New research highlights importance of patching
By Joe Elvin
10/10/2011
Regular patching is the most important step users can take to protect their PC.
That's according to IT security journalist Ed Bott, who recently reported on zdnet.com on two pieces of research which show the value of patching a computer.
One study presented in Australia has shown that a fully-patched system with a firewall is 448 times safer than one without. After testing 640 hosts, researchers found that the average time a time it took for a patched system with a firewall to be compromised was 336 days, compared to just 18 hours without.
Separate research by scientists in Denmark has concluded that as much as 99.8 per cent of computer infections are caused by patches not being updated.
These results highlight the importance of downloading any updates as soon as notified to do so by a computer or service provider. They also provide a strong argument for investing in patch management software to ensure any third-party software is kept up to date.
Discussing the issue of patch management, sources from the Online Trust Alliance added that it was critical to keep software such as internet browsers up to date too.
In a statement cited by trcbnews.com, they said: "While anti-virus solutions and patches are critical, the OTA has prioritised browsers as the most important step to protect users."
