Best Software Updater?

Best software updater is YOU.

I use the auto-update facility on most of my programs. Note CCleaner Free indicates which programs have an update available. Belarc Adviser also recommends which programs need a critical security update.

RickC said:

The thing with automatic updates is you completely miss out on the experience and subsequent comments of early adopters.

I always disable auto-updating and check for comments before updating.

(For example, it's how I found out that the last few versions of Sysinternals/TechNet's Process Monitor have quite severe display bugs so I definitely don't want to update until these are addressed.)

Hope this helps...

Autoruns also has errors - I'm still using v 13.98

Jambon28 said:

I know the only person to blame here is probably me

Nuh, there just seems to be general misconception, SUMO is an update checker, not an updater.

There are not any real updaters worth mentioning, each updater updates only a few apps. Patchmypc does not work lately. If you can, use windows store app's version, that is the only updater that really works. Windows contains winget that can install/update apps, but it is CMD version and not easy to get around.

Code:

winget list

I use Softpedia's watchlist. When the new version is released, I get an email with a download link. I also like Softpedia, because it is like malware apps filter, they list only verified software. Windows Repair Toolbox is also a handy little app, it is like Swiss knife, it contains the most useful tools and updates them.

should I update every single app all the time in order to strenghten my security posture,

In a word- no.

Spend your time doing something productive or fun!

Jambon28 said:

Thanks again guys, very valuable input.

Finally I'm wondering: it's commonly admitted that every outdated software on a machine is a potential vulnerability that can be exploited by a hacker, given the new version closes some security holes. But to what extent?

I mean, is it because a particular xyz software on my PC is outdated that I will necessarily face an attack through this software?
I'm wondering because I have multiple software on my machine: I do pay a strong attention to the ones I use on a daily basis as I work with them several hours a day, so I guess if a hacker was trying to enter my machine and would scan for vulnerabilities, they may find an open port or whatever, plus the fact that I'm running an outdated app, and then possibly launch a successful attack on my machine, I don't exactly know how these guys are doing actually, but anyway, the point I'm trying to make is the following: I do update the apps I use very often for security reasons, but I'm not sure it's worth spending time updating ALL the apps on my machine, especially if I run them super occasionally (so they don't actually sit in the RAM).

A good example: I use 7-Zip. The version I use is probably outdated. Is it sufficient for a hacker to launch a successful attack on my machine? I guess no. I guess for it to be successful, the hacker would probably need me to open a malicious zipped file, a file that they would have crafted to take advantage of the particular vulnerability in my outdated software right? So I guess I'm safe given I never use my outdated 7-Zip version to open suspicious files.

But the situation is probably different if I use an outdated version of say MS Word, and I use it every day to work on multiple files: even if I don't open any malicious file with it, I may be vulnerable to an attack only because Word is outdated and is listening to a particular port on my machine, so that a hacker could exploit it. Or am I wrong here?

Thanks to you, I have a pretty good understanding of how to update the apps on my PC now, but the question is: should I update every single app all the time in order to strenghten my security posture, even the ones I barely not use?

What do you think?

Attacks via 3rd party software are rare. Just check the ones you use npw and then for updates ‐ most updates are bug fixes or enhancements. Security patches are not common anyway. I check mine about once a month.