Summary Cracks in defenses and weapons for attacks rose to the highest levels since tracking began in 2000
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A Cisco security report released on Thursday showed that hacker threats reached "startling levels" last year and that the world is suffering from a shortage of skilled computer defenders.
Cracks in defenses and weapons for attacks rose to the highest levels since tracking began in 2000, while there was a worldwide shortage of nearly a million skilled security professionals to protect networks and machines, according to the annual Cisco report.
"To truly protect against all of these possible attacks, defenders must understand the attackers, their motivations and their methods before, during and after an attack," said Cisco Threat Response Intelligence chief security officer John Stewart.
"Although the Cisco Annual Security Report paints a grim picture of the current state of cyber security, there is hope for restoring trust in people, institutions and technologies - and that starts with empowering defenders with real-world knowledge about expanding attack surfaces."
Technology and tactics used by online criminals have outpaced the ability of security professionals to defend against those threats, according to Cisco.
The problem is compounded by the fact that most organizations lack staff or systems to detect and counter hacker attacks quickly, the report concluded.
