A software update is a patch, upgrade or modification to code that corrects problems with an application or piece of hardware. It also optimizes features and increases compatibility with other applications.
Updating your software is a critical step towards keeping your personal information safe from cyber threats, maintaining your device’s performance and ensuring your programs can work together properly. Putting off updates can be extremely risky and is one of the easiest ways to allow threats into your systems.
Threat actors use security vulnerabilities as open doors to gain access to people’s devices and steal sensitive information like passwords, usernames or credit card details. The data is then sold on the dark web or used to commit other cyber crimes. Security patches close these gaps in protection to keep your information secure.
Even non-security related software needs updates to run correctly. New features are added to improve functionality and the speed at which a program runs. This is particularly important for business software and services that rely on the ability to quickly respond to customer requests.
Whether it’s an operating system update or an app update, your device should tell you when an update is available and ready to be installed. You can receive a notification, see a flag or bubble on the store or settings icon, or go into the update menu directly. Before installing an update, you should always backup your data in case something goes wrong during the process. This is particularly important for business software and hardware that manages confidential or critical information.