PC users install Windows updates, but don't patch programs

Microsoft is doing its part protecting its users from hackers, but it can’t do everything on its own.

According to new figures released by Secunia Research in its Country Reports, covering Q2 2016 for 12 countries, the number of unpatched Windows machines is on the decline. Compared to Q1 this year, when 6.1 percent of systems were unpatched, only 5.4 percent are not up to date now. Same time last year, the figure was 10.3 percent.

"The decline in unpatched Windows operating systems is remarkable and encouraging", notes Kasper Lindgaard, director of Secunia Research at Flexera Software. "It will be interesting to see if this trend continues over the long run, especially as Windows 10 and its automated updates become more widely deployed".

However, non-Microsoft programs remain unpatched, meaning users are still exposed to a multitude of vulnerabilities. The number of unpatched non-Microsoft programs is actually on the rise. There are now 12.6 percent of users with unpatched programs, up from 11.9 percent in Q1 this year, and up from 11.3 percent in Q2 2015.

"If users install software but then ignore alerts and fail to initiate the patch process when a vulnerability is found, they will remain exposed to that vulnerability", says Lindgaard. "That is very unfortunate and has the potential to result in a bad outcome".

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