Are you aware of the software apps installed in your computer and what it could possibly do with privacy? If not you should take it into consideration at this very moment. You might never know if it had already made your computer vulnerable to cyber attacks. You might think that the add-ons you have on your computer are harmless but consider every possibility. They could be cyber attack software.
By clicking an infected banner on a legitimate website, you can end up with a data-stealing malware or ransomware on your system. This is where online criminals rely on to help them exploit security gaps with their own malicious intents. There is probability that at least 3 applications installed in your computer are vulnerable to cyber attacks.
According to Heimdal Security, there are 8 software apps that makes 99% percent of computers in the world prone to cyber hacking. They pointed out that there is no perfect software since the people who made them are imperfect in nature. The infographics from Heimdal Security listed the eight software apps that may incur computer security issues.
Google Chrome
- 124 vulnerabilities in 2014
- The attacker could access cookies as well and track your every move
- 36% of users don’t use the latest version of the application making them vulnerable to attacks
Mozilla Firefox
- 117 vulnerabilities in 2014
- The at risk pages become infected and spread malware to those who visited them
- 50% of users don’t use the latest version of the application making them vulnerable to attacks
Adobe Flash Player
- 76 vulnerabilities in 2014
- It cannot be detected by antivirus
- Gives cyber criminals full access to a user’s computer
- 110 million websites uses Flash
Oracle Java Runtime Environment
- 104 vulnerabilities in 2014
- Allows attackers to modify and/or alter sensitive information, compromising users around the world via spam emails
- Its vulnerabilities dropped y 34% but it still remained in the top five most vulnerable software
- 29 million websites uses Java
Adobe Air
- 45 vulnerabilities in 2014
- The site itself was compromised and served in a well-hidden frame
- When a user browse the website, a malicious redirection silently loaded the Fiesta exploit kit and associated malware payload
- 1 billion connected desktops
Apple TV
- 86 vulnerabilities in 2014
- The flaw could compromise the user’s confidential data, including usernames and passwords
- 20 million users
Adobe Reader
- 44 vulnerabilities in 2014
- Exploit design to trick Windows users into clicking on a malicious PDF file delivered in an email message
- Highly sophisticated exploit is suspected to be part of a cyberespionage operation
Adobe Acrobat
- 43 vulnerabilities in 2014
- Able to launch advanced pieces of malware and ransomware, such as CryptoLocker or CTB Locker Polymorphic nature
- Spreads through drive-by downloads in legitimate websites and online ads
- Antivirus can’t detect it
Should you stop using these applications to be safe? The answer is no. it wasn’t even an option. These types of software are necessary which is why they are present in almost all computers in the world. So you may ask how to protect your computer. Using an automated patching tool, a tool traffic scanning tool, application that can block malware and antivirus are some of the things you should think through to protect your computer. But the key element is to stop clicking strange links and suspicious emails.
