Microsoft emerged as the software provider with the highest number of vulnerable products for the period August-October, surpassing IBM for the first time since the report began, according to Flexera Software.
The security firm, which recently acquired vulnerability management vendor Secunia, claimed that Microsoft has 12 products affected by the bugs, compared to IBM, which has eight.
But Redmond has Adobe to thank for the boost it gives to its "vulnerability charts," according to Kasper Lindgaard, director of Secunia Research at Flexera Software.
“The reason so many Microsoft products are on the Top 20 vulnerable product lists this time is that both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge come bundled with Adobe Flash, adding to the 35 Flash vulnerabilities listed in August in Windows 8 and above,” according to his statement.
“This means that for Windows systems from 8 onwards, the 35 vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player are added to the vulnerabilities in Microsoft, causing these products to climb higher on the list than they would otherwise be.”
Flexera reminded users that it's not just their computer software that needs regular patching, but also the ever-increasing number of machines and IoT devices in their homes.
In total, Flexera found 2,450 vulnerabilities within a period of just three months.
