SECURITY PATCHES Updating often can protect from viruses

Security patches protect computers from invasions, but users are resistant.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS -- For computer repair expert John Staples, this week's lightening-quick spread of the Blaster Internet worm dramatically illustrated the maintenance troubles customers bring to him every day.
"I'll bet you 60 to 75 percent of the machines I see have never been patched even once for critical flaws," said Staples, owner of Computer Junction in Richardson and Fort Worth, both in Texas.
Blaster's spread should have been nipped last month when Microsoft issued a security patch that plugs the worm's door to Internet-connected machines. Had users regularly used the Windows Update feature of the home machines, Blaster wouldn't have stood a chance.
But experts say the general public has grown indifferent to security warnings, just as they ignore simple procedures that can keep their machines running smoothly.
"For the most part, people seem to think it's just Bill Gates looking for another way to control their computer," Staples said. "There's a basic distrust. They're always asking, 'Why do they want me to do this?' "
Blaster's progress invading and crashing Internet-connected Windows XP and Windows 2000 PCs appeared to be waning by Wednesday. Symantec's Security Response team said there was a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in infected systems from Monday to Tuesday. Still, various security firms estimate anywhere from 188,000 to 1.4 million unpatched Windows machines have been compromised worldwide.
And, Symantec said, almost half (48 percent) are in the United States.
Just why the world's most sophisticated computing society could wind up in this situation is confounding to experts.
On one hand, the patching process is apparently confusing to many home users.
"There are just too many security patches," said Eric Kwon, CEO of Global Hauri, an anti-virus software maker. "It's like crying wolf many, many times. When something new like this pops up, there's no preparation."
In fact, Kwon said his company has noticed that response time from customers is actually slowing, even as threats from viruses and worms intensify worldwide.
"People just don't know which one is important and which one isn't," Kwon said. "And when they apply these security patches, they often require, at a minimum, a shutdown and reboot. It takes too much time, so they ignore them."
Windows Update
The Windows Update feature of Microsoft's modern operating systems is set up to automatically remind users when patches become available. Messages regularly appear on the computer monitor notifying users that a patch has become available.
"To many, that's daunting and confusing in and of itself," said custom computer builder F. Lee Pyles, head of Compyles Computers in Rowlett, Texas. "I really do feel for the average user because they just don't understand why they should take the time to update. It just starts popping up and people don't know what to do with it."
With most of the country still using dial-up to access the Internet, it is somewhat understandable that people just don't want to take the time to download patches and updates, Pyles said.
"But if people would just bother with the critical updates and grab all of them, they wouldn't have had any problem with this worm," Pyles said. "The critical updates are really not large files and don't take that long to download."