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ZDNET Highlights
- The February update continues to refresh Secure Boot certificates.
- The update also fixes several feature and security bugs.
- Hopefully this month’s update will be less of a hassle than January’s.
Another month, another Patch Tuesday rollout from the folks at Microsoft. This month’s roundup tackles a number of feature and security bugs. But just as importantly, it also continues to refresh expiring Secure Boot certificates to ensure that your PC remains safe from bootkit malware.
secure boot
A security feature aimed at thwarting rogue bootkit malware, Secure Boot uses certificates to ensure that only trusted programs run during the boot process. Many of those certifications are set to expire in June, requiring Microsoft to update them on most Windows PCs. This process started with the January Patch Tuesday rollout and is now continuing for February.
Also: Your PC’s important security certificates are about to expire – how to check
On the client side, the new Secure Boot certificates are designed for both Windows 11 and 10. But those of you who are still running Windows 10 will need to enroll in the program for Extended Security Updates (ESU). ESU ensures that your Windows 10 PC will continue to receive important security updates and patches until October 2026.
facility improvement
Latest Patch Tuesday Update for windows 11 And windows 10 Some feature bugs have also been fixed. For Windows 11, the update fixes an issue that affected playing games in full-screen mode and another issue that prevented some PCs from connecting to certain WPA3‑Personal Wi-Fi networks.
Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – free
On the Windows 10 front, the latest monthly update fixes issues with Chinese fonts, some graphics processing units, and custom folder names in File Explorer. Also fixed was a bug introduced with the January Update that caused some Secure Launch-compliant PCs to restart instead of shutting down or hibernating.
security improvements
No Patch Tuesday update would be complete without the usual security patches. Here, the number of improvements was dramatically lower than in January – only 55 improvements compared to 114 last month. Although only two of this month’s security vulnerabilities were considered serious, six of the 55 were zero-day bugs, Changing it to a more essential updateAccording to patch management provider Action1.
Also: Microsoft and ServiceNow’s exploitable agents reveal a growing – and preventable – AI security crisis
A vulnerability already exploited in the wild could allow an attacker to gain system privileges on an affected Windows system. Another one that has been wildly exploited can affect network connectivity on your PC. Even if a third vulnerability is discovered in real-world attacks, a hacker can disable security controls and access sensitive data. All of this means the February update is important.
Update your PC
To update your Windows 11 PC, go to System, select Windows Update, and then click the button to check for updates. On Windows 10, go to System, select Update & Security, select Windows Update, and then check for the latest updates.
So with all these bug patches, does that mean you should install the February Update asap? Generally, I would say yes. However, Microsoft has been wreaking havoc with its minor updates recently. The January Patch Tuesday update was a mess, containing numerous bugs, forcing Microsoft to issue two emergency patches in response.
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If you’re concerned about the security vulnerabilities and other bugs fixed in this month’s update, you should install it as soon as possible. But if you can possibly wait, I would suggest waiting a few days to make sure the February rollout is more stable and reliable than January’s.
If you install an update, know that you can always uninstall it if it turns out to be another glitch. Clearly, however, Microsoft needs to focus more on quality control for its monthly updates to ensure that they fix more bugs rather than creating them.
