You’ll receive an email with a coupon code to sign up. For those that are Plus members that donate more than $50, you get the SMS text service as a bonus. One you have signed up you’ll get a text message whenever the MS-DEFCON level changes. To cover the extra costs associated with the hosting and SMS service for this exclusive benefit, we ask for a small fee of your choosing. Then set up notifications in your Twitter app so that you get alerted when the account tweets a change.Ĭell phone notifications via text: If you are a Plus Member, you can sign up for our SMS text alert service. Twitter: Sign up for Twitter and follow the defconpatch account. You can be alerted automatically when the MS-DEFCON level changes, in one of two ways. If your computer stops working, you only have yourself to blame! Don’t trust Microsoft to deliver hardware updates go to the hardware manufacturer’s site and review what they have there.
DEFCON SYSTEM DRIVERS
For everyone else, use the offering of drivers to your system as a sign that you need to go to the hardware vendor’s page and see what updated drivers they offer.
DEFCON SYSTEM INSTALL
For those devices you have no other option than to install driver updates from Microsoft.
DEFCON SYSTEM UPDATE
I’m still not a fan of driver updates offered up via the Microsoft update process with one exception – Microsoft Surface devices. Many of you have written asking about non-critical updates or driver that are offered by Windows Update, Office Update, and/or Microsoft Update. You’re better off applying those updates than letting them slide for a week or two. Why? Microsoft hasn’t screwed up any of them too badly. In general, I apply Windows Defender updates as soon as they’re available.
DEFCON SYSTEM PATCH
If you have a spare computer – or are a consultant that patches for others – you can participate in “early beta testing” better known as Patch Tuesday installation of updates and report back if you see issues in your experience. Most of the time I feel that it’s wise to hold back and see what issues arise. I can count on two fingers the times I’ve done that in my life. I’ll let you know when I run screaming to my computers and tell everyone I’m going to be rebooting NOW.
I don’t recommend that you install updates immediately unless there is a real and clear risk of an attack. By the following week we will have enough evidence to know if issues are “one-offs” or if many of us are seeing the issue and thus Microsoft will need to fix the issue. People will install updates and issues start to bubble up on the forums usually around Friday of that week. Security updates come out on the Second Tuesday (North America-ish time zones) or Second Wednesday (European-ish time zones). If you use Internet Explorer, you need to be more cautious about installing those massive IE updates. The MS-DEFCON level also assumes that you’re using (new) Edge, Firefox, Brave, Opera or Chrome, or any browser other than Internet Explorer. The MS-DEFCON system assumes that you have your Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 firewall turned on, that you’re using an up-to-date antivirus program (I use Windows Defender/Microsoft Security Essentials, although there are good alternatives) and some form of hardware protection, like almost any router.
Check this site to see if you’re affected and if things look OK, go ahead and patch.
There are isolated problems with current patches, but they are well-known and documented here. It is prudent to patch but check your results carefully.
There are widespread problems with current patches. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don’t do it. The smaller the number, the higher the risk.Ĭurrent Microsoft patches are causing havoc. It’s modeled after the US armed forces DEFCON system and uses the same colors as the US Homeland Security alert levels. I call it the Microsoft Patch Defense Condition Level, or MS-DEFCON for short. I have a rating system that lets individual Microsoft consumers know when it’s safe to install patches.
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