What Are Security Patches?
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011Whilst many computer users are rightly obsessed with protecting their systems with the best antivirus programmes they can find, the Virus Bulletin has reported that the latest monthly ‘Patch Tuesday’ from Microsoft contained a whopping 17 alerts.
And these 17 alerts covered 40 separate vulnerabilities which make it a hard job for anyone trying to maintain best antivirus status a tricky job. Only two of these were categorised as ‘critical’, but that does not mean that the others aren’t dangerous enough to wreak havoc in innocent users’ systems. The two critical alerts also included fixes and patches for the Internet Explorer browser; a standard in most rounds of security patches.
So, what is a patch exactly, and how does it benefit users? A security patch is released to fix problems with all aspects of a computer, such as programmes and browsers. It is a nifty piece of software that is a saviour for many users and their concurrent computer problems. These can range from vulnerabilities in a computer or programmes’ security, to improving the usability and effectiveness of a particular programme.
When it comes to even bigger problems, ‘patches’ are given a different name. Large fixes of big problems, or to solve difficult issues, are often called ‘service packs’ or ‘software updates’. This kind of terminology is commonly used by Microsoft and its various Windows services.
A ‘patch’ can, therefore, be a blessing to users as it solves many niggling issues as well as large and debilitating problems. The alerts are therefore an important part of a users responsibility to keep their computer safe and well. Microsoft urges users to apply the patches as soon as they can. It is particularly important in a year beset with problems; Symantec claims that this large batch of patches takes the total for the year over 100, the first time that this has ever happened.
Patches are therefore part of the important fight to keep computers healthy and effective for their users. This particularly large batch of patches highlights the need for up to date and consistent updating of products to provide the best antivirus care to computers.
Guest Article by Neil Camp



My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the Antivirus-BUYability web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 








