Tomorrow is Patch Tuesday. And Microsoft is releasing a record number of patches.
Fortunately, many Windows users have their PCs configured to automatically download and install Windows Updates/Patches. But that is only part of the battle. Keeping Anti-Virus software up-to-date is also important. And for many users, that too is a process that takes care of itself automatically.
But what about everything else on your PC which makes it vulnerable to viruses? How do other programs get updated? Chances are, they don’t! Adobe Reader is probably out-of-date on your PC, and has become a very common attack vector. In fact, you need to update Adobe Reader as soon as the next update is released, since current versions contain a vulnerability that is being exploited.
If you have not done so already, I would again encourage everyone with a personal PC to download and use the Secunia Personal Software Inspector. It checks a lot of programs, to see if they are up-to-date. (http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/) After you install this program, verify that on the ‘Settings’ page the box is checked to enable the program to start automatically on boot, and also the box to enable program monitoring. Doing this should go a long way toward keeping your PC fully updated.
You may want to try the new (still beta) version of the Secunia software, which takes things a step further by automatically updating programs. (http://secunia.com/PSI2SetupBeta.exe) However, keep in mind that some programs (many from Apple) cannot be silently updated automatically, so don’t consider this a "set it & forget it" solution just yet.
2 comments:
"The zero-day hacker attacks against Adobe’s software products are coming fast and furious."
From: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/adobe-flash-player-zero-day-under-attack/7342?tag=nl.e539
Zero-day, five-day, ten-day...does it really matter? Vulnerabilities will always be found, and possibly exploited, faster than they can be fixed. Jumping at every vulnerability the instant they appear, regardless of whether there is a patch or not, is a good way to grow old fast.
Which is not to say keeping software up to date isn't important. Just about every program, especially internet-aware apps, should be updated almost every time an update is available. But it's just as important to focus on other layers of security, including practicing smart computing habits. Paying attention to anything, no matter how small, that looks out of the ordinary is one key that most users completely neglect.
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