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Patch Tuesday & Hack Wednesday—Why Software Patching Is A Necessity

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Applying software patches to fix security vulnerabilities is a key piece of system hygiene and protection against criminal computer attacks. Windows 10 is by default set up to handle this automatically. Unfortunately, for many users the prospect of having to stop the task at hand, wait for the updates to download and install, and hold off while the system restarts is too inconvenient. That leads many to delay the updates or tweak the settings so the updates can’t execute. This can be a big mistake—especially now.

The second Tuesday of every month is “Patch Tuesday”, when Microsoft rolls out the latest set of security patches to its operating systems and software. The set of patches first made available on April 14 closes many, many vulnerabilities. Every hour delayed in applying them leaves unpatched systems susceptible to attack.

A Whopper of a Patch Tuesday

This last Patch Tuesday was unusually large. It included:

  • 113 patches overall
  • 3 that close zero-day vulnerabilities/exploits for which no defense exists
  • 3 known to be actively used to infect systems “in the wild”
  • 17 deemed “critical”, which means a criminal can gain complete control over the system without any user interaction
  • 96 deemed “important”, which means that some user action is involved (with or without warning prompts)

The products impacted include the Microsoft Windows operating system itself, the Edge and Internet Explorer browsers, various Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Office Services and Web Apps, Windows Defender, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Apps for Android, and Microsoft Apps for Mac.

Why Prompt Patching is Vital

To help you quickly grasp the importance of patching, we’ll first define a few terms. The first two have specific meanings when applied to computer software security.

  • Vulnerability: A weakness or oversight in the way software is coded or structured. It allows the code to be overwritten or tampered with so that it performs some action other than what it was intended to do.
  • Exploit: Rogue software code that a criminal uses to take advantage of a vulnerability. Such an exploit could allow a criminal to gain unauthorized access to a system or gain administrator privileges. The aim is often to inject malicious software code into a running process, leading to the criminal gaining control of the system.
  • Zero-day:  A combination of a vulnerability and an exploit that either is unknown to the security community, or is so new that no defenses have been developed against it. A patch isn’t available to close the vulnerability. Security software hasn’t been updated or is unable to recognize the exploit and prevent it from being introduced into systems and executing.
  • In the wild: An exploit that’s out of the realm of being theoretical or a possibility. It’s being actively used to infect and take over systems.
  • Patch Tuesday: Microsoft’s monthly distribution of patches that close known vulnerabilities.
  • Hack Wednesday: What the security community calls the day after Patch Tuesday. When Microsoft releases the patches, criminal programmers are able to use the patches to understand the vulnerabilities. Within a day or two, the related exploits begin appearing for sale on the underground marketplaces of the “dark web”.

Put the above together, and you can see the importance of applying patches as soon as they’re available. The instant that the patches are released, criminals are racing to create the new exploits and infect as many machines as possible before the systems’ owners can get around to installing the patches.

How to Ensure Systems are Properly Patched

Assuming you’re running Windows 10, click on the Start button, then Settings, open Update & Security, then Windows Update. Here you can immediately check for updates, as well as review your settings to make sure you’re not effectively blocking the update process.

If you’re running a business with multiple machines, managing the update process to be sure that essential patches have been applied can be a time-consuming headache. As a managed service provider (MSP), here at FIT Solutions we use sophisticated tools to administer your systems and ensure your systems are up-to-date with the current patches—without inconveniencing your users. If you could use help with patch management, give us a call at 888-339-5694.

What our clients say.

