You may have heard the term “Black October” recently. It’s being used to describe a series of serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents discovered or disclosed this month.

These events are an important reminder of why keeping your software updated is so critical.

Software updates often contain security fixes that protect your computer and personal information from cybercriminals. Many times, updates are installed in the background without you knowing, however, that’s not always the case. When you see that an update is available, please install it as soon as possible rather than putting it off.

This applies to your work computers as well as your personal computers, phones, and tablets. Keep Windows, web browsers, and other applications updated, and remember that some updates require a restart to finish installing.

Always use legitimate update notifications from your operating system or program, and be cautious of unexpected pop-ups or emails telling you to install something.