Fixing bugs in code are not the only reason that software is updated. Software vulnerabilities, which attackers are able to exploit in order to attack the underlying system, are also important to remedy. Any updates should prevent attackers from using known weaknesses in the code in order to use that software to attack computers with, and means that the attackers have to look for other methods instead.
Unpatched software is actually known to be one of the main ways in which breaches occur. This means that by patching software as soon as an update is available, we can easily prevent a huge range of attacks which might otherwise have been able to succeed. However, people frequently ignore this warning, which is a huge mistake. There are some work environments in which changing a single component by updating software can impact an otherwise working system. In such cases, it can sometimes make sense to delay installing an update. However, for regular computer users, there are rarely any good excuses for this delay.
Software updates are so important that our systems and software usually notify us when they are available and need to be installed. Our systems and software do not regularly ask things from us, because it is considered to be a barrier to usability to do so. The fact that software updates are considered important enough to pop up to ask it of us demonstrates the importance of updating and patching our software.
Sometimes certain updates, especially big system updates, can take longer than we would like. In these cases, it is best to have a regularly scheduled check, the schedule of which should not be more than a few days or a week, at which we make sure that there are no uninstalled software updates. This will ensure that our systems are not going to be breached by attackers through out-of-date software. By incorporating these types of checks into our behaviour with regard to our systems, we can better ensure that we are less likely to be a victim of internet enabled attacks.