Running critical Windows security patches

The latest worms that have been out in the wild have been targeting unpatched Windows XP/ 2000 systems exploiting vulnerabilities in Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.  As a result it generates massive network traffic which slows down the campus network thus making some resources inaccessible.

It is essential that your operating system is kept current with the latest security patches.   Flaws in parts of the operating system (and many applications) can allow your systems to be misused or broken by hackers or virus creators.  Sometimes you may not know your system has been compromised until it is too late. 

To prevent this from happening, it is important to install the newly released patches as they become available.  Many attacks are against vulnerabilities that Microsoft has already released patches for - a patch is a software fix for a known bug or other problem.  Simply installing the patch(es) in a timely manner can be a life saver. 

The following critical patches have been identified and you are advised to install them if you have not already done it.  They need to be installed on your PC to close the security exploits being used to transmit these worms and viruses.:

• Q815021_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU
• Windows-KB83330-ENU
• WindowsXP-KB824146-X86-ENU
• WindowsXP-KB835732-x86-ENU
• WindowsXP-PATCH-KB823980-X86-ENU

For users in the other Centres and Campuses, you can follow these instructions to download and install these critical patches:

1. Go to this local ftp site ftp://av.usp.ac.fj/patches/ You can use your browser, Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator to access the ftp site.  When typing the site address, please change the default protocol on the address line from http to ftp. OR just click on the ftp link above and it should take you to the site.
   
   
   
   

2. Depending on the operating system on your PC, select the appropriate folder by double-clicking on it.  For example, if you are using Windows XP, open the XP folder.
   
   
   

3. Copy that folder to a convenient location on your hard disk (such as your Desktop).  To copy the folder, right-click on the folder, select Copy.  Go to Desktop; select Paste from the Edit menu.

4. After copying the folder, double-click on it to install the first patch.   The Windows patch setup wizard begins with the Welcome screen.
   
   
   

5. Click Next to continue.

6. The License Agreement screen should appear.  Select I agree and click on Next to continue.

   
   
    

7. It will update your System with the patch.
   
   
   
   

8. After updating your system, the Finish window will appear.  Click Finish to complete the installation.
   
   
   
   Do the same for the other four patches.

9. Please note, you are required to run the patch once only.  Once it has been applied, there is no need to run it again.