1. Windows Updates
   1. Trusted Operating System:
      1. A system that adheres to criteria for multilevel security and meets government regulations.
   2. Prior to performing a system update, you should check your system information. List the commands that can be issued in Windows OS from the command prompt to easily find this information:
      1. System Information Tool:
         1. msinfo32.exe
      2. About Windows:
         1. winver
      3. Detailed info, printed directly to command line:
         1. systeminfo
      4. Brief info, printed directly to command line:
         1. ver
   3. The Windows Update program can be accessed from the Run prompt in one of two ways:
      1. Windows 10:
         1. ms-settings:windowsupdate
      2. Before WIndows 10:
         1. wuapp.exe
   4. Windows updates may be classified into these categories:
      1. Security Update:
         1. A fix for a product-specific security-related vulnerability.
         2. Security vulnerabilities are rated based on their severity, indicated in the Microsoft Security Bulletin:
            1. Critical
            2. Important
            3. Moderate
            4. Low
      2. Critical Update:
         1. A fix for a specific problem addressing a critical, non-security-related bug.
      3. Windows Update:
         1. Recommended update to fix a noncritical problem certain users might encounter; also adds features and updates to features bundled into Windows.
      4. Driver Update:
         1. Updated device driver for installed hardware.
      5. Service Pack:
         1. A tested, cumulative set of security updates, critical updates, and updates, as well as additional fixes for problems found internally since the release of the product.
         2. Note: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are the last of the Microsoft operating systems to use service packs.
2. Patches and Hotfixes
   1. Patch:
      1. A set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it.
      2. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, with such patches usually being called bugfixes or bug fixes, and improving the usability or performance.
   2. Hotfix:
      1. Originally defined as a patch to an individual OS or application to fix a single problem, installed live while the system was up and running, and without a reboot necessary.
3. Patch Management
   1. Patch Management:
      1. The planning, testing, implementing, and auditing of patches.
   2. The patch management process consists of four phases:
      1. Planning:
         1. Deciding whether a patch is necessary, and whether it is compatible with the organization's technology.
         2. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) can let you know if a patch is necessary. If so, a plan should be created to test and implement the patch.
      2. Testing:
         1. Before deploying a patch, test it in a planned environment.
      3. Implementing:
         1. If the test is successful, the patch is deployed to the necessary systems.
      4. Auditing:
         1. Periodically, a sample of the systems are audited. This ensures no negative effects to the system have been caused by the patch.