Updates Vital For Computer Security

Your computer will inevitably bug you about updating something on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, the predominant folklore on the topic suggests that you should just ignore these requests, for fear of an update having a negative effect on the computer. While there is nothing wrong with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, the unfortunate truth is that your Windows computer is broken if it isn't up to date.

Important Updates!

The bulk of updates for your computer are security related. Human beings make mistakes, and errors are found on a daily basis. The most serious of these errors open your computer up to attack, and are usually addressed by vendors quickly.  The most common method used to fix these errors is by updating the files containing the errors. The same is true of nearly every program you have installed on your computer.

Annoying Updates!!!

This is not to say that there aren't "updates" that are unnecessary and annoying.  HP is the perfect example of a company that often times uses its "updates" to push advertisements, track your computer and printer usage, and who knows what else.  It can be confusing trying to determine which updates are critical to your security, and which are just trying to make you buy more ink. The best rule-of-thumb for updating for the amatuer user is to err on the side of caution when it comes to anything that uses the Internet. After all, your Internet connection is the source of nearly all security problems.

What Programs Use The Internet?

So which programs do you run that interact with the Internet?  The list may surprise you. The modern web includes many different content formats that require third party software to properly view. While most people know about the few pieces of software that they interact with directly, there are several programs that generally run in a way that is hidden from the user to provide a more seamless online experience. It is important to update any program interacting with the Internet immediately to limit your exposure. 

The most common are:
Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.)
E-Mail Client (for those that don't use web-based e-mail)
Flash Player (used for games, video, and sound on the web)
PDF Reader
Antivirus Software
Malware Removal Tools (which are easier to update before you get infected)
Messaging clients (AIM, Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger)
Downloading clients (BitTorrent, Adobe DL manager)
Rich Media Plugins (Silverlight, anything else "Adobe")
Windows (XP, Vista, 7, etc.)

The "Scorched Earth" Option

Of course, if this all sounds like it is going to take up too much of your time, you could always uninstall any unnecessary programs. Each program you remove will provide you with not only one less thing to update, but also one less vulnerability that could be exploited. To avoid the possibility of infection during the time between a hacker discovering a security flaw, and the software publisher discovering and fixing it, your only option is to remove the software completely.