Missing Updates on Applications Creates Vulnerabilities

 

Avast’s PC Trends Report 2019 found that users are making themselves vulnerable by not implementing security patches and keeping outdated versions of popular applications on their PCs. The applications where updates are most frequently neglected include Adobe Shockwave (96%), VLC Media Player (94%) and Skype (94%). The report, which uses anonymized and aggregated data from 163 million devices across the globe, also found that Windows 10 is now installed on 40% of all PCs globally, which is fast approaching the 43% share held by Windows 7.

However, 15% of all Windows 7 users and 9% of all Windows 10 users worldwide are running older and no longer supported versions of their product, for example, the Windows 7 Release to Manufacturing version from 2009 or the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update from early 2017. Running out-of-date operating systems puts them at risk from vulnerabilities and other significant security issues.