Why Update?

Why Update? a reader asks…

It seems like every day some part of my technology needs to be updated. It’s a real pain, especially when I’m working on something and a popup hits my screen saying I need an update to something or other. Just yesterday my Norton told me I have to upgrade to a new version. Do I really need to do these updates?

Short answer, yes. In almost all cases, an update to a software program, operating system, app, or driver fixes one or more security issues in addition to fixing bugs that can cause other problems. In the case of Norton, they issue a new version when they realize that hackers have reverse-engineered or otherwise compromised the security of the current version. Yesterday, Norton issued a new version because someone had discovered a ‘remote kernel-level exploit’ that gives a hacker full control over your computer. This vulnerability affects all Norton security products because it’s part of the antivirus engine. So yes, upgrade to the latest Norton version asap. Instead of why, you should be asking why not?

My general advice for consumers is to update as soon as possible anytime your device hardware or installed software tell you an update or upgrade is available. Software and firmware vendors are constantly finding vulnerabilities to their products, and issuing patches to plug these holes. When you put off the update or upgrade, you are leaving yourself open to hackers. Since all this software is publicly available, hackers can get it as easily as you can, and routinely search for ways they can compromise the security of the software. Not just security software either, hackers target all sorts of software on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and Java have been ripe targets for years, in part because they were created and developed in a time before hacking was the big-business activity it is now. Same for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The Mac OS X operating system was created with security in mind, but it’s still not totally immune to compromise.

All this to say that you need to do these updates and upgrades as soon as practical for your situation. If you’re in the middle of writing a report under a deadline, then you should of course put off the update till you’ve got a free minute, but don’t put it off too long. Or forget about it entirely. Think about these updates as doing maintenance on your car. Sure if you don’t do the maintenance, your car will continue to run – for awhile. But sooner or later, you’ll be stuck on the roadside waiting for a tow truck. With most of these computer updates it’s even more critical, like having gas in your car. So don’t delay any more than you have to, install those updates soon!