Outdated Java, QuickTime installations on the rise in UK

UK’s citizens are getting more diligent when it comes to patching and updating their Windows-operated computers, new survey by Flexera Software’s Secunia Reports team says. QuickTime users, on the other hand, aren't as vigilant.

According to the team’s Country Reports, the number of unpatched Microsoft Windows operating systems is on the decline. At the end of the first quarter of 2016, the number sits at 6.1 percent, where last year at this same time, it was at 11.5 percent.

QuickTime 7.x users, on the other hand, are lagging behind. The number of users with unpatched software is now at 61 percent, where last year at the same time it was at 55 percent.

Oracle Java JRE 1.8x/8.x users were also careless -- last year, there were 36 percent of UK users running an unpatched version -- now there are 41 percent of them.

"Criminals use vulnerabilities as attack vectors to illegally gain entry into systems", said Kasper Lindgaard, director of Secunia Research at Flexera Software. "Companies and individuals can substantially reduce the likelihood of a successful attack by diligently applying vulnerability patches as soon as they become available.  Based on the data reflected in today’s Country Report, it would appear that private users are, indeed, becoming more diligent at patching their Windows operating systems".

Flexera Software recommends all users to try their software, the Personal Software Inspector, which scans the system and looks for software with vulnerabilities that need patching. The full report can be found on this link.

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