Corporate PC users just love to download applications and this will cause a problems for Corporate System Admins when they are left unpatched since they could pose a security Vulnerability.Bit9, a Cambridge USA based security company has identified 15 popular applications it claims have well known vulnerabilities that pose a threat to enterprises and I'm also guilty of using 2 of them in my office PC. The five applications that top Bit9's compiled list include Mozilla Firefox 1.0.7, Apple iTunes 6.02 and QuickTime 7.0.3, Skype 1.4, Adobe Acrobat 7.04/6.03, and Sun Java Run-Time Environment 5.0 update 3 and 1.4.2_6.
"These popular software applications are frequently downloaded to corporate desktops and can present serious risks for enterprise computing environments," said Todd Brennan, the co-founder and chief technology officer at Bit9, in a statement.
"Understanding what software is actually running in your organization across your entire desktop environment is the first step in regaining application control and protecting your corporate infrastructure."
"These popular software applications are frequently downloaded to corporate desktops and can present serious risks for enterprise computing environments," said Dr. Todd Brennan, co-founder and CTO at Bit9.
Five of the top 15 applications with security problems include:
1. Mozilla Firefox 1.0.7
2. Apple iTunes 6.02 & Quicktime 7.0.3
3. Skype Internet phone1.4
4. Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.02, 6.03
5. Sun Java Run-Time Environment 5.0 Update 3, JRE 1.4.2_08
On June 20th, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based software security company Bit9 issued a report announcing what it found to be the top 15 applications with known vulnerabilities. While BitDefender 9 was listed among these vulnerabilities, BitDefender has received today a written apology from Bit9’s executives for including these products.
While BitDefender 9 did include a minor vulnerability last September, BitDefender immediately discovered the problem and issued an automatic patch which required no user intervention.
“By erroneously including BitDefender 9 among its list of top vulnerabilities, Bit9 has caused great confusion in the IT market and a disservice to our emerging consumer base,” commented Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender’s chief technology officer. “It is very common for software companies – at some point or another – to find vulnerabilities in their new software releases. As one of the world’s most powerful antivirus software and data security solutions, BitDefender prides itself on ensuring that these vulnerabilities are found and fixed as quickly as possible. In this case, we did just that. It was wrong and slanderous for Bit9 to have issued this week’s statement without first confirming the facts.”
Today, BitDefender is trusted by over 41 million users worldwide and offers the industry’s most efficient line of anti-virus and data security defense. The company is a recipient of countless awards for its flawless protection of both enterprise and personal computer use software. BitDefender represents the new drivers in the perimeter security market – challenging established vendors which force users to accept less effective and often more costly security applications. For further information about BitDefender, please see: http://www.bitdefender.com.
Posted by: Peter Gorman | June 22, 2006 12:32 PM | Permalink to Comment