{"id":6068,"date":"2023-11-11T11:38:17","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T11:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bodhost.com\/kb\/?p=6068"},"modified":"2026-08-10T11:08:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:08:33","slug":"its-time-to-update-your-server","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/its-time-to-update-your-server\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Time to Update Your Server"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You know that little notification that keeps popping up asking you to update software? Most of us hit \u201cLater\u201d without thinking twice. There\u2019s always something more urgent\u2014an email that needs sending, a presentation that\u2019s due, or the quiet fear that \u201cthis update might break something.\u201d<br \/>\nThen something actually goes wrong. And that voice in the back of your head starts whispering: We should have updated.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to servers and business systems, updates really can\u2019t wait. They contain critical bug fixes and security patches. Leave them sitting and you\u2019re basically leaving the door unlocked for attackers.<\/p>\n<p>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?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Why We Keep Putting Updates Off<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>No clear notification<\/strong><br \/>\nYour phone and laptop nag you constantly. Servers and web apps? Not so much. If you don\u2019t log in regularly, the update notices are easy to miss.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Too many notifications<\/strong><br \/>\nBetween all the apps, plugins, and systems you run, the alerts never stop. \u201cI\u2019ll do it later\u201d becomes the default.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fear that updates will break things<\/strong><br \/>\nWe\u2019ve all been burned by an upgrade that went sideways. Once bitten, twice shy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The process isn\u2019t always simple<\/strong><br \/>\nSome tools (like WordPress) make updates one-click easy. Others force you to download a zip, upload files, and hope everything works.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bad timing<\/strong><br \/>\nThe notification always seems to appear right when you\u2019re about to jump on a client call or finish for the day. So you click \u201cRemind me later.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cIt won\u2019t happen to me\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\nBad things happen to other people\u2026 until they don\u2019t. So the update gets pushed another couple of days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Patching a server can feel like a hassle. Putting it off is still a bad idea.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What You Can Actually Do About It<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. Set up proper update notifications<\/strong><br \/>\nEmergency patches get released the moment a serious vulnerability goes public. If you never see the alert, you can\u2019t act on it. Configure notifications for every important system. On Red Hat\u2013based servers, tools like yum-cron make this straightforward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Subscribe to security mailing lists<\/strong><br \/>\nVendors 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Prioritize critical security updates<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen an update lands, scan the release notes for anything security-related\u2014especially entries with a CVE number or words like \u201cremote code execution,\u201d \u201cdenial of service,\u201d or \u201carbitrary code execution.\u201d Those are the ones that can take your business offline. Apply them first. Don\u2019t just skim the list.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Turn on auto-updates for security patches where it makes sense<\/strong><br \/>\nMany 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\u2019ve made a lot of custom changes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Test first when you\u2019re worried about conflicts<\/strong><br \/>\nIf 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.<\/p>\n<p>Software updates aren\u2019t 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\u2019ll sleep better for it.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about the knowledge base: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/types-of-web-servers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>7 Main Types of Web Servers Explained: A Complete Guide<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You know that little notification that keeps popping up asking you to update software? Most of us hit \u201cLater\u201d without thinking twice. There\u2019s always something more urgent\u2014an email that needs sending, a presentation that\u2019s due, or the quiet fear that \u201cthis update might break something.\u201d Then something actually goes wrong. And that voice in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[802,803],"class_list":["post-6068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-hosting","tag-server-update","tag-updating-the-server"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>It\u2019s Time to Update Your Server<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is your server outdated? It&#039;s time to update! Keep your website running smoothly and efficiently with a modern server.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bodhost.com\/kb\/its-time-to-update-your-server\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It\u2019s Time to Update Your Server\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is your server outdated? It&#039;s time to update! 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