Cisco has  released its annual  security report  which reveals that the highest concentration of online security threats are due to destinations visited by mass audiences, such as major search engines, retail sites and social media outlets .

 Cisco found that online shopping sites are 21 times as likely, and search engines are 27 times as likely, to deliver malicious content than a counterfeit software site.

 According to Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR), world’s next generation of workers i.e. generation Y workers globally are willing to share their personal information through social networking and with retail sites than with their own employers’ IT departments which will lead to security risk in businesses. Next-generation workforce’s lifestyles are also introducing security challenges that companies have never had to address on this scale according to the findings.

 Android malware encounters has gone up 2,577 percent over 2012. 50% of respondents in India believe companies have no right to monitor their online activity on company-issued devices, saying it is none of their business.

John N. Stewart, Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer, Global Government and Corporate Security, Cisco said, “Each year, the security threats and defenses change as a result of one another. The Cisco Annual Security Report is our expert research, highlighting global threat patterns and trends.  Today, we live a blended work-personal life. The hackers know this, and the security threats that we encounter online such as embedded Web malware while visiting popular destinations like search engines, retailers, social media sites and smart phone/tablet apps no longer threaten only the individual; they threaten our organizations by default.”