Five ways to improve security software

Although security vendors seems to be doing everything that is possible to guarantee maximum users’ security it is obvious that there is always room for improvement. One of the most popular security software creators has offered five ways to improve the quality of products and their use.

1. Allow hackers to inform you about their knowledge. Creating an email or even a special site that would enable hackers to share their information about possible security risks would surely make vendors work easier. Those risks could be solved without any damage to users’, which is very convenient for both sides.

2. Vendors should guarantee that users’ are informed personally about new fixes and updates released (for example via email). This step would make sure that not only the company but users’ as well are doing everything to protect their systems.

3. Do not forget that security updates should be separated from feature updates. Some consumer products involve critical security updates, but users’ usually are not informed about that and they refuse the product they consider to be not useful. 

4. infoworld.com suggests to do what sun did. That is to make sure you fix the bugs in all products at the same time so that you don’t accidentally hand over security details in code that could be reverse-engineered, then used to attack customers who haven’t been given the fix. 

5. Although notifying users about some new vulnerability may make for some bad PR, you’ll assure your customers that you are working on the issue and that you are able to fix it. Moreover, you’ll probably make it faster, because of that public timeline and there will be less damage, for users will be more careful while using vulnerable program. 

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