Cisco via its 2014 Midyear Security Report, which examines threat intelligence and cybersecurity trends for the first half of 2014, exposes the expanding attack surface which allows attackers to exploit known weaknesses within low risk targets and low profile legacy applications and infrastructure.
According to Cisco, the top three security vulnerabilities for enterprises for the first half of 2014 are “Man-in-the-Browser” attacks, Botnet hide and seek and Encrypting stolen data.
The company also noted that nearly 94 percent of customer networks observed in 2014 have been identified as having traffic going to websites that host malware, exposing them to 'Man-in-the-Browser' attacks.
As for the Botnet hide and seek method, nearly 70 percent of networks were identified as issuing DNS queries for Dynamic DNS Domains, showing that botnets are using DDNS to alter their IP address to avoid detection/blacklist. The report also says that nearly 44 percent of customer networks are covering their tracks by exfiltrating data using encrypted channels to avoid detection like VPN, SSH, SFTP, FTP, and FTPS.
The report was based on close examination of 16 large multinational organizations, that collectively controlled over $4 trillion in assets with revenues in excess of $300 billion.
“Many companies are innovating their future using the Internet. To succeed in this rapidly emerging environment, executive leadership needs to embrace and manage, in business terms, the associated cyber risks. Analyzing and understanding weaknesses within the security chain rests largely upon the ability of individual organizations, and industry, to create awareness about cyber risk at the most senior levels, including Boards—making cybersecurity a business process, not about technology. To cover the entire attack continuum—before, during, and after an attack— organizations today must operate security solutions that operate everywhere a threat can manifest itself.”
- John N. Stewart, Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer, Cisco