For many tech professionals, summer 2020 has been a bug-squashing extravaganza. September saw several of the world’s leading tech giants patching security vulnerabilities and major bugs, providing a welcome sense of relief after a summer full of 0-day discoveries and concerns.
The recent bug has impacted some of the tech world’s biggest entities. Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Oracle all had to patch multiple vulnerabilities, some of which related to some of their most commonly used products.
Microsoft, for example, addressed a critical vulnerability in the Windows Virtual Machine (WVM) that, if exploited, could allow a malicious user to access the host system. Microsoft also fixed issues relating to its Office 365, Azure, and SharePoint products.
Apple’s macOS was also affected by the recent wave of bug fixing. Apple released security updates to several of its products, including iTunes, iCloud, and Safari. Some of the patches addressed problems with malicious websites that could be used to exploit vulnerabilities in the software.
Google released a patch for Chrome and a patch for Android that addressed a critical vulnerability in both platforms. Google also patched multiple vulnerabilities in its G Suite products, such as Gmail and Google Drive.
Finally, Oracle released a patch for its Java software that addressed a critical zero-day vulnerability. This patch ensures that malicious actors can no longer exploit the vulnerability in Oracle’s software to gain unauthorized access.
It has been a busy few weeks for bugfixing, with tech giants all over the world coming together to patch their products and ensure the safety of their users. This kind of cross-company collaboration is vital to protecting the security of the world’s digital infrastructure, and it is heartening to see so many leading tech companies coming together to fix important security flaws. As we enter the autumn months, we can all breathe a bit easier knowing our favourite tech products are as secure as they can be.
