In this video, we're going to explore some
different types of software and hardware updates,
including Microsoft Windows updates, application updates.
We'll talk about device driver updates, firmware updates,
and we're going to clarify what patches are and how they differ from updates.
And we're going to begin with Microsoft Windows updates.
And Microsoft releases these updates to address, for one thing,
security vulnerabilities. Sometimes they fix bugs,
sometimes they add new features.
And typically, Windows downloads these updates automatically.
These are referred to as automated updates.
However, in some environments,
manual installation is required for a controlled deployment,
and these updates often contain security patches,
which can help protect our system against newly discovered threats.
We also have feature updates,
which can deliver major changes to the operating system, and cumulative updates,
which bundle all of the minor fixes released over a certain time period.
And next up, we have application updates. Think about your web browser,
your Office suite, or other third-party software. Similar to Windows,
these updates can patch security holes, resolve bugs,
and even introduce new features. And many modern applications,
they can be set to automatically update often without you even noticing.
But in high-security environments or in mission-critical environments,
an administrator might choose to schedule those updates to reduce downtime or
to avoid any unexpected changes. But, however, our apps are updated,
we want to make sure that they're updated consistently. And device drivers,
they act as sort of a translator between your operating system and your hardware
components, such as network adapters or sound cards or graphics cards.
And manufacturers, they often release driver updates to fix bugs,
maybe to close a security gap or improve performance,
or maybe to give more compatibility with the latest operating system updates.
And by staying current with our driver updates,
that's going to help us maintain a stable system operation,
and it's also going to help protect us against the potential exploits that might
target outdated drivers. Next up is firmware updates.
And firmware, that's a type of software embedded
directly into hardware components.
For instance, the BIOS or the UEFI on a computer motherboard,
that's going to help the system boot up. It performs low-level diagnostics,
and it allows for a basic configuration of system settings.
Or we might be talking about firmware running on a router or network switch,
but keeping firmware updated,
that can help protect our devices against newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Plus, firmware updates might also boost our system performance
or add new features.
However, we need to be super careful when updating firmware,
and interruption in that updating process,
it might leave our device temporarily or even permanently unusable.
So be careful to always follow the manufacturer
guidelines when you're updating your firmware.
Now let's talk about patching.
A patch is typically a targeted fix addressing a specific issue,
often security-related, within an application, within an operating system,
or a piece of hardware.
And by contrast, an update usually encompasses broader changes,
which might include new features and bug fixes and security improvements.
And these patches often come with designations like critical or important,
indicating that they fix serious vulnerabilities.
And non-critical patches,
they might focus on resolving less severe issues or improving stability.
But regardless of the designation,
it's a good idea to keep our systems current with the latest patches.
And to sum up what we've learned in this video,
we've seen that staying on top of Windows, application, driver,
and firmware updates and applying patches promptly,
those are all key pieces of our overall cybersecurity strategy.
So we want to regularly check for updates,
enable automatic updates where feasible,
and always consider testing updates in a lab or test environment before we roll
them out system-wide in a critical business setting.