Get access to the full 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report
The “cyber pandemic” has never ended; in fact, it shows no signs of slowing down and continues to set new records. If you thought 2023 marked the peak of vulnerability chaos, think again: 2024 has definitively proven otherwise.
This 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report presents us with a clear picture: vulnerabilities are increasing, exploit attempts are more focused and successful than ever, and software platforms that were once considered “safe” are now under constant attack.
2024 marked a decisive turning point in vulnerability discovery, exploitation, and remediation. One of the most concerning statistics indicates that the total number of disclosed software vulnerabilities rose by 61% compared to 2023, hitting 6,761 in total, while the percentage of actively exploited vulnerabilities nearly doubled to 96%.
Platforms such as Linux and macOS, once considered more secure and cyberthreat resistant than Windows, are no longer viewed that way. Linux experienced a staggering 967% increase in reported vulnerabilities, and macOS was not far behind with a 95% spike. Additionally, database software surged as a prime target, with a 505% rise in critical vulnerabilities.
The widespread adoption of AI technologies enables cybercriminals to refine their exploitation tactics, focusing on fewer but more impactful vulnerabilities. This means traditional software flaw counts alone are no longer enough to assess exploitation risks. IT teams must focus their efforts not only on promptly patching their devices but also on evaluating the probability of vulnerability exploitation and its potential business impact.
But to make things clearer, let’s break down these critical findings and map out what they mean for your cybersecurity strategy in 2025.
Key Vulnerability Trends Identified
The 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report clearly reveals the latest vulnerability trends that organizations across different industries worldwide must understand to effectively prioritize their security efforts, assess real-world risks, and strengthen their overall security posture.
Explosion in Real-World Exploits
As we already mentioned, the number of reported vulnerabilities has literally skyrocketed across nearly every software category. And it wasn’t just volume that changed—the quality of the threats has significantly improved, too. More vulnerabilities combined with higher successful exploitation rates show that cybercriminals are doubling down on their efforts to actively weaponize flaws, especially in widely used applications.
Take Chrome, for example, which saw an unprecedented 1,840% increase in exploited vulnerabilities. Microsoft Office followed with “only” a 433% spike. What this means is that hackers are targeting the everyday applications used in organizations of all sizes—the very tools where IT teams often struggle to patch quickly enough to address vulnerabilities and minimize the chance of experiencing a successful cyberattack.
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Critical Vulnerabilities Became More Frequent
Without any doubt, the most concerning trend is that critical vulnerabilities surged by 37.1%—from 2,137 in 2023 to 2,930 in 2024. Linux demonstrated the most dramatic increase with a 499% rise in critical vulnerabilities (from 142 to 851), while macOS experienced a 92% increase (from 113 to 217). Microsoft SQL Server led individual products with a staggering 606% jump in critical flaws.
Conversely, Microsoft Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2016 demonstrated commendable stability, with Windows 10/11 showing a slight decrease of 4% in critical vulnerabilities (374 in 2024).
Interestingly, Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in Windows systems have slightly decreased in number yet continue to appear in high volumes and remain among the most dangerous vulnerability types. Windows 10/11 logged 148 RCEs in 2024, reflecting a slight drop of 5%, while Windows Server 2016 also maintained high RCE figures, reporting 160 in 2024—a year-over-year drop of 10%. MacOS saw a notable 44% decrease, and Linux maintained minimal RCE activity, reporting only 2 RCE occurrences in 2024, an 85% decline.
Remote Management and Archiving Tools Became Prime Targets
Attackers didn’t stop at operating systems or browsers. Remote access tools like TeamViewer and AnyDesk made their debut in the Exploitation Rate Top 10. TeamViewer recorded a 600% increase in total vulnerabilities and saw its first exploitation since 2020. AnyDesk followed closely with a 14.3% cumulative exploitation rate in 2024.
