Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cybersecurity

    Most Popular Apps Have Few Flaws, but Updates Still a Problem

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    March 16, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The number of security vulnerabilities discovered in software products rose 5 percent in 2013, but the most common applications on desktop systems had fewer flaws reported this year, according to a report released by vulnerability management firm Secunia.

      The report underscores the shift in vulnerability researchers’ and attackers’ strategies from focusing on finding flaws in Microsoft products to other popular platforms. While Microsoft accounts for 29 of the top 50 programs most commonly found on computers, only 14 percent of vulnerabilities were found in Microsoft’s products. Third-party software—such as Google’s Chrome browser, Mozilla’s Firefox browser and Apple’s iTunes—account for 86 percent of vulnerabilities.

      “It has become harder to find serious vulnerabilities in Microsoft applications, so that’s why researchers are looking elsewhere,” said Thomas Kristensen, chief security officer for Secunia. “In addition, they patch pretty quickly, so there is less payoff for finding vulnerabilities in their systems.”

      The vulnerabilities data comes from the company’s analysis of 9,776 security issues reported in 2012 in more than 2,500 products from 421 vendors, a different data set than previous reports released in February. A study by NSS Labs using the National Vulnerability Database, for example, tallied 5,225 flaws as counted by their Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) identifier.

      Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s iTunes accounted for the highest number of vulnerabilities in the list of the top 50 most popular applications. Google patched 291 issues in its Chrome browser, Mozilla plugged 257 issues in its Firefox browser, and Apple fixed 243 flaws in iTunes, according to Secunia’s tally of the issues.

      Other top 50 programs—including attackers’ favorites, such as Oracle’s Java and Adobe’s Flash and Reader—each accounted for less than 70 vulnerabilities each. More than three-quarters of vulnerabilities in the top 50 programs were rated “high severity,” while more than 5 percent were given the top rating of “extreme severity.”

      “Companies cannot continue to ignore or underestimate non-Microsoft programs as the major source of vulnerabilities that threaten their IT infrastructure and overall IT-security level,” Morten R. Stengaard, Secunia’s director of product management, said in a statement accompanying the report.

      Overall, security researchers and software developers appear to be working better, as demonstrated by a much larger proportion of vulnerability disclosures being accompanied by patches. In 2012, software developers released a patch on the same day as 84 percent of the vulnerabilities reported, up from 72 percent in 2011.

      “The large vendors, who have been in the fire this whole time, they are getting better at releasing patches and communicating with researchers,” said Kristensen.

      While most of the top-50 programs have auto-update mechanisms, some do not, which leaves many companies and consumer open to attack, and slows the adoption of patches, Kristensen said.

      Secunia’s data also shows that attackers are focusing their greatest research efforts on only the most popular programs. Almost all zero-day exploits—those attacks that target yet-to-be-disclosed vulnerabilities—for the past six years focused on the top-25 applications, the company found. Finding and developing exploits for vulnerabilities takes a higher level of skill and knowledge than using existing exploits for known flaws.

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×