critical updates

[M. Mountford]

Hi - I've just updated to Windows XP and have been notified of
security updates from microsoft. Are all of these necessary if I use a
firewall - Zone Alarm or Sygate?

Margot

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Yes, critical updates are necessary for the continued performance
and security of your PC. A firewall will not necessarily protect
your computer from malicious code.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"M. Mountford" > wrote in message:
...

| Hi - I've just updated to Windows XP and have been notified of
| security updates from microsoft. Are all of these necessary if I use a
| firewall - Zone Alarm or Sygate?
|
| Margot

[Anthony Diodati]

you don't mean your getting them in your e mail do you?
DON'T install them if thats the case.
"Carey Frisch [MVP]" > wrote in message
...
> Yes, critical updates are necessary for the continued performance
> and security of your PC. A firewall will not necessarily protect
> your computer from malicious code.
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP - Shell/User
>
> Be Smart! Protect your PC!
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
>
> "M. Mountford" > wrote in message:
> ...
>
> | Hi - I've just updated to Windows XP and have been notified of
> | security updates from microsoft. Are all of these necessary if I use a
> | firewall - Zone Alarm or Sygate?
> |
> | Margot

[Alex Nichol]

M. Mountford wrote:

>Hi - I've just updated to Windows XP and have been notified of
>security updates from microsoft. Are all of these necessary if I use a
>firewall - Zone Alarm or Sygate?


Certainly some are. Especially the ones with the RPC vulnerability -
the one that the Blast worm hit. It is all very well having a firewall,
which ought to stop the attacks getting in - but one slip in loading the
firewall and you are at risk. I would advise getting the cumulative
patch, in one large download (9MB) -
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;826939
and about a quarter way down, link 'Download the 826939 package now'

After that you might ignore, on a stand-alone system, upgrades related
explicitly to 'Servers' if you look in the detail, or which say 'ann
attacker would need to connect/logon'. Those are important in corporate
nets where they need to protect against a possible disaffected
employees, but not on a personal system.

Also the recent 832483 one seems to be generating trouble, and I would
leave it for the moment


--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (remove the D8 bit)