Advice Request How secure is Notepad and MS Paint?

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

Ink

Administrator
Thread author
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361
How secure are the traditional Microsoft Paint and Notepad programs in Windows?

Secure in the terms of:
  • open vulnerabilities / exploitable by another programs
  • does it receive security patches
  • differences between the version on Windows 10 vs 7
 

Ink

Administrator
Thread author
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Jan 8, 2011
22,361

MacDefender

Level 16
Verified
Top Poster
Oct 13, 2019
779
This isn’t Microsoft but as a reminder, there was a recent serious vulnerability in macOS’s text editor, TextEdit, which could even be used to phone home and upload local files to an attacker, simply by opening a txt file. Text editors can sound harmless but there’s more to it than that.

 
L

Local Host

rain2reign

Level 8
Verified
Well-known
Jun 21, 2020
363
I replaced the traditional Microsoft Notepad with Notepads (s very important) available in separate download, Windows store and WinGet. Uninstalled the traditional notepad through 'Settings > Apps > optional features' menu. More functions and stuff, but slightly more limited in what it can handle in terms of filesize (in MB) temporarily. But I don't need that big a text file editor. It's just for the times I need a light .txt editor (or other tiny file extention supported) real quick. If I check code I use VSCode and large documents in OnlyOffice, but I certainly don't need them for a simple .txt file. :p

Initially replaced for it's added functionality and UI over the traditional Microsoft Notepad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Venustus

TairikuOkami

Level 35
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,452
The Store does not affect the APPs themselves, outside maintenance like Updates.

Even with the Store gone you can still use the APPs.
You are right, I stated it incorrectly. I meant UWP apps in general, if something gets broken, they all go, they are too dependent, like apps depend on NET Framework or Visual C++.
MS Paint works here. Are you using Insider Preview builds?
Yes, but I had the same problem on a regular version many times as well. It has got fixed with the upgrade, but it scares me to think, what will happen in the future.
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top