Dear Internet: Please Update Your Computers
Ok, so it’s happened again. Microsoft has released a patch, and someone’s written an exploit for it. And it only took three days.
I just don’t get it anymore. Is it really that hard to keep a Windows computer up to date? I mean, it is just a simple setting. Just click ÒEnable Automatic Updates.Ó That’s it. Just enable the updates to be auto-magically downloaded and installed on your computer. And you’ll be safe. Ok, maybe I’m being hard on people. I’m much more technically savvy than most.
But the fact that CNN,ABC and The New York Times got hit. Well, I can’t have sympathy for that. These are not general consumers. They’re major corporations. They should have serious IT staffs. This needs to get patched. I understand you don’t have the budget to move everyone off of the 5 year old OS you’re currently running. That’s fine. It’s not like you’re running Win 9x. But come on. If you’re a systems admin, patch the systems on your network. Your job is to maintain the network. Patching systems is part of the maintenance process.
And of course, everyone who hates Microsoft (Slashdot, I’m looking in your direction) is going to go, my God it’s so insecure. This should never have been allowed to happen. Well, you wouldn’t run Linux with a gaping hole in the kernel. (Yes they do exist) so why do you expect Windows to be the same?
Ultimately, this is just another example of people ignoring the recall notice that was put out. Yes, a recall notice. That’s what a patch is. And the best part is, in the end, the real lessons of keeping one’s machine up to date will not have been learned. Instead, people will merely say it’s Microsoft’s fault for releasing windows, and the people who just didn’t patch will get off Scot free.
