Woburn, MA – January 9, 2017 – Kaspersky Lab has officially released Kaspersky Software Updater – a free application for Windows computers that makes it quick and easy to update software, thereby eliminating potential security holes before cybercriminals exploit them.

There is no such thing as a perfect software program; there is always the possibility that the software code includes unforeseen errors – or vulnerabilities – including those that allow the program to be used for other purposes. The more popular the application, the more actively criminals will scrutinize it for vulnerabilities that, for example, allow malware to invisibly penetrate devices. In 2016, Kaspersky Lab detected over four million exploits that use vulnerabilities in popular applications and operating systems.

Software developers regularly patch vulnerabilities they discover by releasing new versions of their applications. However, not all users regularly check for updates and install them. In addition, today’s computers have so many programs installed that checking each of them would be a daunting task.

Kaspersky Software Updater addresses this problem, taking into account user convenience and safety. The Kaspersky Lab solution works by scanning a device for popular programs* that require an update, and provides a prioritized report. Updates that are very important are marked accordingly, so that users do not miss them among other, less important updates, such as those due to new features or software code blips. From this report, users can select which programs to update, and the application will automatically download the latest software from the developer sites, replacing all out-of-date versions. A user can benefit from regular automatic checks or manual scans.

“Our main task is to improve the level of user protection against cyberthreats,” said Vyacheslav Zakorzhevsky, head of the Anti-Malware Research Team, Kaspersky Lab. “Software vulnerabilities are a critical problem, as they allow cybercriminals to secretly gain control of a user’s PC. We believe it is better to prevent a threat rather than combat it, and that’s why we call on all users to regularly update their operating system and the applications installed on it.”

Kaspersky Software Updater is available at free.kaspersky.com, or as part of Kaspersky Security Scan, an application designed to scan Windows-based computers for malware infections and hazardous settings.

*The list of programs that are checked, as well as the technical requirements for optimal operation of the solution, are available at: http://support.kaspersky.com/11827