Apps More Vulnerable than OS, Report Says

While the Windows platform has become much more resistant to malware attacks, Microsoft-based applications have now become the focus of vulnerabilities, according to research firm Ovum.

"Microsoft's work in improving its Windows platform has been paying off and attackers are turning to attacking applications rather than platforms," said Graham Titterington, principal analyst at Ovum. Microsoft's Security Intelligence report indicated that operating systems represented just over six percent of the total number of software vulnerabilities in the first half of 2008, compared with over 15 percent in 2003.

"Thus the majority of vulnerabilities are in applications and hackers are exploiting this opportunity," pointed out Titterington. "It is now critically important to patch vulnerabilities in all software that interacts with the Internet."