Symantec, a large security company, have reported that there are now more malware writers than legitimate software writers.
They state that 65% of the 54,609 Windows applications released to the public in the past 6 months were malicious.
Another interesting statistic from this report is the percentage of browser plug-in vulnerabilities:
- 79% ActiveX
- 8% QuickTime
- 5% Java
- 5% Flash
- 2% Windows MediaPlayer
What this means is that by disabling ActiveX from your web browser (Internet Explorer) you can avoid 79% of web browser plug-in attacks. Here’s an article on how to disable ActiveX.
As for the other types of plug-ins, keep them patched and up to date to reduce the risk of infecting your computer.
Here is Symantec’s internet security report.
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