| I was reading through my favorite blogs online and came across a lady who'd recently got a new computer, and it was coming with Windows XP installed. Her first question was for information about the bug that's been so widely publicized, which is a very valid question, but it reminded me of something I've had to deal with on an increasing level, which I don't see stopping or slowing down for a while:
People think that the bug publicized by the FBI or whoever was actually some "huge gaping hole" that is unlike any other bug that's been discovered, or is to be discovered. There's a huge misunderstanding here, that this one bug is truly significant in the big picture of Microsoft operating system software.
The truth is, that's just another bug. Yes, it's a new operating system, but remember - it was rolled out to MILLIONS of people - someone out there was bound to find a bug, and it's sure not going to be the last one discovered - and not the last one that threatens to give out YOUR personal information to unscrupulous individuals. The only way to continuously combat this for your own computer and domain is to keep your Operating System up-to-date on a regular (ie: monthly) basis.
I'm here to help you do that!
I would imagine that most people don't even know about the Windows Update site that Microsoft has made available and has set up quite quite nicely in order to help keep your Operating system patched and up-to-date. Depending on your OS, you may notice there's an icon for "Windows Update" under your Start button. If someone's mucked around and you don't have that anymore, you can go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and click on Product Updates in the top left hand side.
You'll then be faced with a window that says this:
Please Wait...Windows Update is customizing the product updates catalog for your computer. This is done without sending any information to Microsoft. After it's done there, you'll be presented with a list of "Select Software" to download and install. I'd recommend catching yourself up first with any "Critical Updates and Service Packs", and then any other patches that interest you personally (ie: why update Windows Media Player if you never use it?).
In order to download and install these packages easily, Microsoft takes care of most of it for you. Simply put a checkmark in the boxes beside the patches you wish to install, and click on the blue "Download" bar/arrow up in the top right. If you've selected patches that cannot be downloaded and applied at the same time, you'll get a pop-up window telling you so, and if you click on "OK", the site will automatically uncheck patches you can't apply at that time. Click on Download, and let it go.
Once it finishes downloading the patches, it'll likely ask you to confirm their application, and then it'll apply the patches and tell you it needs to reboot to finish up. Make sure you've finished your latest diary entry and your latest email message, and nothing needs to be saved... and then click on OK, to reboot.
You'll need to visit and re-visit the Windows Update page a few times on your monthly-update trek, simply because Windows needs to apply patches seperately from one another, and needs to reboot in between, and it doesn't know to bring you back to the Windows Update website again.
It's a bit of a pain, but it's a standard Microsoft thing, and it's not exclusive to Microsoft (Linux machines are constantly getting hacked, again because there are MILLIONS of people using it and some people make a living finding and exploiting bugs in software). This is something that you, as a responsible Internet user, should be aware of, and unscathed by.
Think of the 'net as sex for your computer. Every time you connect you want to make sure you practice safe surfing. That means, get a virus scanner and keep it up to date regularly (most virus scan companies have a live update feature, or an online update feature for this), don't open email attachments or install new programs you get from the 'net without scanning them first, and keep your Operating System up-to-date as well.
At no time should you think that your software is ever perfect, and that there are no holes that are exploitable in its code. Always look for updates - a good software package is marked by regular updates and free bug patches, especially if the software has any type of worldly circulation and gets exposed to a lot of users. | 
