Make a Digital New Year's Resolution: Keep Your Computer Systems and Software Up to Date

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As Americans get ready to ring in 2019 with balloons and bubbly,  millions will vow to eat healthier, get more exercise and save more money. But why stop there? With adults spending an astonishing 11 hours per day glued to their screens – reading, watching, listening and interacting with media ‒ making a pledge to protect your online life is a digital must do. Intel, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Microsoft have an easy-to-implement solution for your New Year's resolution: #UpdateMeow and keep your systems and software current. The message is simple: when you receive an update notification from your device manufacturer or operating system vendor, verify the source and apply the update. It's one of the easiest ways to help keep devices secure.

Leveraging the popularity of cats on the internet, #UpdateMeow is a feline-friendly way to remind everyone to update their software and systems, which is often essential to fixing security bugs. It's simple, has multiple benefits and will keep your interconnected world safer and more secure. What better way to kick off the New Year than by taking one simple step that will help protect you, your family and your entire online community.

Update Cat – who is leading the clowder with his furry friends, Waffles the Cat and Cole and Marmalade ‒ has a new website Intel.com/UpdateMeow. The site shares three reasons why everyone should make a high-return New Year's promise that is a cinch to fulfill and will greatly enrich your online life:

• We ain't kitten about improved security: Today's devices routinely receive updates to help protect your personal information against new and evolving threats. Don't be dogged: UpdateMeow!
• Amazing experiences that are pawsitively remarkable: This New Year, enjoy internet improvements. System and software updates often include feature and speed enhancements that can enable happy, healthy online experiences in 2019.  
• Get a warm and fuzzy feeling: System and software updates ‒ when routinely applied ‒ can help give you peace of mind and enable you to focus on the connectivity and fun that lies ahead.

"Purr-sonal information is like money. Value it. Protect it," said Update Cat. "Think about everything you hoard online. In some cases, it could be nine lives worth of purr-sonal data. That's a lot of addresses, photos and music. Think about how claw-ful it would be if it got into unscrupulous paws. Make your 2019 safer and more secure and #UpdateMeow."  

"As we enter the new year, it's important to keep digital hygiene front of mind," said Audrey Plonk, senior director of Public Policy, Intel Corporation. "We want to remind people how important it is to update their desktop and laptop computers when notified by their system manufacturer or operating system vendor. Having the latest updates is one of the best ways to help keep devices secure, protect data and deliver an amazing computing experience for 2019."

"Our online and offline lives are now one in the same," said Kelvin Coleman, NCSA's executive director. "Updating our systems and software not only improves our security but also helps protect our privacy – both of which are big concerns for anyone who uses the internet. You can jump-start your safety in one easy step which will help keep everyone safer and more secure online. Stay empowered and enjoy the extraordinary benefits of connectivity with greater confidence in 2019."

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About the National Cyber Security Alliance  

NCSA is the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness. NCSA works with a broad array of stakeholders in government, industry and civil society. NCSA's primary partners are DHS and NCSA's Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; AT&T Services Inc.; Bank of America; CDK Global, LLC; CertNexus; Cisco; Cofense; Comcast Corporation; ESET North America; Facebook; Google; InfoSec Institute; Intel Corporation; Marriott International; Mastercard; Microsoft Corporation; Mimecast; NXP Semiconductors; Raytheon; Salesforce; Symantec Corporation; Visa and Wells Fargo. NCSA's core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (Jan. 28); STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™, the global online safety awareness and education campaign co-founded by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group with federal government leadership from DHS; and CyberSecure My Business™, which offers webinars, web resources and workshops to help businesses be resistant to and resilient from cyberattacks. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/.  

About Update Cat

Intel is teaming up with the National Cyber Security Association (NCSA) and Microsoft to launch a nationwide, coordinated effort to help remind desktop and notebook users about the importance of keeping systems and software up-to-date.  The message is simple: when users receive an update notification from their device manufacturer or operating system vendor, they should verify the source and apply the update. It's one of the easiest ways to help keep devices secure. Use #UpdateMeow to share in your social channels why you keep your systems updated. Together, we can make our interconnected world more safe and secure.

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SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance