Google researchers have discovered a potentially catastrophic flaw in one of the Internet’s core building blocks that leaves hundreds or thousands of apps and hardware devices vulnerable to attacks that can take complete control over them.

Google’s team detailed how a flaw in some commonly-used code could be exploited in a way that allows remote access to a devices – be it a computer, internet router, or other connected piece of equipment. Commenting on this, Brendan Rizzo, technical director EMEA at HPE Security – Data Security, said: “Once the full extent of this vulnerability are determined, administrators will quickly move into triage mode – addressing the problems that are most obvious and most under public scrutiny.

Attackers, on the other hand, generally avoid the ‘front door’ and will be shifting their focus to secondary attack vectors. Companies will need to shore up all possible attack vectors of this vulnerability.  This can only happen once organisations have performed a thorough assessment to uncover everywhere they are using the vulnerable code in their applications.

This reactive ‘whack-a-mole’ approach to security further highlights the need to take a different approach to protection of a company’s.