The case against knee-jerk installation of Windows patches

Heresy. Yes, I know. Any way you slice it, from my point of view anyway, Windows Automatic Update is for chumps.

Just like the “users must be forced to change their passwords frequently” argument that’s no longer au courant, the “users must get patched immediately” argument is based on old, faulty, and totally unsubstantiated claims that make security people feel better — and little else.

With a few notable exceptions, in the real world, the risks of getting clobbered by a bad patch far, far outweigh the risks of getting hit with a just-patched exploit. Many security “experts” huff and puff at that assertion. The poohbahs preach Automatic Update for the unwashed masses, while frequently exempting themselves from the edict.

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