Phones, computers and other smart devices have become essential tools for our daily work, however, all of them are based on software that needs to be updated on a regular basis.
This, in order to maintain a safe and optimized experience.
This is why ESET, the leading company in proactive threat detection, expresses the need to maintain software updates, and why it is important so that its use is not interrupted., refers to a press release.
This, after a 63% increase in application downloads in recent years.
Specifically, only in 2021, it is estimated that there were 230,000 million downloads of applications, refers to a press release.
For this reason, ESET tells you why updates are essential and explains why:
- They keep information more secure: The software is written by humans, which means it is prone to errors. These bugs, known as software vulnerabilities, can be exploited by malicious hackers, who take advantage of these security flaws to gain access to an organization’s information or systems. Such attacks can start with attempts to get people to click on a malicious link, open a message attachment, or lure them to specially crafted malicious websites. The result can be remote code execution on vulnerable systems or the download of malware designed to steal login information and/or any personal and financial data stored in applications or on the device.
That means threats like:
• Identity theft and fraud
• Hijacking of sensitive applications and accounts such as online bank accounts
• Ransomware designed to encrypt the files on the machine and require the victim to pay to regain access to those files.
• Cryptojacking: Activity that occurs when an intruder uses a victim’s computer to illegally mine cryptocurrency without their consent, increasing their energy bills and compromising the performance of the equipment.
• Botnet malware that takes control of a victim’s computer and uses it to attack others
Updates fix these vulnerabilities as they often contain patches to keep the operating system or other software secure.
- Keep close contacts safe: Any home-sharing computer that isn’t up-to-date could expose not only personal and financial accounts and information to attackers, but also that of family members or housemates. Cybercriminals can also hijack email, social media accounts or messaging apps to send hidden malware to contacts. So by making sure your devices and software are running the latest version, you’re doing your friends and family a favor too.
- Help improve device performance: In addition to including security patches, updates fix performance issues that developers may have identified. Therefore, the update could help improve battery life, prevent apps and other programs from crashing due to technical issues, improve the speed at which pages load, and add other functionality to improve the user experience. .
- They offer the latest functionality for free: Software developers also use updates to enable new features for their users. For example, with the iOS update to version 16, Apple released new features, ranging from message editing and customizable lock screens, to improvements to Apple Pay, and even a security verification feature to help people in relationships. abusive
- Avoid problems with employers: While many companies insist that their remote employees work only with company-owned devices, which will have their own update mechanisms, there are others that allow their employees to use personal devices to connect to corporate networks and access to business applications in the cloud. However, if these devices are compromised as a result of not installing a key security update for certain software, there could be problems. An attacker could steal corporate logins to access sensitive company data and systems. Or they could use the same access to infect the corporate network with malware. This could lead to a serious data breach or ransomware attack. The average cost of data breaches today is nearly $4.4 million per incident.