If you have a Windows computer, one of the most effective ways to keep yourself safe online is to ensure you’re up to date with all Windows Security Updates. Whilst anti virus is built into Windows and updates automatically, Security Updates to the Windows operating system usually have to be manually installed. They normally come out around the second Tuesday of every month, but critical ones can be issued any time.

Once issued, it’s then a race between you and the hackers as to whether you can be safely patched before they can exploit the bug! The risk / impact of problems caused by not updating is far higher / more damaging than those of new problems updates can sometimes introduce themselves.

So when you see the prompts from your notifications bottom right saying you have updates waiting to be installed, install them promptly!

To check to see if you have any updates pending in Windows, go to Settings, Update & Security.

If you do see any waiting, hit Install now. You can continue to work during the process, but you normally have to restart your device to fully complete when ready.

Fully shut down your device regularly – it ensures security and anti virus updates get fully processed, and clears your computers’ memory to help it perform better.