Windows 8 is the most vulnerable Windows OS, you can thank Flash for that

  • 27 February 2014
  • 5 replies
  • 1546 views

Userlevel 7
Badge +56


http://www.neowin.net/images/galleries/1821/flashwin8.png
Microsoft's Windows 8 platform has been tagged by security research firm Secuina as being the most vulnerable Windows platform on the market. As you can see in the chart above, it’s quite clear that, according to their research, that Windows 8 had more vulnerabilities than previous versions of Windows that are currently supported by Microsoft for 2013.
If you are wondering why Windows 8 tops the charts, even though Microsoft touts the platform as more secure than its predecessors, the answer is quite simple; Flash. Because Flash is now baked into the modern instance of IE, any Flash vulnerability can now be tied into Windows 8 as well.
This is certainly not a trend that Microsoft would like to see but the facts, are well, the facts. When Microsoft announced that Flash would be baked into the modern IE browser, knowing the history of Flash, this exact issue was raised many times.
Seeing that Microsoft is not directly responsible for the Flash code, this means that there is more room for vulnerabilities and the result is the chart above.
 
Full Article

5 replies

Userlevel 5
"If you are wondering why Windows 8 tops the charts, even though Microsoft touts the platform as more secure than its predecessors, the answer is quite simple; Flash. Because Flash is now baked into the modern instance of IE, any Flash vulnerability can now be tied into Windows 8 as well."

So it's more of an IE is bad (which we all already knew...) issue than a Win 8 issue...
Userlevel 7
Badge +56
I really don't know why Microsoft will only allow Flash from Windows Update to me that's the biggest mistake but they want to do it that way so be it. But we are always protected by WSA if a Flash exploit tries to download and run! :D
 
Daniel
Userlevel 7
Badge +56
Maybe that can inspire a new marketing campaign - "On Windows 8?  You need Webroot!" 🙂
Userlevel 7
@ wrote:
Maybe that can inspire a new marketing campaign - "On Windows 8?  You need Webroot!" :)
With so many platforms being compromised now, the slogan could be as simple as "Use the internet? Use Webroot."
 
Or, "Why give strangers your passwords and personal information? Use Webroot."
 
Make it scary. "If you don't use Webroot, you don't stand a chance."
 
 
Userlevel 7
Come to think of it, one of my technicians nickname is "Flash." 
 
I will thank him for making Windows 8 the most vunerable of all of the Windows platforms and see what he has to say about it!

Reply