I would like to think that most Windows users have now patched their PCs for the latest and greatest vulnerabilities, but 1.4 million of you must have ignored the warnings.

I’m not sure what all it takes. Microsoft came out with numerous warnings about a flaw in the Windows operating system that affects just about everyone. The FBI warned people. The Department of Homeland Security warned people. I saw it on the news. If you run a more recent version of Windows it probably nagged you to death that new updates were ready to install. But at least 1.4 million of you decided not to listen. What else could anyone do (other than create an operating system with zero security issues, but let’s not go there for this discussion).

There are so many of you out there with broadband connections (DSL/Cable Modem/etc) that it made it incredibly easy for this worm to spread very, very fast. There is a responsibility in owning a Personal Computer that many of you may not be aware of – keep the damn things patched! If not out of fear of losing your own data, then at least out of consideration of the possibility of the rest of us losing data because of your PC. So I’m going to pass on some of the best advice 1.4 million of you have apparently ever received; go download yourself a copy of ZoneAlarm at http://www.zonealarm.com and install it on your PC. It is a free firewall and would have protected you from this and numerous other worms that run wild on the internet every single minute of every single day. Did I mention it was free? You can always upgrade to the Pro version for a few bucks for even greater protection. If you happen to be running WindowsXP there is a firewall built in for you. All you have to do it turn it on. I’ll leave that for you to figure out. I switched to Apple’s OS X and Red Hat’s Linux a while ago and left most of this stuff behind.

I also run a firewall. It’s driven by one of the best operating systems on the planet, OpenBSD. And watching the logs it is very clear to me that a bunch of you still need to patch. And quickly.

So, here’s your checklist.

1) Get yourself a personal firewall or turn on the one that you may already have. 2) When Microsoft, the FBI, Homeland Defense, etc. warn about patching your computer – LISTEN TO THEM. 3) At a minimum, when anybody tells you that there is a patch for a little thing called RPC – patch. Even if you ignore all others, if you hear RPC anywhere in the sentence, run screaming to your computer and run Windows Update. You’ll thank me later.

If you don’t feel you are able to do any of the above, or have friends relatives, neighbors, or a decent paperboy that can help you through it, power your computer off, place it back in its original packing, and leave it out for the garbage men. You are apparently not ready for the responsibility of owning a Windows-based Personal Computer.

Or, you can always go by a Mac or Linux based computer and sit back and write comments on your blog about how all the Windows users still don’t seem to get it when it comes to keeping their system patched.