Here’s Why Software Updates Help Keep You Safe
When you get a software update notification, putting it off is natural. After all, updates can be time-consuming and often leave you without access to your device during the process. But if you value your safety, you should consider updating your device software. So what do software updates actually do? Why are they important for your security?
What Do Software Updates Do?
New apps, protocols, and features are being developed every day, so your software can’t stay the same forever. If you never update your device software, it’s likely that you’ll run into problems down the line.
A software update can be highly transformative or minor, depending on what developers have released. An update may contain a simple patch or two, but can also change your device’s interface and capabilities noticeably.
Not all software updates are the same, but they often bring one or more of the following:
The first of this list is what we’ll be focusing on here, as it’s bug and vulnerability patches that can improve your device’s security overall.
How Software Updates Protect You
A lot of software programs are long and complex, including gaming, social media, and entertainment apps.
According toSoftonic, the number of code lines in popular programs is as follows:
Evidently, there’s a lot of work that goes into developing a software program. And, within these thousands or millions of lines of code, it’s normal for there to be a few mistakes.
If these mistakes cause huge issues, like immediate crashes, interface issues, or another noticeable flaw, they’re often ironed out before the program is released. But some code flaws are more discrete and minor, which makes them harder for developers to notice.
This is what results in released programs having bugs and vulnerabilities. A bug can be completely harmless in nature, whereas a vulnerability is something that can be exploited.
For instance, a bug in the Instagram app may prevent you from liking posts, which is frustrating, but not dangerous. On the other hand, a vulnerability in the Instagram app may stop you from being able to block a user, make your profile private, oruse two-factor authentication. It’s here that things get risky.
Cybercriminals often scan for software vulnerabilities when trying to attack a program. Some vulnerabilities aren’t very useful, while others can give an attacker access to swathes of private information.
Some software vulnerabilities have caused huge problems in the past, such as the Log4Shell flaw. Log4Shell is a Java-based code vulnerability that allows remote code execution in Apache Log4j 2, a logging utility. Remote code execution allows an attacker to deploy malware on a device remotely, making hacks that much easier.
Some big programs, including Minecraft, use this utility, with servers and clients becoming vulnerable to attacks. Minecraft users were urged to update their software to patch this vulnerability, a fix that we’ll discuss soon.
Vulnerabilities will either be noticed by a program’s creators, maintenance team, or by average users. Open-sourced software programs can be vetted by anyone, making it easier to pick up on issues. Closed source programs, on the other hand, may rely on visible flaws that cause noticeable issues for users to spot a problem, as their code cannot be publicly vetted.
Once the software team is notified of a vulnerability, they’ll usually work to patch it quickly. When a vulnerability is patched, the coding flaw is fixed, and so can no longer be exploited.
Why Updates Matter
Patches come hand-in-hand with software updates and can mean the difference between avoiding and falling victim to an exploit. If you’ve been notified that an app of yours has a vulnerability, and there’s a patch available in an update, it’s best to initiate this update as soon as possible.
Even if there isn’t a known vulnerability in your current software version, software updates can get rid of bugs, boost your device’s compatibility with other programs, and even give you access to new features.
The Downsides of Software Updates
Software updates can offer a lot of benefits, but it’s important to discuss the possible downsides you may run into when giving your apps and OS a refresh.
Firstly, software updates can bring further bugs or vulnerabilities. It’s a bit of a catch-22, right? Updates can patch pre-existing flaws, but run the risk of bringing new issues within the updated code.
Take iOS updates, for example. Many iPhone users steered clear of the iOS 15 update in 2021, as there were a slew of reported problems. Battery drainage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues, and TouchID problems were all reported by users who installed the iOS 15 update.
iOS 16 also came with some disappointments, including UI lag, spontaneous rebooting, and problems with Safari.
The case is often similar with Android OS updates.Android 13 brought some great features, but users also reported worse performance, system crashes, and limited customization features upon installing the update. The previous Android 12 update came with its own set of issues, including idle battery drainage, difficulty answering calls, and media freezes.
These issues don’t make new OS versions inherently bad, but it’s worth noting that updates are rarely perfect. There are pros and cons that come with almost every update, but it’s always best to keep your software up-to-date to avoid falling victim to unexpected exploits.
Should You Update Your Device?
In short, yes. You shouldn’t put off software updates to avoid the chance of further flaws.
However, if a new update does come out and your device is requesting to download it, run a quick browser search to see how other users are finding it after installation. If you see that there are a lot more cons than pros, you may want to wait until the developers release an amended version.
Software Updates Are There For a Reason
While you may be tempted to ignore software updates to save time, this can leave your OS and apps open to security exploits. To avoid being targeted by cyberattacks via vulnerabilities, it’s worth updating your software on a fairly regular basis.
Here’s a guide on how to update macOS and all the apps on your Mac.
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