Atlas VPN has shared its findings for Q1 2022, in which the company revealed startling statistics about Microsoft Office. Reportedly, Microsoft Office has become the most exploited software in malware attacks. It is a fact that most Microsoft Office security flaws are publicly known, which makes it easy for cybercriminals to exploit them. Since many users ignore essential software updates, scammers can easily inject malicious code after exploiting security loopholes. These vulnerabilities allow system infection, command execution, and full control of an infected endpoint. Atlas VPN wrote that around 78.5% of all malware attacks are launched by targeting Microsoft Office vulnerabilities. Per the Q4 2021 data shared by Kaspersky’s malware research platform Securelist, Microsoft was targeted in 61% of the attacks last year. Therefore, it can be assumed that hackers are increasingly abusing MS Office, and there has been a rise in software exploitation since last year. In contrast, browser exploits have become rare as they are updated automatically. Android (4.1%), Java (3.48%), Adobe Flash (3.49%), and PDF (2.79%) exploits didn’t show any drastic changes in percentages in Q1 2022. MS Office is a widely used software. Today, over 1.2 billion individuals and companies across 140 countries and 107 languages use Microsoft Office.
Analyst Notes
For this reason alone, ensuring that software is properly patched and updated is essential. It is also necessary to follow basic cybersecurity practices and patch the software as soon as an update is available.
Microsoft Office Most Exploited Software in Malware Attacks – Report
