Microsoft vulnerabilities increased 48% + 4 other report findings

Microsoft vulnerabilities have soared nearly 50 percent from 2019, a BeyondTrust report found. 

The recent Microsoft data breach by Chinese hackers exposed how critical securing Microsoft vulnerabilities are. The 2021 "Microsoft Vulnerabilities Report" analyzes every Microsoft security bulletin and patch Tuesday, Microsoft's monthly patch update every first Tuesday of the month, uncovering trends and threats.

Here are five report findings to know:

1. A record high of 1,268 Microsoft vulnerabilities were found, a 48 percent increase from 2019.
   
   
2. Reported vulnerabilities rose 181 percent from 2016 to 2020.
   
   
3. Removing administrator rights from endpoints would have reduced 56 percent of critical vulnerabilities in 2020.
   
   
4. "Elevation of Privilege" was the top vulnerability category, comprising 44 percent of total vulnerabilities, three times more than in 2019.
   
   
5. Enforcing "least privilege" — which means allowing only enough access to perform the required job — and removing admin rights eliminates 56 percent of critical Microsoft vulnerabilities.

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