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Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 06:44:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n January 2018 will go down in history as one of the <\/span>worst patching months<\/span><\/a> in Microsoft\u2019s very checkered history. That isn\u2019t an isolated muck-up. It\u2019s a harbinger. We had a couple of really bad months in 2017 \u2014\u00a0<\/span>February <\/span><\/a>and <\/span>November <\/span><\/a>come immediately to mind \u2014 but an unconscionable number of patches left bricked machines and busted programs in their wake. <\/span><\/p>\n With the onslaught of February security patches due tomorrow, you should take a few minutes to make sure Microsoft\u2019s problems won\u2019t immediately turn into your problems. <\/span><\/p>\n Security luminary Brian Krebs has already reported that we\u2019re in for a potful of patches for February\u2019s Patch Tuesday. His list of <\/span>ten critical patches<\/span><\/a> due out tomorrow should give you pause.<\/span><\/p>\n (By the by \u2014 in case you didn\u2019t know \u2014 Microsoft sends out a list of its upcoming patches every month, late in the week preceding Patch Tuesday. That list only goes to large installations that pay for the privilege. Theoretically, the list is under NDA, but in actuality everybody passes it around. The list used to be widely and freely available. Now it\u2019s under a pricey fig leaf. Another entry in the \u201csecurity by obscurity\u201d tradition, with a pecuniary twist.)<\/span><\/p>\n As is always the case, folks who aren\u2019t willing or able to keep their machines updated should turn on Automatic Update and pray that the Update Gods don\u2019t swallow their machines whole. Contrariwise, Windows users who understand what\u2019s happening should take the necessary steps right now to make sure their machines are braced.<\/span><\/p>\n Get out of the unpaid <\/span>beta testing pool<\/span><\/a>. Set yourself a reminder, if you need one, to check back in a few days and see if the screams of pain have reached, oh, let\u2019s say, January levels.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re using Windows 7 or 8.1, the Automatic Update block is easy: Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security. Under Windows Update, click the “Turn automatic updating on or off” link. Click the “Change Settings” link on the left. Verify that you have Important Updates set to “Never check for updates (not recommended)” and click OK.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re on Windows 10 Pro Creators Update, version 1703, or Pro 1709, you can use Windows\u2019 built-in tools to hold off on the looming patches \u2014 just follow Steps 7 and 8 in<\/span> 8 steps to install Windows 10 patches like a pro<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0Other Windows 10 users, including all Win10 Home owners, aren\u2019t quite so lucky, but the general approach is detailed in<\/span> Woody’s Win10Tip: Block forced Windows updates<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n A few minutes now could save you hours of headache. Get Automatic Update turned off, then watch here, or on your favorite bug reporting site, to monitor for widespread pandemonium.<\/span><\/p>\n If you find a security \u201cexpert\u201d who tells you to turn on Automatic Updates after all the hassles we had last month, send \u2018em to the AskWoody Lounge and we\u2019ll knock ’em upside the head.\u00a0Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Join the MS-DEFCON 2 brigade on the <\/span><\/i>AskWoody Lounge<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/category\/security\/index.rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 06:44:00 -0800<\/strong><\/p>\n January 2018 will go down in history as one of the <\/span>worst patching months<\/span><\/a> in Microsoft\u2019s very checkered history. That isn\u2019t an isolated muck-up. It\u2019s a harbinger. We had a couple of really bad months in 2017 \u2014\u00a0<\/span>February <\/span><\/a>and <\/span>November <\/span><\/a>come immediately to mind \u2014 but an unconscionable number of patches left bricked machines and busted programs in their wake. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n