![]() ![]() Reuse of passwords across accounts is bad cybersecurity practice to begin with and can become even worse when the personal phone security lapse is used to gain access to an employer's network. "If you reuse passwords in different places, and they're able to capture a password that is stored on your phone, they might be able to gain access to other applications," Moriarty said. Without the latest security patches, every piece of information on your phone is open to attack, from social media accounts to banking information to text messages. Once a vulnerability has been announced and a patch has been released, attackers quickly grab that information and create exploits for those specific vulnerabilities," said Kathleen Moriarty, chief technology officer at the Center for Internet Security. "You're leaving yourself vulnerable to attacks. That's not just good for you, but for hackers looking to exploit users who don't get the message. It's as simple as knowing that Apple or Samsung, or any other phone maker, is indicating that your current operating system is not the safest anymore, and it is sending that message out into the world. Smaller, incremental updates, are released primarily to fix bugs and ensure users greater protection. ![]() Hackers will target the flaws you don't updateīig annual OS updates may have the flashier and more reported on new features, but security protection is a major reason why users should download all new software updates available for their phone. When a major security update comes out, everyone should act relatively fast. "If you are a dissident who is possibly being targeted by a nation-state actor, you should update right away," he said. There are certain users who are at a greater risk if they choose to put off or ignore these notifications. "For the normal user, within a few days to a week is likely fine," said Justin Cappos, associate professor of Computer Science and Engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering and a member of New York University's Center for Cybersecurity. While it's offered, cybersecurity experts don't recommend waiting 30 days. When 30 days have passed, the system then prompts the user to install the system update. The automatic system policy installs as soon as a new update becomes available the windowed system policy installs updates during a daily maintenance window that the user gets to choose the postponed option delays installing an update for 30 days. Android users can choose between three local system update policies, including automatic, windowed and postponed updates - all of these policies eventually result in a device automatically updating. Apple, Google update optionsĪpple allows users to decide whether they want their phone to automatically download and install the newest iOS update, or if they prefer to manually update it. "That's a feature that a lot of people could and should enable, so they don't have to worry about it," Forno said. He recommends setting up a phone to automatically download and install the updates overnight when you're sleeping (as long as Airplane mode is not set). Richard Forno, University of Maryland Baltimore County's director of the Cybersecurity Graduate Program and assistant director of the school's Center for Cybersecurity. "I think some of it is just the nature, 'I'll get around to it, when I get around to it,'" said Dr. ![]() Annoyance is a factor, too, and the assumption that current functionality of their phone is optimal, so a software update would only disrupt their devices' usability.īut there is also more basic human psychology. Discomfort often stems from the perception that software updates will require users to relearn how to use certain features on their device and threatens their current habits. Researchers at the University of Tennessee and University of Munich identify this "deliberate delay" as a coping strategy that digital product users implement to counteract the negative emotions that arise when software updates are released. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit ![]()
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