BeyondTrust research finds 77% of critical Microsoft vulnerabilities can be mitigated

BeyondTrust, the worldwide technology leader in Privileged Access Management, has announced the release of its Microsoft Vulnerabilities Report. The research provides the latest annual breakdown into security vulnerabilities facing organisations today, as well as a five-year trends analysis to better equip organisations to increase their IT security posture and keep networks and systems safe.

Now in its seventh edition, this year’s report identified the following highlights:

• In 2019, a record-high number of 858 Microsoft vulnerabilities was discovered
• The number of reported vulnerabilities has risen 64% in the last five years (2015-2019)
• 100% of critical vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer would have been mitigated by removing admin rights
• 100% of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge would have been mitigated by removing admin rights
• 80% of critical vulnerabilities affecting Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 would have been mitigated by removing admin rights
• 80% of critical vulnerabilities affecting Windows Servers would have been mitigated by removing admin rights

Further analysis indicates that on average over the last five years, 83% of all critical vulnerabilities published by Microsoft could have been mitigated by security teams removing admin rights from users.

“Removing admin rights is not just about security,” said Sami Laiho, Microsoft MVP and Ethical Hacker. “Removing admin rights will also allow your computers to run faster, better and longer, with less reinstallations. My larger customers have measured a 75% reduction in the amount of help desk tickets after removing admin rights, resulting in a more secure and productive environment for extended periods of time.”

“The rate at which vulnerabilities are increasing is a significant concern for organisations committed to protecting their networks from data breaches,” said Morey Haber, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at BeyondTrust. “Recent global events have highlighted the critical need to continue to focus on information security. The ability to remove admin rights and control applications is no longer difficult to achieve and least privilege should always be considered as part of a proactive security strategy.”