Report: Microsoft fastest to issue OS patches, Sun slowest

Bink.nu posted an interesting piece published ny Symantec comparing the speed of OS pathces between Apple, Sun, HP, Red Hat and Microsoft …

… Symantec’s comprehensive security report on the malware industry from July 1 to December 31, 2007, is now available (PDF) in its 100+ page glory. While some parts of the report simply reiterate data we’re well aware of—it’s no surprise to read that the majority of malicious activity originates in the US—there’s also a great deal of new information here that we’ll examine below.

OS/software vulnerabilities

Symantec broke down information on patch development time by operating system and by the type of vulnerability encountered. Surprisingly, Microsoft had the shortest time-to-patch over both halves of 2007. In the first part of the year, Microsoft released 38 patches (two of which involved third-party applications) with an average deployment time of 18 days. From July to December, Microsoft released 22 patches with an average patch time of six days. …

Report: Microsoft fastest to issue OS patches, Sun slowest