Written by Aranza Trevino
Edited by Anne Cutler
Reviewed by Darren Guccione
It’s important to keep your software up to date because updates enhance existing features, patch security flaws, add new security features, fix bug issues and improve performance for devices.
Continue reading to learn more about software updates and how you can check if your software is up to date.
Software updates are when new updates are available for your devices’ software that either fix or improve it. For example, when your phone requires a software update, small updates usually fix bug issues or patch security flaws that were missed in the previous update. Big software updates usually offer new features or improve existing ones, while also fixing bug issues and patching security flaws.
Here are a few things that software updates provide for your devices.
Most people think that software updates only add new features, but this isn’t the case. While one of the purposes of updates is to enhance and add new features to your devices, there’s more to software updates than you might think. Software should be updated whenever a new one becomes available, not only when an update includes a new feature.
What most people don’t know is that software updates also patch security flaws that may be present in previous versions. They also add new security features that can keep your devices better protected from cyberthreats.
When a software update isn’t installed, security flaws are not patched, which opens up a backdoor for cybercriminals. These security flaws act as holes that can make it easier for cybercriminals to infect your devices with malicious software, also known as malware. Unpatched security flaws also increase the risk of having your data stolen and your accounts compromised.
Prior to the full deployment of a software update, it can be difficult for developers to identify every bug before they release the update to the public. Once an update is released, these remaining bugs are easier to identify and fix because users report them and companies can leverage bug bounty programs such as Bugcrowd to reward people for finding them. However, even after being identified, bugs are not fixed until the new update is released for users to install on their devices.
Since software updates add new features, improve existing ones and fix bug issues, they can also aid your devices in running smoother because of overall performance improvements. If you wait to install software updates, you may even notice that your device will start to run slower.
So, how can you make sure that your devices’ software is up to date?
You can check if your device’s software is up to date by going into the settings of your device and looking for the “software update” section. Here is how you can check if your software is up to date on different devices.
Once you locate and check your device’s software update settings, it’ll give you the option to update your software if it hasn’t been updated already. All you have to do is click the “update” button and it will begin to install.
If you’d rather have your software update on its own, there should be an option to allow it to automatically update in your device’s software update settings.
In order for your software to successfully update, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
Keeping your software up to date is one of many cybersecurity best practices that you should follow in your everyday life. Besides software updates on your devices, you should also ensure that you’re updating other applications, as well as keeping up with hardware and operating system updates on devices that require them. If you currently have protection software installed, keeping that up to date is also vital to protecting your online security.
You May Also Like
The first thing to do after realizing you’ve been hacked is to secure your accounts by immediately changing all of your passwords and enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). You should also scan your device with antivirus software,...
Choose Language