What is the best way to protect your computer from threats? Many people will say “my antivirus software” or “deleting suspicious email” or “having a good password”. While all of these are crucial to keeping your computer safe, one of the most overlooked ways of protecting your computer is installing the latest software updates.
The IT world is full of engineers constantly trying to stay ahead of hackers. These hackers are often determined to infect your computer or your network and then hold your data for ransom. The good guys sometimes find vulnerabilities in the software and will release fixes for these vulnerabilities as software updates.
By keeping your computer up to date, you make sure that these fixes are in place on your computer before the bad guys can exploit the hole in the system. Big name hacks, such as the “WannaCry” crisis, where large corporations’ data was held for ransom are widely believed to be a result of these companies being behind on their updates.
Follow these instructions to check your update status:
How to install Windows updates
- Click on your start menu
- Click on the gear icon
- Click on Update & Security
- Click on Check for Updates
- If prompted, restart your computer
How to install Mac updates
- Click on the Apple logo in the top left of the screen
- Click About This Mac
- Click Software Update
Does your computer look different?
If these instructions don’t work, there’s a chance that your software is quite out of date and you may need a large feature update or even a new operating system. TMC2, as part of our checkup service, always makes sure your machine is as up to date as possible.
If you want to take the guesswork our of keeping your computer and information safe, call us at 630-942-8622 or contact us here