Cisco released a security report that warned that Internet-based attacks were becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialised as profit-driven criminals continue to hone their approach to stealing data from businesses, employees and consumers.

In the 2008 edition of the Cisco Annual Security Report, the company identified the year's top security threats and offered recommendations for protecting networks against attacks that were propagating more rapidly, becoming increasingly difficult to detect, and exploiting technological and human vulnerabilities.

Patrick Peterson, Cisco fellow and chief security researcher, said: "Every year we see threats evolve as criminals discover new ways to exploit people, networks and the Internet. This year's trends underscore how important it is to look at all basic elements of security policies and technologies."

"Organisations can lower their risk of data loss by fine-tuning access controls and patching known vulnerabilities to eliminate the ability for criminals to exploit holes in infrastructures. It is important to upgrade applications, endpoint systems and networking equipment to help ensure that corporate systems run smoothly and minimise risk."