It’s Time to Update Your Server

You know that little notification that keeps popping up asking you to update software? Most of us hit “Later” without thinking twice. There’s always something more urgent—an email that needs sending, a presentation that’s due, or the quiet fear that “this update might break something.”
Then something actually goes wrong. And that voice in the back of your head starts whispering: We should have updated.

When it comes to servers and business systems, updates really can’t wait. They contain critical bug fixes and security patches. Leave them sitting and you’re basically leaving the door unlocked for attackers.

The number of software vulnerabilities keeps climbing every year (the MITRE database makes that pretty clear). More vulnerabilities = more opportunities for hackers. High-profile breaches still make the news regularly, yet plenty of businesses still run unpatched systems. Why?

Why We Keep Putting Updates Off

• No clear notification
  Your phone and laptop nag you constantly. Servers and web apps? Not so much. If you don’t log in regularly, the update notices are easy to miss.
• Too many notifications
  Between all the apps, plugins, and systems you run, the alerts never stop. “I’ll do it later” becomes the default.
• Fear that updates will break things
  We’ve all been burned by an upgrade that went sideways. Once bitten, twice shy.
• The process isn’t always simple
  Some tools (like WordPress) make updates one-click easy. Others force you to download a zip, upload files, and hope everything works.
• Bad timing
  The notification always seems to appear right when you’re about to jump on a client call or finish for the day. So you click “Remind me later.”
• “It won’t happen to me”
  Bad things happen to other people… until they don’t. So the update gets pushed another couple of days.

Patching a server can feel like a hassle. Putting it off is still a bad idea.

What You Can Actually Do About It

1. Set up proper update notifications
Emergency patches get released the moment a serious vulnerability goes public. If you never see the alert, you can’t act on it. Configure notifications for every important system. On Red Hat–based servers, tools like yum-cron make this straightforward.

2. Subscribe to security mailing lists
Vendors sometimes take a while to release official patches. Security researchers often publish advice (and temporary mitigations) much faster. Subscribe to the relevant security channels for the software you actually use. In cases where no good workaround exists yet, talking to a security expert is usually the smartest next step.

3. Prioritize critical security updates
When an update lands, scan the release notes for anything security-related—especially entries with a CVE number or words like “remote code execution,” “denial of service,” or “arbitrary code execution.” Those are the ones that can take your business offline. Apply them first. Don’t just skim the list.

4. Turn on auto-updates for security patches where it makes sense
Many applications let you automatically apply security (minor) updates while keeping major version upgrades manual. This is especially useful on systems without heavy customizations. WordPress, for example, handles this split cleanly. Just remember: auto-updates can still cause issues if you’ve made a lot of custom changes.

5. Test first when you’re worried about conflicts
If your server or applications are heavily customized, new updates can break things or cause downtime. Spin up a test environment, apply the patches there, and watch for a bit. Checking vendor forums for known compatibility issues is also worth a few minutes of your time.

Software updates aren’t optional if you care about keeping your systems secure. The longer you leave critical patches unapplied, the bigger the risk. Make updating a regular habit instead of an emergency scramble; you’ll sleep better for it.

Learn more about the knowledge base: 7 Main Types of Web Servers Explained: A Complete Guide