Archiving software was another high-risk area. 7-Zip showed a 25% cumulative exploitation rate, and WinRAR, while slightly improved, remained a frequent target. Why target these tools? Because they are ubiquitous and often overlooked in organizations’ cybersecurity strategies.
High-Priority Risk Software Categories in 2024
Nowadays, enterprises must significantly enhance their security posture to minimize the risk of cyberattacks that could cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in recovery from data breaches or ransomware attacks. A fundamental pillar of this defense strategy is understanding where the highest risks originate and how to effectively mitigate them.
Vulnerable Operating Systems
The unprecedented spike in OS vulnerabilities, especially on Linux and macOS, should concern IT teams across companies of all sizes. The days when these operating systems were considered impenetrable are long gone; this research highlights that these systems now require attention and security improvements.
It is safe to assume that enterprises should treat Unix-based systems, like Linux and macOS platforms, as prime targets for attackers on par with Windows, given the volume of new software vulnerabilities discovered throughout 2024.
Web Browsers & Office Applications
The research clearly points out that the most common applications used for critical business operations have become one of the weakest links in every company’s cybersecurity strategy. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other browsers have multiple software code vulnerabilities that can easily be exploited by cybercriminals.
Furthermore, Microsoft Office apps follow the same trend, where a single vulnerability, if exploited, can provide hackers with unauthorized access to sensitive information or, worse, trigger a ransomware attack.
Both browsers and office suites are part of employees’ everyday activities, where exploitation of any unpatched vulnerability can have an immediate and destructive effect across the entire organization. In 2024, Google Chrome alone stood out with the highest number of exploited vulnerabilities (97), while Microsoft Office remains a top concern with a 433% increase in exploited vulnerabilities, despite its 54% decrease in total vulnerability count.
Databases
Databases have become a goldmine for hackers due to a significant rise in critical vulnerabilities, particularly MSSQL, which showed explosive growth in flaws, increasing from 18 to 120 and including a staggering 113 RCE vulnerabilities (+565% YoY).
MySQL and PostgreSQL showed volatility, with inconsistent yet concerning patterns in vulnerability counts, meaning that these systems must no longer be considered as background infrastructure that can be taken for granted.
IT teams must prioritize their timely patching to improve security, as databases store valuable information and as shown in the research, are already in the high-risk category.
Remote Management Software
AnyDesk and TeamViewer both became new entries in the high-exploitation categories. This draws attention to the importance of strict access control, consistent updates, and tight monitoring of remote access software.
Archiving Software
7-Zip and WinRAR emerged as stealth threats with cumulative exploitation rates of 25% and 20%, respectively. Their vulnerabilities, especially RCEs, allow attackers to embed malicious payloads into seemingly harmless archive files.
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The Importance of Proactive Patching & Vendor Evaluation
The report makes it clear: software with high vulnerability counts and high exploitation rates should be prioritized in your patching cycle. However, raw numbers don’t tell the full story.
For example, macOS had a 95% increase in vulnerabilities but a 56% drop in exploitation. That likely points to stronger vendor response and better security hygiene. In contrast, Microsoft Office had fewer reported vulnerabilities but saw a sharp exploitation spike—showing that attackers focus on real-world weaknesses, not just raw stats.
The situation reinforces the need for organizations to track vendors’ patch response timelines, frequency of zero-days, and their history of exploited CVEs. Security teams must start evaluating software vendors the same way they assess infrastructure investments—on performance, reliability, and long-term risk.
Accelerate Patch Management
The most important step in reducing your attack surface is keeping operating systems and third-party applications updated with the latest security patches. In 2025, the most effective way to prevent vulnerability exploitation is by implementing tools that can completely automate the patching process across every device in your organization’s network.
Such solutions will provide your IT team with the ability to ensure both remote and on-premises endpoints remain up-to-date. This proactive approach addresses vulnerabilities quickly, significantly reducing exploitation risks throughout your environment.
