Software updates: What’s the deal with them, am I right??

Pardon my Seinfeld intro, but really.  Doesn’t it feel like every week or two your computer or phone is bugging you about some update that you need to download?  Some updates seem huge, with massive interface redesigns and stylistic changes, while others don’t seem to do anything at all.

However, the updates that visually do the least, might actually be the most important ones to download.

Updates keep you safe.

We’ve talked about the best way to keep your computer safe from viruses and more recently, how Equifax got hacked again and that this may become the “new normal”. As in, maybe hacking/infiltrating secure networks could become more common in the near future.

In both of those articles we touch on the fact that you should be updating your software regularly.  However, I don’t think we’ve really expressed how important it is to keep updating. The most recent “hacking” headline has been related to KRACK attacks – another way potential hackers can infiltrate your network (via Wi-Fi) as long as they are within physical proximity.

KRACK kills!

If you want to learn the nitty-gritty details about how KRACK attacks work, PC Mag has written a good explanation.  To keep it simple here, it’s a basic hacking attempt that works on Wi-Fi networks because nobody really thought about people using this kind of method to get into a network.

Once somebody is “in” they can put malicious software onto all Wi-Fi dependent devices on the network, including viruses like ransomware.  This is a very large concern for businesses, but individual households could also be targeted.

So. Update your phone, update your computer, because they’re hacking everything out here.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all trying to roll out updates to their devices as fast as possible to fix the problem.  That means computers, phones, tablets, and anything else you can think of really. If you’ve been lax about updating your devices because you never really understood the importance, I strongly urge you to change your habits.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to guarantee your information’s safety in the ever-changing world of technology, but there are a few “best practices” you can do to limit your risk.