In terms of security updates, this is a big one. Microsoft discovered a hole in the Windows software that allows someone, a bad actor, as they say, to gain access to your computer remotely.
According to Microsoft, it patches 71 holes or vulnerabilities. And that’s just the ones it knows about.
The most serious problem is remote access. If a hacker targets your computer, they can take over from wherever they are, see your information, install software and keyloggers where they can see every letter you type.
Vulnerabilities also include “spoofing,” the elevation of privilege, and denial of service. These are also known as “Zero Day” vulnerabilities, meaning they are already threats.
Updating a Windows PC is critical. To check to see if yours needs updating, click on the Windows start button in the lower left hand of the screen. Look for Update and Security, and choose “Windows Update.” Alternately, just click on power and restart. If an update is available, it’ll install itself when the computer starts up again.
Updates like this are both good and bad. Good because there’s a fix, but bad because hackers, if they didn’t already know about it, know about it now. And they can hack computers using the vulnerability right now.
So, if you’ve got a Windows PC, update it right away.