Excellent5.0 Based on 308 reviews from review us onHeather LoganHeather Logan ★★★★★ Grace is the best! She helped me with everything I needed.Carole CirilosCarole Cirilos ★★★★☆ Grace (Reyes) was in my facility, she found the problem on my printer connection which is also the concern of other departments. She was patient as she worked on my desktop and printer and gave a temporary solution which we could work for now.Response from the ownerThank you for sharing your feedback on working with Grace Reyes, Carole! We are aware that she is an outstanding support member of the FIT Solutions team and greatly appreciate her attention to detail and commitment to finding a resolution. Pao AquiPao Aqui ★★★★★ We’ve had the pleasure of working with this amazing team during our transition to PACS in our facility in Arizona. We would like give this commendation especially to IT John Garcia. His customer service skills were impeccable and of course his IT skills. We had so many technical questions and he was very patient and nice and answered all our queries.Response from the ownerThank you so much for your kind words about our team, Pao! We truly appreciate your positive experience with us and we are ecstatic to hear that our IT specialist, John, has demonstrated such outstanding customer service throughout the entire process. Our mission is to give quality technical solutions and a delightful client service experience while doing so. We are delighted that John was patient enough to answer all of your questions and made sure that you were taken care of every step of the way. Charles CooperCharles Cooper ★★★★★ As the Vice President of Membership with SDAR, I am pleased to share my experience with Fit Solutions. We have been a client for just under a year and have had the pleasure of working with Rob Walker, as well as other knowledgeable staff members. Their punctuality is commendable, always calling on time for scheduled appointments and providing a variety of solutions to resolve any issues. Their after-hours service is also exceptional, with prompt callbacks within 60 minutes during emergency situations. I highly recommend Fit Solutions for their speed and care in handling IT needs.Response from the ownerThank you for your kind words, Charles! Here at Fit Solutions, we understand that technology can be the heart of an organization's operations, and as such it is our mission to make sure your IT needs are fulfilled with speed and accuracy. We're thrilled that you have had a positive experience working with us and pleased that our team has been able to provide exceptional customer service. We take pride in providing prompt after-hours service and are glad that our efforts have delivered satisfactory results. We look forward to continuing to meet your IT needs in the future. William BennettWilliam Bennett ★★★★★ FIT is a wonderful tool to have to help. They are a great trouble shooter to any computer or printer. Mitch Rings is amazing.Response from the ownerThank you William for taking the time to review your experience with FIT Solutions. We are so happy to hear that you have had positive experiences utilizing our troubleshooting services and find Mitch Rings to be an exemplary asset of the team. Here at FIT, we strive to provide excellent customer service and it's great to receive feedback that acknowledges our successes in this area. Cheri WashingtonCheri Washington ★★★★★ I absolutely love the service provided to our company by tech Shawn Palmer. He is kind and very knowledgeable about all our IT issues. I highly recommend him and his services.Response from the ownerThank you for your kind words about Shawn, Cheri! It's wonderful to hear that you're so pleased with the service he provides. At FIT Solutions we take great pride in our team and strive to serve each and every customer with knowledge and kindness — it sounds like Shawn has done a great job of exemplifying this. rudy murphyrudy murphy ★★★★★ the best!Response from the ownerThank you for your kind review, Rudy! We appreciate you taking the time to write about your experience with our FIT Solutions. We strive to provide the best quality products and services, so it is always rewarding when we hear customers like yourself find that their expectations were exceeded. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you in the future. Marwan DaremMarwan Darem ★★★★★ Natalie and the accounting team were respectful, and efficient when processing my expensesResponse from the ownerThank you for your wonderful review, Marwan. We are so pleased to hear that Natalie and our accounting team provided you with efficient and respectful service. We strive to create a positive experience for everyone who uses FIT Solutions and it is great to hear when we succeed. We appreciate your kind words and thank you for choosing us as your go-to expense processing partner. Douglas RatliffDouglas Ratliff ★★★★★ great workResponse from the ownerThank you for taking the time to review our work, Douglas! We are delighted that you are happy with our service. It's always gratifying for us when we can offer a product that exceeds expectations and meets your needs. Your positive feedback is genuinely appreciated. Steven KingSteven King ★★★★★ For the past few month I've had the pleasure of working with Alexis Caul on a project for one of FIT Solutions customer. There have been some bumps along the way, but we have got through them. I hope to have continued success working along side Alexis and the FIT Solutions team.Response from the ownerThank you for your kind words, Steven! We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience working with our team, and we are happy to know that you had successful results despite any bumps in the road. Andrew GabelAndrew Gabel ★★★★★ Fit Solutions has been an awesome company to work with! Recently, Alexis Caul has been super helpful and responsive as we install a new phone system at our facility.Response from the ownerThank you for the kind words, Andrew! I'm incredibly glad that Alexis has been so helpful during your install process and that you've had a positive experience with FIT Solutions. We greatly value customer satisfaction and feedback, so please don't hesitate to reach out if there is any additional feedback or help needed in the future. Thank you again for choosing us for your business needs and we look forward to providing assistance whenever possible. Cedric SalibaCedric Saliba ★★★★★ Shawn was very professional and was able to solve our issues within a reasonable timeframe!Response from the ownerThanks for your the kind words Cedric! We are so pleased to hear that Shawn was able to help you with your issues. Professionalism is a priority for us at FIT Solutions, and we're