In recent months we’ve all noticed a change in how malware is introduced on someone’s computer. While the most common entry point remains users making a bad choice, the use of program vulnerabilities is used by more sophisticated malware. The number of Microsoft vulnerabilities being exposed is actually decreasing yet Microsoft was forced to send a number of out-of-cycle Windows security updates last month. Non-Microsoft applications accounted for 71.2% of all publicly known vulnerabilities in the 2nd quarter of 2011.
There’s no Anti-Virus software available that can totally protect you from the variety of vulnerabilities that continue to be exposed by hackers. Even WinPatrol can’t stop all these holes but does everything possible to alert you and help you cleanup unwanted programs. Some of the newest malware sits quietly in the background waiting for a target. One of our goals has always been to make sure you know what’s happening on your system.
Based on the research done on state sponsored malware like Stuxnet and Flame I’ve added two new features which have become popular methods used to hide and disable security programs. These new features are designed to prevent programs from hiding on your system waiting for a target before releasing their full payload.
