I.T. Advent tip #22: Got a new gadget for Christmas? Stop. Think. Connect.

Can’t wait to see how your new-but-unpatched laptop performs online on Christmas morning? Nor can the crooks.

New devices typically need updates right away, because they’re not really new as in “manufactured this morning and patched immediately.”

They are new as in “packaged ready for first use by the customer, then shipped, stored and sold.”

Advent tip brought to you by Sophos