MS-DEFCON 2: September – here we go again @ AskWoody

MS-DEFCON 2: September – here we go again

Posted on September 9, 2021 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

ISSUE 18.35.1 • 2021-09-09

MS-DEFCON 2

By Susan Bradley

It’s time to start getting ready for Windows 11.

The countdown is on to the release of Windows 11 on October 5, and it’s the time of the month when I urge you to take actions to ensure you are ready to install updates when you want to.

The security updates this month begin the process of introducing group policy settings to control Windows 11, as well as Intune policy settings. But never fear — we will provide you all the information you need to either avoid or embrace Windows 11, as you see fit.

Consumer and home users

First, and as I always recommend when we get close to the second Tuesday of the month (now infamously known as Patch Tuesday), make sure that your backup is working properly. Open whatever backup software you use, and review the log of recent actions to confirm that the backup is running and backing up as it should. At a minimum, browse your backup location to see whether the file dates in that location are recent.

Next, decide what type of patcher you are. If you have spare machines and know you have a solid backup, you could actually be in the patcher category “Extreme” — because you let Windows install updates on its own terms and you simply review for side effects afterward. There are quite a few AskWoody Plus members who do exactly this, because they know that a good backup allows them to recover from updates, just as it protects them from ransomware.

The next patcher category is “Deferral.” Go into Start, Settings, Update & Security, Advanced options and choose September 28 as your deferral date, the date when you allow Windows to do its thing.

Next? “Cautious.” For this group, I recommend the use of WUMgr to control updates. You can review how to use this tool in the forums.

Business users

I predict that I’ll be urging business patchers to install updates no later than September 21, 2021. For now, I don’t anticipate that Microsoft will be providing solutions to the mess that they introduced with the PrintNightmare patches, so we’re still going to have to deal with the fallout and side effects of the August updates. I’ll be recapping these known issues in the September 13 AskWoody Plus newsletter.

We’re soon going to be adding the ability to get text alerts sent to you when the AskWoody MS-DEFCON level changes. You can follow the alert account on Twitter now, but soon you can sign up for text alerts as well. You’ll need to be an AskWoody Plus member in order to receive texts to your phone when we send out alerts; look for more information soon.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Alert 18.34.1 (2021-09-09).

AskWoody Plus Alert, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 2, Patch Lady Posts

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