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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The February update continues to refresh Secure Boot certificates.
- The update besides fixes a fig of diagnostic and information glitches.
- Let's anticipation this month's update is little buggy than the 1 successful January.
Another month, different Patch Tuesday rollout from the folks astatine Microsoft. This month's roundup tackles respective diagnostic and information bugs. But conscionable arsenic importantly, it besides continues to refresh the expiring Secure Boot certificates to guarantee that your PC remains protected against bootkit malware.
Secure Boot
A information diagnostic that aims to thwart nasty bootkit malware, Secure Boot uses certificates to guarantee that lone trusted programs tally during the footwear process. With galore of those certificates owed to expire successful June, Microsoft needs to update them connected astir Windows PCs. This process started with the January Patch Tuesday rollout and present continues with the 1 for February.
Also: Your PC's captious information certificates whitethorn beryllium astir to expire - however to check
On the lawsuit side, the caller Secure Boot certificates are designed for some Windows 11 and 10. But those of you inactive moving Windows 10 request to beryllium enrolled successful the program for Extended Security Updates (ESU). The ESU ensures that your Windows 10 PC volition proceed to person important information updates and patches until October 2026.
Feature fixes
The latest Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10 besides footwear successful fixes for immoderate diagnostic bugs. For Windows 11, the update resolves 1 glitch that affected crippled playing successful full-screen mode and different that prevented immoderate PCs from connecting to definite WPA3‑Personal Wi‑Fi networks.
Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - for free
On the Windows 10 front, the latest monthly update addresses issues with Chinese fonts, with definite graphics processing units, and with customized folder names successful File Explorer. Also fixed was a bug introduced with the January update that caused immoderate Secure Launch-compatible PCs to restart alternatively of shutting down oregon hibernating.
Security fixes
No Patch Tuesday update would beryllium implicit without the accustomed information patches. Here, the fig of fixes was dramatically little than successful January -- lone 55 fixes compared with a whopping 114 past month. Though lone 2 of this month's information vulnerabilities were rated arsenic critical, six retired of the 55 were zero-day bugs, turning this into a much urgent update, according to spot absorption supplier Action1.
One vulnerability already exploited successful the chaotic could let an attacker to summation System privileges connected affected Windows systems. Another 1 that's been exploited successful the chaotic could impact web connectivity connected your PC. With a 3rd vulnerability besides detected successful real-world attacks, a hacker could disable information controls and entree delicate data. All of this means that the February update is an important one.
Update your PC
To update your Windows 11 PC, caput to System, prime Windows Update, and past click the fastener to cheque for updates. On Windows 10, spell to System, prime Update & Security, take Windows Update, and past cheque for the latest updates.
So with each these bug patches, does this mean you should instal the February update ASAP? Normally, I'd accidental yes. However, Microsoft has been wreaking havoc lately with its buggy updates. The January Patch Tuesday update was a glitchy mess, introducing a big of bugs that forced Microsoft to issue 2 exigency patches successful response.
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If you're acrophobic astir the information vulnerabilities and different bugs fixed successful this month's update, past you should instal it arsenic soon arsenic possible. But if you could perchance wait, I'd suggest holding disconnected for a mates of days to marque definite the February rollout is much unchangeable and reliable than the 1 successful January.
If you bash instal the update, cognize that you tin ever uninstall it should it beryllium to beryllium different buggy mess. Clearly, though, Microsoft needs to absorption much connected prime power for its monthly updates to guarantee that they hole bugs alternatively than make much of them.
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