The Annual Microsoft Vulnerabilities Report

The 2020 Microsoft Vulnerabilities Report compiles every Microsoft security bulletin from the past 12 months, analyzes the trends, and includes viewpoints from security experts. Below are some of the key findings from this year's edition:

  • In 2019, a record high number of 858 Microsoft vulnerabilities was discovered
  • The number of reported vulnerabilities has risen 64% in the last 5 years (2015-2019)
  • Removing admin rights would mitigate 77% of all Critical Microsoft vulnerabilities in 2019
  • 100% of Critical vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer & Edge would have been mitigated by removing admin rights
  • 80% of Critical vulnerabilities affecting Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 would have been mitigated by removing of admin rights

Download the full report for a deeper dive into these findings, and read the exclusive commentaries from industry experts.

You should remember that removing admin rights is not just about security. Removing admin rights will also allow your computers to run faster, better and longer, with less reinstallations. My bigger customers have also measured 75% reduction in the amount of Helpdesk tickets after removing admin rights.

Sami Laiho, Microsoft MVP & Ethical Hacker

Enforcing Least Privilege and Removing Admin Rights Eliminates 77% of Critical Microsoft Vulnerabilities

So Why Don't More Businesses Enforce Least Privilege?

The latest BeyondTrust annual report found that of the 192 Critical vulnerabilities reported in 2019, 77% would be mitigated by removing local admin rights from users. That's a compelling case for enforcing least privilege.

So why are so many organizations hesitant to implement a full scale least privilege policy? The tension between security and productivity is often the barrier that prevents the removal of local admin rights from all users.

To address this challenge, BeyondTrust offers industry leading Endpoint Privilege Management solutions that are easily deployed and dynamically exert granular control over access to applications, tasks, and scripts. By elevating access for applications without elevating the user’s actual privileges, the experience is seamless to end users and keeps them productive and protected.

Remove Local Admin Rights and Eliminate Most Microsoft Vulnerabilities

BeyondTrust Privilege Management for Microsoft desktops and servers lets you eliminate admin rights and enforce least privilege without hurting productivity.

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