The longer a vulnerability is left unpatched, the more hackers will know about the weakness and how to use it.Remember: Hackers use weaknesses in software to access your computer, smartphone, tablet and other devices (Internet-of-Things).It doesn't take much to keep your computer lean and mean.In fact some of the best solutions are free and take little to no time as long as they are done prior to the problems that plague computers today.

The common software to keep updated are: When you purchase a new device, check for updates straight away as part of initial set up, ensuring you enable automatic updates.

Phone and tablet apps release updates as well; check your app store or information within the app to see what the update will do.

Since the OS or software program has to contact its parent company, your computer must be online to get new information about updates.

Every computing device uses software called an Operating System (OS) to manage basic tasks such as storing and retrieving data, interfacing with other programs and hardware, and more.

As systems are used and new technologies are released, the OS requires software upgrades or patches to resolve any security issues that are discovered and to improve functionality.