A new Cisco security report reveals cyber vulnerabilities are becoming increasingly popular to enact and more dangerous. The report cites an increase in exploit kits and attacks on point-of-sale systems from hackers, highlighting the dangers that persist in cyberspace.
The Cisco research is part of the company's ongoing efforts to track and analyze hacker trends and cyberattacks, as well as map how hackers are exploiting online systems.
According to data published by the Ponemon Institute, the average financial loss as a result of a data breach was $5.4 million this year, an increase from $4.5 million the previous year. That means hackers are able to get deeper into systems than ever before.
The Cisco report shows a number of systems were categorized as being actively exploited by hackers, and the company urges patches to be implemented immediately. Not surprising was the fact that Java remains the No. 1 software to be exploited, with some 93 percent of all web attacks beginning with Java.
While Java 1.6 and 1.7 are the top choices for hackers, Java 1.8 is also seeing an increase in attacks.
Cisco states weak links in systems were the main flaw that allow the exploiting to occur. It released the report at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.
"These weak links -- which could be outdated software, bad code, abandoned digital properties, or user errors -- contribute to the adversary's ability to exploit vulnerabilities with methods such as DNS queries, exploit kits, amplification attacks, point-of-sale (POS) system compromise, malvertising, ransomware, infiltration of encryption protocols, social engineering and 'life event' spam," says Cisco in its report.
It also warned attacks on infrastructures with known weaknesses could be a huge hole that needs to be patched, as "malicious actors are able to escape detection as security teams focus instead on boldface vulnerabilities, such as Heartbleed."
This report follows a new study published by Hewlett-Packard that has shown that as many as 70 percent of Internet of Things (IoT) devices boast security flaws.
The study noted 10 IoT common devices being used, highlighting smart thermostats, smart TVs and webcams. HP said each device has some 25 problems and vulnerabilities that could threaten the privacy and security of its users, Tech Times reported.