glad that you felt our team went above expectations in delivering quality service to you. We value each customer experience and take feedback seriously in order to continue to improve our service. Pamela JC BeckerPamela JC Becker ★★★★★ Excellent Company to work withResponse from the ownerExcellent Company to work with Bruce ReederBruce Reeder ★★★★★ I received excellent support from Mike Ikezoe at FIT Solutions. He was extremely thorough at diagnosing my laptop problem and then resolving the issue in a timely manner. It was a pleasure to work with such a knowledgeable and concientious IT professional.Response from the ownerWe're so glad we were able to help you out, Bruce! Helping businesses keep their operations going with remote work is a huge priority for us. am arrioam arrio ★★★★★ Hard working, talented staff. Project implementation went very smoothly!Response from the ownerThank you for your kind words, am arrio. We are delighted to hear that you had a seamless project implementation with our hard-working and talented staff. At FIT Solutions, we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations and make sure their projects are successful. Brad HeapBrad Heap ★★★★★ Sepi has been such a wonderful support for our facility. It does not matter the task or issue, she is on it! She is also very accessible when not in our facility. I feel comfortable working through different IT problems with her over the phone. She deserves a lot of praise!Response from the ownerThank you for taking the time to review FIT Solutions, Brad! We are thrilled that you regard Sepi with such high praise—she definitely deserves it! We strive to provide all our clients with excellent service and support, so it's great to hear that Sepi was successful in doing that. It warms our heart for you to recognize her accessibility over the phone as well. richardrichard ★★★★★ My request was complete before I asked it - support doesn't get much better! Thank you !!Response from the ownerThank you so much, Richard! We're delighted to hear that the FIT Solutions team was able to provide such exceptional service. Our customers are the center of what we do and we strive to deliver fast and friendly help with every request. We value your feedback and appreciate your business. If there is anything else we can do for you, please don't hesitate to contact us again. Christina FusonChristina Fuson ★★★★★ I had the pleasure of working with Grace at FIT Solutions. Not only did she quickly work to resolve the ticket, once I determined that we had other issues after implementation, she jumped back on with me and helped combat those issues as well. She made sure that I was happy with the resolution and that I was back up and running quickly and efficiently. I was very happy!Response from the ownerThank you for your kind words, Christina! It's so wonderful to hear that Grace provided such helpful service. At FIT Solutions, we strive to give our customers the best user experience possible by offering outstanding customer service and reliable solutions. We are very proud of our team and their commitment to fully understanding our client's needs in order to provide tailored solutions. Mike LedouxMike Ledoux ★★★★★ I worked with several people, all 5 star! Collins, Shawn, Josie, John, Evan, Michael, Eric and Ephraim. These guys created URGENCY and I was able to get my technicians in the field because of it! THANK YOU! MUCH APPRECIATED!Response from the ownerThank you for your review, Mike! We appreciate your kind words and are very happy to know that the service provided by our team at FIT Solutions was of a high quality. Jason OliverJason Oliver ★★★★★ I work with Alexis at FitITSolutions she is very responsive and active in helping my business be successful. Shes a great communicator and look forward to working more with FitITsolutions.Response from the ownerThank you for the warm review of FIT Solutions, Jason! We are enthusiastic about Alexis' ability to assist you in furthering the success of your business. Your feedback is appreciated and we are delighted to know that you are looking forward to working more with us. Alex PitraAlex Pitra ★★★★★ Alexis Caul has been wonderful to work with! She's very communicative, has a wealth of knowledge, and her diligent attention to detail has made the process of working on projects seamless!Response from the ownerThanks for sharing your positive experience with us, Alex! We are so pleased to know that you had the chance to work with Alexis Caul and it sounds like she provided a service that was not only knowledgeable and effective, but seamless too. We take immense pride in delivering excellent customer service so this feedback is invaluable! We will make sure to pass on your kind words directly to Alexis as well. Thank you for choosing FIT Solutions to help with your projects! Jessica YangJessica Yang ★★★★★ Grace R. is extremely pleasant to work with. She is efficient and responsive when you need help.Jerry is also super great at troubleshooting any IT issues that may arise in a prompt and efficient manner.Response from the ownerThank you for the kind words, Jessica! We are thrilled to hear that you had a positive experience with Grace and Jerry. We strive to provide a great customer service experience through prompt and efficient communication and guidance and we are so glad that was clear in your interactions with them. We are grateful for your business, valued feedback, and ongoing support. Thank you! Shane ArcherShane Archer ★★★★★ Shawn is the best! Always gets the job doneResponse from the ownerThank you for taking the time to leave this wonderful review of Shawn at FIT Solutions, Shane! It's feedback like yours that encourages us to continue delivering the best service possible. We are so proud to have a stellar team member like Shawn and it's fantastic that you noticed it. Roel CastroRoel Castro ★★★★★ Response from the ownerThank you so much for your kind words, Roel! We are so pleased to know that FIT Solutions exceeded your expectations and that you gave us a five-star rating. Our team works hard each day to ensure our customers have the best experience possible and it means a lot to us when customers like you take the time to leave such positive feedback. Kalena BlatterKalena Blatter ★★★★★ I've been working with Alexis Caul at FIT Solutions, and she has been awesome! Very knowledgeable of the products and extremely personable.Response from the ownerThank you for your review, Kalena. We're proud to hear that Alexis' customer service and product knowledge met your standards. js_loader

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Who we are.

Our mission is to impact the lives
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