Urgent Windows update: Patch fixes 3 zero-day flaws, 113 bugs
It’s no exaggeration to say COVID-19 has turned the whole world upside down, which is why any sign of normalcy can seem like a comforting bit of good news. And nothing says “normal” like another barrage of critical Windows updates.
Microsoft has rolled out a brand new update that repairs more than 113 bugs and three zero-day exploits. Hopefully, this new batch of fixes doesn’t screw things up worse than the last Windows update. Tap or click here to see how a previous Windows 10 patch prevented some users from booting their systems up.
If you’re hesitant to download another potentially risky update, we don’t blame you. But the security fixes in this round of patches are simply too critical to miss. Here’s what these updates cover and how you can get them on your PC.
Here we go again …
As part of Microsoft’s regular “Patch Tuesday” update session, Microsoft has released a new batch of security updates and bug fixes that address several critical issues that can put your PC at risk.
The patches address 113 different Windows vulnerabilities across 11 different products — including Microsoft Office, Windows Defender and the Windows kernel itself.
Out of the 113 fixes, three patch zero-day flaws that could potentially give hackers direct access to the inner workings of your computer. What’s more, these bugs were still being actively exploited in the wild before the patches were officially released.
Two of the bugs dealt with a vulnerability in the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library, which gives hackers the ability to run attacks remotely. These do not affect Windows 10 systems. The third bug lets hackers give themselves inflated privileges to run codes with deep-system kernel access. This one does affect Windows 10.
Now, 113 is an insane amount of updates, and the patch is even crazier considering that 15 were classified as “Critical” and 93 as “Important.”
Still, it’s two shy of last month’s Patch Tuesday, which featured a whopping 115 different fixes.
If you haven’t updated Windows yet, now is the time to do so and get protected before someone can take advantage of your computer.
Is this even worth downloading? How can I get it?
We know Microsoft doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to updates, but fixes like the kind found on Patch Tuesday are too critical to ignore.
Sure, you may be taking a chance of installing a couple of new bugs on your computer, but these pale in comparison to security threats that can be actively used to harm you and steal your data.
It’s safe to say most people would rather have a slow or glitchy Windows experience than a hacker in your computer monitoring every credit card number you type. Tap or click to see how similar types of credit card fraud are on the rise during COVID-19.
To install the updates, the process is the same as with any new Windows 10 patch.
- Navigate to Settings and click Update & Security.
- In this menu, you can click Check for updates to see the latest patches available.
- Once the window populates with the latest patch, you can download it to install.
If you install the latest updates, all of the aforementioned patches will be included. Convenient!
If you’re using Windows 8.1:
- Select Settings, followed by Change PC settings.
- Select Update and recovery and Windows Update.
- To check for updates manually, select Check now.
- Download any updates that appear.
If you don’t see any updates, your computer may have already installed them, which means you should be good to go.
Again, we can’t be 100% sure that this update will be glitch-free, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. In any case, Microsoft will be back again with another round of fixes and glitches next Patch Tuesday.
It’s just about the only bit of “normal” we can get anymore these days. Why not embrace it and stay one step ahead of all the cybercriminals out there?
Tags: bug fixes, Credit Card Fraud, cybercriminals, glitch, glitches, hackers, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows Defender, Patch Tuesday, security, update, vulnerabilities, zero-day exploits
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