As if the recent false missile attack wasn’t enough, there is nothing like beginning the new year with yet another IT security issue. I’m talking about the microprocessor glitch called Meltdown (or Spectre), which can allow theft of passwords or account data from a PC, laptop, tablet or phone.

Yes, this could conceivably put everything at risk. So, what to do?

Updates for Windows and MacOS systems have been released by the manufacturers of your computer, tablet or phone. If you have automatic updating turned on — and this is the time to turn it on if you have not — things will be rectified as the updates become available.

Without getting into the weeds about the potential vulnerabilities for your processor(s), there’s a lesson for all of us. Patches sent by manufacturers are not just some afterthought. They will have security updates to protect your system. The easiest way to do this is to have automatic updating always turned on.

That brings me to the next security rant. For the last couple of years, I’ve preached to Windows 7 users to migrate over to Windows 10, which is inherently more secure.

That said, there’s a huge base of end-users still using Windows 7, and those folks absolutely need third-party software to shore up their PCs — not to mention for their mobile phones, tablets, etc. I had my colleague Rob Kay review Trend Micro’s Titanium Maximum Security, which covers all these bases.

Like most security suites, Titanium (which retails for $49.95) has multiple components and levels of protection including anti-virus, cloud storage scanner, firewall, anti-phishing, anti-spam, parental control, password manager, encrypted vault, ransomware protection as well as mobile security of Android devices.

The upshot is that there’s so much more in the way of data (and devices) to protect. As everyone knows, the internet is a gateway to your tablet, cellphone, cloud storage, etc., that can be hacked or infected with malware.

With all these moving parts, it’s easy to get distracted from maintaining your basic desktop, and that’s where Titanium’s scanner also will help with routine fixes that will address programs slowing the boot process, space-wasting junk files, and browser traces that might jeopardize privacy.

One cool feature that Rob really liked was Titanium’s capacity to protect up to five other devices, such as his Samsung 7 phone, his Nexus tablet and his clunky old Thinkpad laptop. To activate more protection, you simply click on a button that sends an email to your additional device. Following that, you download the app and install.

Rob had a problem recently with his Samsung phone, which got locked up because of malware, and the whole system had to be reset.

In addition to anti-virus protection, Trend Micro’s cross-platform defense includes anti-theft features that allow you to remotely locate, lock or wipe a lost mobile device. (As if that isn’t enough, the software will enable your unit to snap a photo of the culprit who tries to unlock it.) The anti-theft software would certainly have come in handy when his old tablet was stolen on the “Chunnel” train between London and Brussels last summer.

Finally, one of the strengths of this package is the tech support (which is based in the Philippines). Rob was able to resolve some installation issues thanks to the assistance provided by the technician at the call center, who was infinitely patient and knowledgeable. Even with all the best technology, you sometimes need the human touch.

The lesson here for the new year is that hackers and identity thieves are getting more sophisticated by the minute. You need to protect yourself and, as I mentioned earlier, keep your auto update function turned on.

Mike Meyer, formerly Internet general manager at Oceanic Time Warner Cable, is now chief information officer at Honolulu Community College. Reach him at mmeyer@hawaii.edu.