The surge in data breaches is linked to hackers gaining access to networks by exploiting critical vulnerabilities in widely deployed software and hardware according to the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, with hackers targeting zero-day and known bugs, stolen credentials, ransomware, human error, and third parties. The report reveals an increase in successful targeting of zero-day and known flaws, a rise in pretexting attacks, and penetration through unauthorized access of web applications, among other findings. It highlights the need for organizations to speed up patching and address vulnerabilities more efficiently to mitigate the targeting of vulnerabilities by threat actors
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