Nearly 40 percent of enterprise network devices exhibit some form of security vulnerability, according to a study published today.

Dimension Data, a global IT solutions and services provider, today announced the findings from its Network Barometer Report 2010, which compiles vulnerability information from the 235 network and security ssessments it performed for enterprises in 2009.

According to the study, more than 38 percent of network devices assessed by Dimension Data -- including routers, switches, and gateways -- exhibited security vulnerabilities, exposing their organizations to external and internal security attacks.

There was an average of 40.7 configuration best practice errors per network device, which increases the level of vulnerability, Dimension Data says. More than 17 of those configuration errors were directly related to security.

Thirty-five percent of all network devices were found to be beyond end-of-sale, which means their vendors no longer sell them and they will be patched and supported for only a limited length of time, the study says. In fact, of the devices that were beyond end-of-sale, more than 50 percent were already beyond end-of-software-maintenance.

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