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20% of machines are 'never patched'

Internet users are leaving themselves wide open to attacks from cyber criminals months after security fixes meant to block the assaults have been issued, it has emerged.

Microsoft routinely issues patches to cover vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer but as many as 20 per cent of all computers fail to take advantage of the patches, according to Qualys Inc.

Data gathered from some 80 million computers by the firm shows that between five and 20 per cent never patch any vulnerability, leaving a back door open for criminals to cause online security issues.

Presenting the findings at the RSA security conference in San Francisco, Qualys' chief technology officer Wolfgang Kandek said it is "difficult to say why they haven't been patched".

"It just baffles me. Some administrators are just doing their worst possible job patching," he said, adding that "either they don't care, or they don't have enough resources to patch every machine".

Microsoft issues patches on every second Tuesday of the month and four of this vulnerability bulletins issued in 2008 were studied for the research.

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