Windows Security Updates Are For Everyone

Here we go again with sensationalism. Are bloggers so desperate for readers that they need to twist a simple explanation about security updates into headline-grabbing misinformation?

Microsoft has not made changes in policy. Windows security updates are and have been available for everyone, including non-genuine systems. As Paul Cooke recently explained in the Windows Security Blog:

"Not only do all security updates go to all users' systems, but non-genuine Windows systems are able to install service packs, update rollups, and important reliability and application compatibility updates. In addition, the users of non-genuine Windows systems can also upgrade a lot of the other software on their computer. For example Internet Explorer 8 has numerous security-oriented features and improvements, and it is available to all users."

For some reason, articles are being published playing this up as if it were something new for Windows 7 and that Microsoft is ignoring piracy. Providing security updates to all Windows users is not something new for Windows 7 nor does it imply that Microsoft has gone soft on piracy.

Rather than jumping the gun, perhaps reading the rest of the article and noting that Paul also stated that worms such as Blaster (2003) and Sasser (2004) followed publicly available Microsoft security updates. The same is true with Conficker with MS08-067 having been available since October, 2008.

Security updates for non-genuine Windows systems can be obtained as follows:

Windows Vista: use the Windows Update control panel
Windows XP: use Automatic Updates

Note:

Optional updates, available through the Windows Update and Microsoft Update websites, are not available to non-genuine Windows systems.

Reference:

Who Gets Windows Security Updates? - Windows Security Blog - The Windows Blog

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