Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 5: Get patched now

  Posted on June 29, 2015 at 08:48 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Yes, you read that correctly.

  I’ve been posting MS-DEFCON warnings for seven (eight?) years, and I can’t recall having two MS-DEFCON 5 months in a row. This is a first, and a great time to get caught up on all outstanding Microsoft patches.

  There were just a few minor problems with the June 2015 patches (the whole crop of them, not just Black Tuesday), and May 2015 worked out well, too.

  If you don’t mind having a Windows 10 advertisement stuck in your system tray — it won’t jump up and bite you — just go ahead and install everything that’s offered. If the thought of an obnoxious Microsoft ad on your machine bothers you, skip KB 3035583 and KB 3022345.

  For the second month in a row, I’m moving all the way down to MS-DEFCON 5: All’s clear. Patch while it’s safe.

  The usual admonition applies: Use Windows Update, DON’T CHECK ANY BOXES THAT AREN’T CHECKED, reboot after you patch, and then run Windows Update one more time to see if there’s anything lurking. When you’re done, make sure you have Automatic Update turned off. I always install Windows Defender/Microsoft Security Essentials updates as soon as they’re available – same with spam filter updates. I never install drivers from Windows Update (in the rare case where I can actually see a problem with a driver, I go to the manufacturer’s web site and download it from the original source).

  Windows Patches/Security June 2015 Black Tuesday, MS-DEFCON 5

• Microsoft manages to get two months of patches relatively right

  Posted on June 29, 2015 at 08:37 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Will the streak continue?

  InfoWorld Tech Watch 

  Windows Patches/Security June 2015 Black Tuesday, May 2015 Black Tuesday

• MS-DEFCON 2: Check and make sure Auto Update is off

  Posted on June 8, 2015 at 19:51 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It’s that time again.

  Not sure what tomorrow will bring. Until we get a better sense of the patching situation this month, make sure Automatic Update is turned off. (See the tab above for more info.)

  I’m moving us to MS-DEFCON 2: Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don’t do it.

  Windows Patches/Security June 2015 Black Tuesday