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Re: [LUG] Updates or no!

 

On Thu, 2009-05-28 at 05:20 +0100, Simon Waters wrote:
> kevin wrote:
> > 
> > I advise all Windoze users to Switch off updates for just this reason.
> 
> I strongly feel you do them a disservice with this advice.
90 % of my work with users PC's is Broken windows BSOD after some sw
change.  Mostly by MS or virus. 
> The rate of infection for older unpatched Windows boxes is so high every
> email server on the planet is daily bombarded with thousands of attempts
> to send dodgy emails from crooks who control networks of many tens of
> thousands of PCs, many infected because people hadn't run Windows update
> yet.
Security updates are fine but the update applied in this particular case was 
altering the /etc/fstab file with no prior knowledge of the devices installed.

> Sure updating carries a slight risk, but for Microsoft Windows this risk
> is far less than not updating for almost all users. Windows update is
> also used to distribute fixes for current threats, otherwise it is
> merely a monthly update.

> Microsoft's security team have the advantage of receiving information
> from threats to a large number of Windows users. They don't schedule
> updates lightly, as can be seen from the large number of bugs they don't
> fix. They will update out of schedule if they consider the threat
> sufficient. They do, unlike us, have the information available to make
> this assessment, and the time available to dedicate to analysing it
> appropriately.
> 
> Microsoft offer Free unlimited technical support for running Windows
> update.
> 
> It is harder to make this call for other operating systems purely on the
> basis of security, but I for one have spent too much of my life
> discovering bugs that have already been fixed to want to waste any more
> time doing it than necessary. For that fully patched Debian boxes meet
> my own expectations nicely.
My rule is still get a fully patched system running and leave it until you have a 
problem.

Regards

Kevin Lucas
Minions Post Master(Sub) reprieved (possibly!)
Po House, Minions,
Liskeard Cornwall 
PL14 5LE
01579363386


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