Windows Updates and the Ransomware Attack

Okay, I guess I am ready to do some Updates again.
I've had WU turned off since last fall, when the darn thing just refused to update anything.
Running Win7 64-bit.
Ran scan for updates, and the only updates "found" was for May 2017!
Installed KB4019264.

So, in the BAN thread, I find this link
technet.microsoft.com...
and found this
www.catalog.update.microsoft.com...

How does one go about installing this March Update??


Also, how much of a danger is this ransonware to the average home user.
Running Malwarebytes Premiun, and Webroot AV.


ADDED
breaking news thread
www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I found this link for updates and why. I was under the premise that Microsoft was going to quit updating some systems.
www.washingtonpost.com...

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe
Google Windows 7 update rollup. Pick the most recent and make sure it's from Microsofts site. There was a bug in update where it would stall. I had it too. Installing the rollup fixed it.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Best suggestion echo's other members advice. Update all devices from the appropriate home sites only.

As a rule...I 1st delete my browser history and cache etc on all devices...run scans with Malwarebytes, CCleaner, Windows Defender and Kaspersky (or any other).....THEN...I go to the home sites and let them choose and update as needed per their suggestion.

I think some of us got tripped up when we all started clicking the "Let me choose which and what/when to update"....and we bypassed many along the way we prob should have regularly. Good Luck!

MS

*PS Add: I do this the same way and times on P.C., tablet, laptop and phone...all 4

a reply to: Mike.Ockizard

I installed the most current from the WU on the computer....it worked OK...thing is the only updates AVAILABLE were the most current.
What happened to the March, February, JAnuary, etc. updates???

I tried to do a freestanding update for the March updates, the one for Win7 54 bit....and it said it wasn't applicable for my computer. KB4012215.

And, what are these new security rollups?
Do they do all the security patches since the LAST time I did any Windows Updates, which was months ago?
It was a pretty big file!!!

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

It looks like those monthly updates include only the corrections done since the previous update, so I suppose you to install the others manually, if Windows update didn't do it.

It looks like this page has a list of all the monthly updates for almost one year.

For those who want to nerd out you can check this

gist.github.com...

After looking around I found this:

From October 2016 onwards, Windows will release a single Monthly Rollup that addresses both security issues and reliability issues in a single update. The Monthly Rollup will be published to Windows Update (WU), WSUS, SCCM, and the Microsoft Update Catalog. Each month’s rollup will supersede the previous month’s rollup, so there will always be only one update required for your Windows PCs to get current. i.e. a Monthly Rollup in October 2016 will include all updates for October, while November 2016 will include October and November updates, and so on. Devices that have this rollup installed from Windows Update or WSUS will utilize express packages, keeping the monthly download size small.

Over time, Windows will also proactively add patches to the Monthly Rollup that have been released in the past. Our goal is eventually to include all of the patches we have shipped in the past since the last baseline, so that the Monthly Rollup becomes fully cumulative and you need only to install the latest single rollup to be up to date. We encourage you to move to the Monthly Rollup model to improve reliability and quality of updating all versions of Windows.

We are planning to add these previously shipped patches over the next year and will document each addition so IT admins know which KBs have been included each month.

So it looks like the last monthly update is enough to get all the previous updates since October 2016.

a reply to: ArMaP

Right. The latest rollup will get you where you need to be. If it tries to perform an upgrade that you already have it will skip it. Also, I had to disable the Windows update service when applying the rollup. Forgot about that, sorry.

a reply to: ArMaP

That is awesome news, Thanks!!!!

Now I can update when needed...

I have to wonder if Microsoft did this because the previous Updating Service was broken for so many who had Windows 8.1 and below.
I had the Updater turned off anyway, and the d/l and installing was really pretty quick, all things considered.
Now I know why those files sizes were fairly large!