Mon 17 Dec 2007
Keep All Your Other Stuff Updated
Posted by Syd Tash under Updates
Regular readers of this blog probably know that they must keep their Windows and security software up to date at all times. But what about all the other stuff we have on our computers? It must be updated as well. This can be a real chore keeping everything up to date and staying safe on today’s Internet.
Not any more. You are going to use a nice, quick tool to check what needs updating on your PC, and then to actually (and easily) update it. But before we begin you should see if you have multiple copies of the same program, especially Adobe Flash Player and Sun Java JRE. Neither program removes old copies when installing new ones, or updates.
In Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. In Vista, click Start, Control Panel, Programs and Features. If you have more than one copy of Adobe or Java, keep the latest one with the highest update or version number. Delete the others by clicking the Remove button. Note that Adobe Flash Player is not the same animal as Adobe Reader.
Now go to http://secunia.com/software_inspector/ Click Start Now. Choose the default or thorough inspection, and click Start. When the inspection is finished, you will get a list of programs that are not up to date, and therefore potentially dangerous. Follow the links to update each program. You will likely need Administrator privileges to do this, so be sure you are using your main, Administrator account.
Some updates will restart your browser. If you lose your results page, just run the Inspector again. Watch the process closely. Certain updates will install toolbars on your computer, unless you deselect this option. Bookmark the Secunia home page, and run the Inspector once a month or so.
Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online. He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century. Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here: => http://MyPCSecuritySite.com
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Pingback from How Embarrassing is This? » Your Daily Computer Security Tips
March 18th, 2008 at 2:43 am[...] and applications. This is not nearly as complex as it sounds. Go here and read how easy it is: http://mypcsecurityblog.com/updates/keep-all-your-other-stuff-updated At the moment, the malicious code looks for passwords for some online games. As with other [...]
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Pingback from The Skyrocketing Growth of Viruses » Your Daily Computer Security Tips
April 10th, 2008 at 1:25 pm[...] other programs and applications. Want to update them quickly and painlessly? Read my post here: http://mypcsecurityblog.com/updates/keep-all-your-other-stuff-updated Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer [...]
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Pingback from Is The Storm Worm Dead or Not? » Your Daily Computer Security Tips
May 9th, 2008 at 12:17 am[...] Starting back on April 25, I commented on how Microsoft was claiming it had finally killed off the Storm worm, also called a Trojan by some. The software giant supposedly accomplished this wonderful feat through its Windows Defender tool, aka the Malicious Software Removal Tool. Many were skeptical of Microsoft’s claims, and rightly so. Now it seems a new wave of Storm malware is being prepared. Malicious domains have been spotted, leading to Web sites that could attack your computer. So far, no spam or links to these sites have been seen. However, the sites seem set to exploit vulnerabilities in other software and applications. Be sure to keep all your software up to date, not just Windows and your antivirus program. Want a quick and easy way to do that? Read this post: http://mypcsecurityblog.com/updates/keep-all-your-other-stuff-updated [...]
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Pingback from Is Your Browser Secure? Or Even Up to Date? » Your Daily Computer Security Tips
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm[...] Go here to read how to do it quickly and easily (and almost painlessly): http://mypcsecurityblog.com/updates/keep-all-your-other-stuff-updated [...]
