Driver updates aren’t simply for improving game performance, sometime they’re a necessity to keep you safe. Nvidia has published eight rather scary-sounding security vulnerabilities, but they’ve thankfully already been fixed, thanks to driver updates that are now ready to download across most operating systems.
Nvidia GPUs are used in some of the best graphics cards, but their supporting software can still be vulnerable to various exploits, and it’s always worth keeping your drivers updated to the very latest versions.
Security is always a hot topic in the world of technology, and it’s a major cause in the decline in support for Windows operating systems older than 10. While older operating systems can be used, doing so is done at your own risk, as explicitly stated by Microsoft when it announces that updates will stop.
For Nvidia, it’s a slightly different situation. It identified vulnerabilities and exploits in some of its older GPU drivers, and needed to roll out a fix to ensure anyone still using them is safe. If you’re using a GPU driver before version 551.6.1, then make sure you update to the latest version.
If you’ve used GeForce Experience or the new Nvidia App to update your GPU to the latest Game Ready driver (551.61), then you’re already protected and don’t need to take further action. If, however, your driver version doesn’t match up to this one (or later), then be sure to update it at your earliest convenience.
With support pulled for Windows versions older than 10, we’re expecting to hear a lot more about Microsoft’s plans for Windows 12 soon.