As an IT professional, banging on about security is bread and butter. Sometimes keeping up with trends in security and giving good, up-to-date advice is hard. However, when you read the most recent findings on vulnerabilities, it's nice to know you've been on the right track.
It's all about updating. When all is said and done, keeping everything up to date is the only sure-fire way to keep ahead of the bad guys. Researchers at Recorded Future analysed the top vulnerabilities, exploit kits and malware attacks deployed by cyber criminals during the course of 2019 - the basic results are below:
The top ten most commonly exploited vulnerabilities – and the technology they target – according to the Recorded Future Annual Vulnerability report are:
CVE-2018-15982 – Adobe Flash Player
CVE-2018-8174 – Microsoft Internet Explorer
CVE-2017-11882 – Microsoft Office
CVE-2018-4878 – Adobe Flash Player
CVE-2019-0752 – Microsoft Internet Explorer
CVE-2017-0199 – Microsoft Office
CVE-2015-2419 – Microsoft Internet Explorer
CVE-2018-20250 – Microsoft WinRAR
CVE-2017-8750 – Microsoft Internet Explorer
CVE-2012-0158 – Microsoft Office
So, four major things to take from this. As has been re-iterated many times, Adobe Flash Player should not be on anyone's computer. It is not safe and has no function which anyone requires. Secondly, Microsoft Internet Explorer has not been supported or updated for many years and despite the ludicrous state of affairs, whereby it is still included in Windows 10, it should never be used. Thirdly, Always make sure your Office is updating. If you have any doubts, get in touch. And last - ALWAYS UPDATE EVERYTHING WHEN IT ASKS. Sorry to shout, but it is vital.
Keeping up to date is not the onerous task it once was. Whether Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone, updates are fairly automatic and easy to apply. Don't ignore them and all will be well.