IT security and control firm Sophos is reminding computer users of the importance of ensuring their PCs are up to date with the latest security patches following research that shows many PCs are still not patched against Conficker.
The data comes from Sophos's Endpoint Assessment Test, a free tool that scans a computer and assesses whether it is a security risk to your organisation.
A single scan checks whether your Microsoft service pack is the current one for your operating system, your Microsoft patches are all up to date, anti-virus protection is installed, running and current, and that a personal firewall is installed and running.
After examining the results for all users who took the test since 1 January this year, Sophos found 11% still did not have the Microsoft MS08-067 patch installed which can, among other things, help protect against the spread of Conficker.
Sophos experts note the situation does not appear to have improved despite recent publicity regarding Conficker - when looking at the figures just for March, 10% were still missing the essential patch.
"We would have expected computer users to wake up to the threat and install the patch, which has been available since October last year," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa. “With so many reports on the potential consequences of failing to install the patch, this is concerning news.
“While we can't extrapolate the results to mean that 10% of all PCs around the world aren't running the Microsoft patch, it is certainly a notable percentage of those who took our test. And, it appears that the percentage of computers not patched against the exploit used by Conficker is holding steady," Myroff says.
Sophos recommends that all organisations take control of their IT security with better patch vulnerability assessment/remediation, alongside network access control.
To take the Sophos Endpoint Assessment Test, please visit: http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/sophos-endpoint-assessment-test.html
Sophos has also produced a free Conficker removal tool which can be found here: http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/conficker-removal-tool.html
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Sophos South Africa
NetXactics, trading as Sophos South Africa, is a South African-based company focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the master distributor for UK-based Sophos Plc, one of the leaders in the provision of network access control and endpoint, e-mail and Web security and control solutions for the corporate environment. For more information, visit Sophos South Africa at http://www.sophos.co.za.
Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises worldwide to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Our network access control, endpoint, Web and e-mail solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, we protect over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with our reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognised for our high level of customer satisfaction, we have an enviable history of industry awards, reviews and certifications. Sophos is headquartered in Boston, MA and Oxford, UK.
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