Today Bit9 released its fourth annual report on the applications with the most vulnerabilities reported against them—our attempt as a company to help customers, and the broader business community, understand that they need to be ever-vigilant when it comes to endpoint security.

Our report ranks end-user/consumer-facing applications (not an enterprise-only application like a server, router or O/S) that have the most reported vulnerabilities, based on data from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) database of vulnerabilities. NIST tracks applications with reported vulnerabilities, and we analyzed information about downloadable software that typical consumer and business users will encounter each time they use a computer.

The list is familiar and I personally use many of the “dirty dozen” apps in the report. Do I worry about using apps at work and home that are highest in reported weaknesses? Absolutely not. Am I mindful of using precautions and keeping my software updated, a resounding YES.

The list shows that all software, like humans, has flaws, and this is one of the single unifying constants in the industry. The companies reflected on the list do a superb job of correcting vulnerabilities to protect their customers. Now it is our job to make sure we’re protecting ourselves and keeping our endpoints secure.