The security gap you may not know about

You thought you were safe. You installed a highly rated antivirus program and regularly download new virus definitions. Turns out that’s not enough. You need to update other software on your machine, too.

Security experts and talented computer people with bad intentions constantly test software for vulnerabilities. Some of the "holes" they find could allow hackers to execute code on your computer or look at the data on your PC.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get and install the latest updates and patches. For Windows users, visit the Microsoft Windows Update Web site by selecting Tools > Windows Update from the menu in Internet Explorer or by pointing your browser to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Click the Scan for updates link on the page and, a short time later, you will receive a report that tells you how many updates are available for your setup. Updates fall into three categories: critical updates, updates for your specific operating system, and driver updates. As you might guess, critical updates are the most important. You can read about the updates and then select the ones you want to install. If you want your machine to automatically perform a Windows update scan, you can set it to do so at an interval of your choosing through your Scheduled Tasks feature. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks.

Mac users will find updates available at Apple.com in the Support section of the site. Recent versions of Macintosh operating systems also have automated software-update utilities, which you can find in the System Preferences.

Other software applications also release updates. Typically, if you register your software, you will be contacted when updates are available. You also can find updates on software-company Web sites.

Illustration © Artville.

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