A majority of Indian users think that there is no harm in delaying a software update, according to a study commissioned by Kaspersky in April 2021.

According to the cybersecurity company, “installing updates is considered a routine boring task and half of respondents commonly snooze them.”

Overall, 67 per cent of Indian users think that there is no harm in delaying software update. This is concerning as updates to devices are important from the perspective of security.

“Updates to devices are not only necessary to gain access to new features or interfaces, they also help to maintain a high level of security. Vendors regularly test their offerings to find new potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. The timely installation of updates can serve as an effective defense against cybercriminals. This downtime can also increase people’s productivity and help with well-being,” Kaspersky said.

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At the same time however, 30 per cent of Indian respondents admitted that the time spent waiting for updates to take place can be used productively and they are making this a reality in their day-to-day lives While 29 per cent of respondents said that they even enjoy the break away from technology.

Generally, users mostly prefer to shift to other activities while updates are installed. For instance, when their devices are unavailable, 25 per cent of respondents said that they try to switch off and relax (watch TV or read a book), 11 per cent distract themselves by cooking, and 14 per cent prefer sports or going for a walk. While 30 per cent said that they continue to do what they were doing, simply switching to another device.

However, 41 per cent of users usually postpone the installation of updates. The most popular reason for the same is being busy at work (32 per cent), followed by options where users do not want to stop using their device at that moment (22 per cent). 24 per cent of users do so as they do not want to close the application. All in all, 67 per cent see no harm in such delay.

“It makes complete sense to switch to another device while the gadget you were using originally is going through an update cycle. Playing sports, cooking, or a little meditation could be a timely break from the working day, helping people to relax and reboot. We were pleased to see in our survey that many people already follow healthy practices, and we call on others to follow their example. Doing so will not only help to improve your mood but can also increase productivity,” said Maria Namestnikova, Head of GReAT Russia, Kaspersky.

Dipesh Kaura, General Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia) said, “The survey suggests that 67 per cent of users in India see no harm in delaying a software update on their device which can be seen as a concern by cybersecurity experts. While it is quite understandable that people would not like to get their flow of work interrupted by a software update, it is also necessary to understand the importance of regularly updating their software.”

Also read: 2021 sees more data breach cases, financial frauds from online platforms in India: study

“A regular system or software update is as good as an immunity boost given is to a human body. The updates not only offer new features to your device, but also help in improving system or device security, fix software bugs, remove outdated features, update drivers and identify and correct vulnerabilities in the software by overall improving the functioning of the software,” added Kaura.

Kaura further said, “We recommend users to regularly update their system or software to stay away from potential cyberthreats. It is okay to snooze the update maybe once, in case of completing an important task, but it is never okay to completely ignore and avoid updating your software as that may give a cybercriminal the opportunity to make you their potential target”.

Kaspersky has recently announced the campaign “Pain in the neck”, exploring users’ attitudes to updating devices.

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