More than half of IT professionals say exploiting security
vulnerabilities is the easiest way for criminals to hack into
organisations, a survey has revealed.
This is up 13% from
a year ago, according to an annual poll conducted by security
firm
Fortify software.
Most attacks by cybercriminals are targeted at applications,
according to 5% of respondents to this year's poll.
Although
73% believe their applications are vulnerable and 55% said
security was not a priority for developers, 35% do not check new
applications for security flaws.
Application software is always going to contain flaws, according
to Peter Wood, chief of operations at penetration testing company
First Base Technologies.
"The trick is to catch the mistakes as early as possible, by
building security into the entire software development lifecycle",
he said.
Businesses should check that software suppliers use developers
that are trained in good security practice, said Wood.
"Regular testing throughout the development cycle is also
critical, as well as independent testing prior to release," he
said.