--- title: Staying Up To Date On Software Patches Is Critical description: Staying Up To Date On Software Patches Is Critical --- [Securafy Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) - [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) - [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) - [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) / IT Operations IT Operations # Staying Up To Date On Software Patches Is Critical Staying Up To Date On Software Patches Is Critical ![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png) By Randy Hall Updated Jul 2024 3 min read Share [**](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/02/17/staying-up-to-date-on-software-patches-is-critical) [**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/02/17/staying-up-to-date-on-software-patches-is-critical&text=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EStaying+Up+To+Date+On+Software+Patches+Is+Critical%3C%2Fspan%3E) [**](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EStaying+Up+To+Date+On+Software+Patches+Is+Critical%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/02/17/staying-up-to-date-on-software-patches-is-critical) ![](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)Google's Project Zero security team has an impressive track record when it comes to chasing down and addressing the most critical security flaws found. They're tireless in their work, which has saved untold billions of dollars and hampered the efforts of hackers all over the world. **The team has gathered some rather shocking statistics, however, including this eye-opener:** Based on their research, fully one fourth of the Zero-day exploits being discovered in use in the wild could have been avoided entirely if vendors and IT admins had properly patched their products. Over the course of 2020, the team detected a total of 24 zero-day exploits. Six of these were variations on a theme; vulnerabilities disclosed in prior years, where hackers had access to older bug reports and had plenty of time to study older issues, making a few simple tweaks and winding up with a brand new zero-day exploit. For instance, CVE-2020-0674, which is a Zero-Day Internet Explorer flaw is a variant that combines elements of CVE-2018-8653, CVE-2019-1367, and CVE-20191429. In a similar vein, the devastating Google Chrome flaw tracked as CVE-2020-6572 is a variant that combines elements of CVE-2019-5870 and CVE-2019-13695. The Apple Safari zero-day issue tracked as CVE-2020-27930 is virtually identical to the one discovered back in 2015 and tracked as CVE-2015-0093. On the one hand, this news is rather depressing as it seems that many in the IT security profession seem to be making things harder on themselves than they need to be. On the other hand, as Maddie Stone, a member of the Project Zero team observed, these kinds of insights are the exact reason the team was formed to begin with. By studiously identifying and shutting down the most glaring and serious flaws and gathering statistics and data on them, the hope is to make them increasingly harder for hackers around the world to take advantage of in years to come. So far, that approach seems to be working. Kudos to Google and the Zero Day team. Tagged Under IT Operations[Cybersecurity](https://blog.securafy.com/tag/cybersecurity)Business Continuity In This Article Need Help With Your Current Setup? Talk through your current systems, risks, and support gaps with Securafy. [Book a Strategy Call](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) ## Join The Conversation Have a question or perspective on this topic? Add it below. ![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png) About The Author Randy Hall · CEO & Founder Randy Hall is the CEO and Founder of Securafy, with decades of experience helping organizations make smarter, safer decisions about technology. A frequent speaker and instructor at national IT events, Randy has advised thousands of organizations, from startups and SMBs to large enterprises and U.S. government entities, on secure, practical technology adoption. He writes about the decisions business leaders are often expected to make without enough context, including cybersecurity, compliance, AI, cyber insurance, IT strategy, and business resilience. Outside the office, you’ll often find Randy on Lake Erie enjoying time on his 38-foot Chris-Craft. **Writes about:** Cybersecurity strategy, compliance, AI security, business resilience, cyber insurance, SMB risk, IT leadership [More From This Author →](https://blog.securafy.com/author/randyhall) Related Articles Business Continuity [Compliance Risk Assessment: How Downtime Impacts Your Bottom Line](https://blog.securafy.com/compliance-risk-assessment-how-downtime-impacts-your-bottom-line) When systems go down, compliance obligations don't pause—and the financial consequences ... 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