myBulletins Q&A
Q. Why did Microsoft create myBulletins?
A. myBulletins was created based on customer feedback. Customers expressed the need to search through bulletins efficiently, in an effort to make deployment decisions quickly. myBulletins helps customers easily find security bulletins using advanced search and filtering options and sorts security bulletins by release date, severity, and reboot requirements. The online service provides a dynamic list in a customizable dashboard that can be edited at any time, as well as downloaded to a Microsoft Excel report.
Q. How does it work? What does it do?
A. myBulletins is an online service that provides customers with a personalized list of the Microsoft security bulletins. To get started, simply go to myBulletins. Sign in to your Microsoft Account or create a new one, build your profile by selecting the Microsoft products you want to see in your dashboard, and view your personalized dashboard.
Q. Is this meant for consumers or Enterprise customers?
A. myBulletins is intended for customers who are responsible for ongoing security update management within their organizations. This is a very useful online service for administrators in enterprise or small and medium sized business environments.
Q. Does myBulletins scan my computer and recommend Microsoft security bulletins based on which updates I haven’t yet applied?
A. No. The myBulletins online service is an advanced filtering system that allows customers to easily find Microsoft security bulletins for products. It does not scan or recommend security bulletins or updates that should be applied. Microsoft recommends that customers apply all applicable bulletins to stay better protected.
Q. Will there be advisories or Knowledge Base (KB) articles in this online service?
A. The online service does not include advisories or KB articles at this time. Customers should visit the TechNet Security site for this information.
Q. Will I be able to find products which are no longer supported in the myBulletins online service?
A. Yes, regardless of whether a product is still supported, the security bulletin is available in the myBulletins online service. Security bulletins released before end-of-support date will be included.
Q. Is every Microsoft Security Bulletin that has been published available through the myBulletins online service?
A. Microsoft Security Bulletins released in 2008 or later are available through the myBulletins service.
Q. Will I require a reboot if the reboot Column says “maybe”?
A. Yes, it is recommended to reboot when “maybe” is listed.
Q. Any plans to include myBulletins in future product releases?
A. There are no plans at this time to include myBulletins.
Q. Couldn’t people use myBulletins to selectively install updates, which Microsoft advises against?
A. myBulletins is intended to help customers easily identify security bulletin deployment based on their selected Microsoft products. Customers are best protected when they apply all applicable updates. However, we realize that some enterprise environments need to prioritize testing and deployment order and this service allows them to easily identify the bulletins which are relevant to the software running in their environment.
Q. Will I be notified if I have updates in the myBulletins online service, or do I have to log in to receive notifications?
A. myBulletins does not send notifications. In order to view the latest Microsoft security bulletins, you must log in to the service.
Q. I can’t find the product I am looking for in the myBulletins online service? Can you help?
A. If a Microsoft security bulletin has not been published for a product it will not be available in the myBulletins service. If a bulletin is older than 2008 it will not be available via myBulletins. Customers looking for bulletins prior to 2008 will need to visit the TechNet Security Library.
Q. What do the colors in the severity column mean?
A. The colors in the severity column relate to the severity of the security bulletins. Red is critical, dark blue is important, light blue is moderate.
Q. Can I export the information out of the myBulletins online service?
A. Customers can export their customized information to a Microsoft Excel report.
Q. How can customers report discrepancies in the data?
A. Customers with questions or comments should use the “site feedback” link at the bottom of the myBulletins page.
Q. Where can customers get help with this online service?
A. Customers with questions or comments may use the “contact us” link at the bottom of the myBulletins page.
Q. What are the terms of use for this online service?
A. For more information, customers may refer to the Terms of Use agreement.
Q. Does Microsoft use or sell any of the information I input into the myBulletins online service?
A. Microsoft’s myBulletins online does not collect any sensitive information and will not share or sell customer information. For more information customers should review the Privacy Statement.
Q. Why are you including legacy products in the myBulletins online service?
A. Based on customer feedback, we included legacy products in the myBulletins online service, as they wanted to be able to reference past security bulletins.
Q. Help me decide when I should use myBulletins or Windows Server Update Service (WSUS).
| WSUS | myBulletins | |
| What is the purpose of these services? | Enables administrators to manage the distribution and deployment of updates, drivers, and hotfixes released for Microsoft products to computers in a corporate managed network environment. WSUS downloads these updates from the Microsoft Update website and then distributes and deploys them to computers on a network. It allows for customization by product and severity of updates. WSUS is intended to help customer administrators control the deployment of updates based on the configurations they choose. | Enables administrators to easily find a list of security bulletins along with information contained within the bulletins such as known issues, reboot requirements, severity, CVE and KB article. Administrators can filter this list based on the products in their environment and the information contained in the bulletin. It is an information repository that helps aid in security update deployment decision making. myBulletins does not include non-security updates. |
| Who can use these services? | WSUS is intended for Enterprises using Windows Server. | myBulletins may be used by all organizations, but was built for organizations with a smaller deployment footprint (such as 1-100 computers), or Enterprises who do not use WSUS. |
| When would I use myBulletins over WSUS? | WSUS is intended for administrators
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| What will I need to get started using these services? | Windows Server, Microsoft .NET Framework, and others as listed in Section 1:1 here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh852344 | Internet connectivity, browser such as Internet Explorer |
| What type of information can I expect to find in these services? | WSUS contains information about updates, drivers, or hotfixes exist in the Microsoft Update catalog. | myBulletins contains security bulletin information for which security updates exist including out-of-band releases. Does not include security advisories. |
| What is the cost for running these services? | WSUS runs on Windows Server and is free to licensed Microsoft Windows Server customers. | None |
| What type of reporting capabilities are available with these services? | WSUS allows users to sort updates by severity, product/version. | myBulletins helps users sort based on attributes such as severity, product/versions, reboot requirements and date. |
| Are Third-Party Security Updates available using these services? | Yes. Third-party updates are supported using a Custom Publishing API and System Center. | No. myBulletins does not support third party updates. |