Leverage Risk-Based Vulnerability Management
Not all vulnerabilities pose equal risk, so IT teams must adopt a risk-based patching approach—focusing on vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited in the wild or have high criticality, rather than starting with updates that have lower CVSS scores and likelihood of exploitation.
The report shows us that cybercriminals focus their efforts on exploiting a few impactful flaws rather than every software vulnerability. Proactively patching those high-risk flaws will significantly minimize organizations’ attack surfaces.
Continuous Vendor Monitoring
As part of procurement and IT governance, organizations must regularly review how vendors deal with emerging threats. By holding vendors accountable and building strategic partnerships with those committed to security, organizations can ensure they are using software that is well-maintained against the latest vulnerabilities. This proactive stance with vendors complements internal patch efforts, creating a more resilient environment.
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Strategic Takeaways for a Stronger Cybersecurity Posture
The unpleasant truth is that cyberthreats won’t stop becoming more destructive and harder to identify, nor will vulnerability discoveries suddenly cease in complex software systems. Year after year, the situation will continue to go from bad to worse, but there are several steps you can take to strengthen your organization’s security posture and minimize the chance of becoming the next victim on the cybercriminals’ list:
Refine Risk Prioritization
Each organization must refine its vulnerability management strategy to be threat-centric. Chasing every CVE is not a good idea; instead, focus resources on the vulnerabilities and systems most likely to be exploited. However, implementing this strategic approach manually is nearly impossible at scale.
Achieving this threat-centric approach becomes much easier with automated patch management tools that can detect missing updates across both on-premises and remote devices, prioritize them based on CVSS scores and exploitability, and then test and deploy patches with detailed reporting.
By automating each step of this process, organizations of all sizes can protect their endpoints, timely address critical software vulnerabilities, improve operational efficiency, and maintain uninterrupted business continuity through flexible scheduling of update deployments.
Secure the Most Targeted Systems
Security focus must shift to the categories that experienced the biggest vulnerability spikes, according to the research. For instance, Linux systems, where vulnerabilities have increased by a staggering 967% despite having a lower exploitation rate, indicate a growing interest from cybercriminals. This suggests they need additional security measures, as it’s not a question of if but when this attention turns into real-world threats.
Additionally, implementing extra hardening for database servers (tightening configurations and restricting access) is mandatory given their newfound attractiveness to hackers. Finally, endpoint protection must be improved as much as possible for user applications that are under intense attack.
Embrace Continuous Threat Detection
Every company, regardless of size, must equip its endpoints with 24/7 monitoring tools for signs of exploitation, with particular attention to high-risk applications. This is of utmost importance, given the fact that the sooner the attack is identified, the less damage it can cause. Use continuous monitoring, behavior analytics, and automated detection to stay ahead.
Double-Down on Security Awareness
Applications like Microsoft Office are often exploited through social engineering attacks—think phishing attachments or macro exploits. Regular user training, combined with email filtering and strong endpoint protections, can make a real difference in attack prevention.
Watch for Emerging Threats
Remote access tools, archivers, VPNs, and even password managers are gaining attention from cybercriminals. TeamViewer and AnyDesk saw their first exploits in years, and 7-Zip showed its first major exploitation event. So, ensure these tools are closely monitored and properly secured within your environment to reduce your organization’s attack surface.
Get your Action1 Complete Software Vulnerability Ratings Report for 2025
The 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report reveals one undeniable truth: cybercriminals are evolving, and so must we. From surging Linux vulnerabilities to a renewed focus on office tools and remote management software, the threat landscape is broader and more sophisticated than ever.
As an IT leader, MSP, or cybersecurity professional, your ability to adapt your vulnerability management strategy will determine how well your organization handles the next wave of attacks. Prioritize what matters most. Focus on exploitability, not just vulnerability counts.
Your job isn’t just patching software; it’s protecting business continuity, managing vendor risk, and anticipating the next breach before it hits. The time to act is now—because tomorrow it might be too late.
Get access to the full 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report
