as Patch Tuesday or Update Tuesday.
Windows 10 checks for updates about once per day, a powered on and connected to the internet Windows PC should automatically download these updates by Wednesday afternoon. If you do not see an update, check Windows Update on your computer to see if it was detected.
IT professionals know that patches will arrive on the second Tuesday of each month, and they can make plans to test or install them. It is easier than continually applying smaller patches and more predictable than huge patches arriving on a random day of the month.
If the security hole isn’t being exploited “in the wild,” Microsoft waits to bundle the security fixes in Update Tuesday. Otherwise, it releases critical security patches immediately.
Other companies chose to release security patches in the same schedule as Update Tuesday to make things easier for system administrators. We knew SAP, Adobe, and Oracle have selected to join Update Tuesday to release updates to their systems.
̶ The latest Update Tuesday was on February 9, 2021, and the next one will be on March 9, 2021.
̶ The last update fixed 56 security vulnerabilities across Windows operating systems and some other Microsoft software.
̶ 9 of the 56 updates were Critical.
Optional Quality Updates
You may notice there are “Optional Quality Updates” for preview. These are non-security issues waiting for “more testing” before including it in the regular updates. You can choose to install it or wait.
Windows Feature Set Updates
Update Tuesday doesn’t contain new features. Microsoft schedules the Windows 10 feature updates every 6 months.
Microsoft releases it on the day it decides. Even after the official release, Microsoft takes precautions in the rollout. Nowadays, Microsoft uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to determine when it’s confident the update is safe to install for your combination of hardware and software. You can still choose to skip the wait and install them immediately, but Microsoft says you have better odds of a good experience if you decide to wait.
̶ The latest Windows 10 or Windows Server feature set is 20H2. Microsoft released it on October 22, 2020.
̶ You can view information about Windows 10 updates on Microsoft’s Windows 10 Update History page.
What does it mean if your Windows isn’t supported?
Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. This means there are no more software updates from Microsoft for bug fixes and security updates.
It is not just the Windows operating systems that stopped updates; so do the vendors. Your operational hardware and application software supported by vendors became vulnerable. Once all security updates stop, your process is subject to viruses, spyware, and malicious software that facilitate a Cybersecurity Breach.
If you have difficulty or incompatibility that prevents you from Windows Updates, we are here to help.
WE PREVENT, PROTECT, EDUCATE, CONTACT US.
Susie Chow – ITensure
Call/Text: (714)633-9454
