Although the WannaCry ransomware exploited a vulnerability in Windows that had been patched in March 2017, it was still able to bring several organizations to their knees. The culprit? Computers running outdated software that did not have the security patch installed.  As a best practice, all Mount Royal staff and faculty should be installing updates when prompted and be restarting their machines.  This ensures they are always using the most secure software versions and minimizes the risk of a malware attack.

Security isn’t the only benefit of keeping  your machine up to date. Regularly updating your machine keeps it more stable so it crashes less. Also, updating the machine takes less time if it is done regularly.

Yes, I know…it’s inconvenient.  It takes time for the machine to restart and it’s a total pain. Here’s a tip…turn your machine  off at the end of each day and any updates will automatically be downloaded. When you come in the next morning, turn on your machine and go get that morning cup of Joe. By the time you get back, your machine will have installed the updates and be ready to go.

Have you downloaded the updates but can’t restart your machine right away because you are working on a project or running a report? Make sure that when the notification appears asking you to restart your machine that you do so within 24 to 48 hours. Do not continually ignore the prompts and leave your machine vulnerable.

Worried about meeting room or classroom computers? All smart cabinets, classroom computers and meeting room computers are automatically turned on and updated during off hours. As long as no one is logged into the machine, it will be updated. Have any questions? Give the IT Service Desk a call.