Patches

You mave have heard the term patches several times while using computer. But many of the people don't know what a patch is. Now let us know what a patch is ? 
Today, there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of companies that produces softwares for different purposes. These softwares are created by brilliant people according to the specifications given by the customer or by the standards set by the firm. If the software is very large, or has lot of functions, it is generally developed by a group of software engineers by working as a team. After manufacturing the software, it has to be tested for stability and vulnerabilities before handing over to the customer. For this there is a set of tools for software testing. During testing several bugs are found out and they are rectified. After passing the software testing, the software is declared ready for use.
You know, 'to error is human'. Like that every thing that is made by humans will have certain quantity of error in it. Same is the case of the software testing. The softwares that successfully pass the software testing need not be free from vulnerability and bugs. In most cases there will be bugs. In the case of important softwares as used in banks and finantial organisations, the software is tested several times, sometimes may test in sample populations to ensure that the software is free from bugs.
If a bug or vulnerability is found in a software after given to the customer for the use, the software manufacturer releases patch for that software. The goal of the patch is to ensure the correct functioning of the software and to insure that the software is not vulnerable to viruses. A software patch would be applied to a specific program to correct an error in function where as an anti-virus patch might seek to correct specific vulnerabilities linked to the functioning of one particular virus. A security patch, on the other hand, might be designed to strengthen aspects of a machine's connection to a network or to the Internet to guard against incursions into the system from outside sources.
Service packs are groupings of other patches, usually too numerous or complex to be installed one at a time. Usually service packs are directed at repairing known issues in larger software environment like operating systems. Microsoft releases several patches for the operating systems and these pathes are installed during the update of Windows. If you are using Windows Operating System, then install latest patches by Microsoft to make your system more secure against vulnerabilities and software attacks.