Edgescan, a leading international provider of risk-based vulnerability management and penetration testing, has released its 2024 Vulnerability Statistics Report, offering a detailed analysis of the most pressing IT security threats facing organizations globally. The report uncovers a concerning trend: vulnerabilities dating back to 2015 remain unpatched and are actively exploited by cybercriminals, signaling a critical gap in cybersecurity defenses.
The findings indicate that over 33% of the vulnerabilities identified during the study were of 'critical' or 'high severity'. Among these, SQL Injection vulnerabilities were the most prevalent, making up 19.47% of the total and taking an average of 15 days to resolve. These vulnerabilities allow attackers unauthorized access to sensitive data, posing a significant risk to data privacy and security.
Cross-Site Scripting (Stored) vulnerabilities, accounting for 10.5% of high or critical security issues, were another major concern, with an average remediation time of 100 days. Such vulnerabilities can lead to the theft of personal information, malicious website redirects, or even complete account takeovers. Additionally, Malicious File Upload vulnerabilities, which comprised 7.25% of the high or critical severity vulnerabilities and took 117 days on average to fix, enable attackers to upload harmful software, compromising both the website and its users.
Eoin Keary, Founder & CEO of Edgescan, highlighted the urgency of addressing these vulnerabilities. 'Our report is a wake-up call for organizations worldwide. The persistence of these critical vulnerabilities from years ago shows that current cybersecurity measures are insufficient. Organizations must adopt more proactive and comprehensive strategies to safeguard their systems and data,' Keary stated.
For those seeking to delve deeper into the findings, the full 2024 Vulnerability Statistics Report is available on Edgescan's website. This report serves as a crucial resource for understanding the evolving cybersecurity landscape and the steps necessary to mitigate these risks effectively.
