As more people telecommute to help stem the spread of the new coronavirus, Microsoft has made the decision to temporarily suspend all non-security updates for all supported versions of Windows, including Windows 10. This policy will take effect in May.

"Starting in May 2020, we will temporarily suspend all optional non-security releases (C and D updates) for all supported versions of Windows client and server products to prioritize security and keep our customers protected and productive and Microsoft announced on Twitter.

There is a technical term for C and D updates. Simply put, these are updates that Microsoft provides in the third and fourth weeks of the month, respectively, and are not essential to PC security. They can also be considered non-essential updates.

So-called "B" releases continue to be pushed as usual. Also called Patch Tuesday releases, they are a cumulative collection of security patches that Microsoft issues on the second Tuesday of each month. The next patch is scheduled to be released on April 14 and, barring any unexpected changes, will be released on schedule.

The reason for the pause button is to make things easier for Microsoft and Windows users in light of the Coronavirus outbreak.

"We are evaluating the public health situation and understand that this is affecting our customers," Microsoft stated in a related support document. To address these challenges, we are prioritizing the availability of security updates." There are no changes to the monthly security updates (B Release - Update Tuesday). They will continue as scheduled to ensure business continuity and to keep our customers protected and productive.

Although Microsoft did not explicitly state so, this decision should reduce problems for users who suddenly find themselves working from home without the help of IT staff. while Windows updates are designed to solve problems, so many hardware configurations are possible, which inevitably causes problems in some cases. Reading between the lines, Microsoft seems to acknowledge this reality.

It is the security updates that continue as before that really matter, perhaps even more so now. According to Trend Micro, malicious vendors are taking advantage of the Corona virus situation to launch "various malicious campaigns."

These campaigns are designed to "keep the public in the dark" about the virus.

These campaigns range from phishing attempts to injecting malicious code into live tracking maps. If you are someone's technical advisor, this is a good time to alert them to be on the lookout for suspicious emails and links.