<p>The threat landscape is undergoing rapid and unprecedented change, as reflected in the “Verizon 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report.” For the first time in the report’s 19-year history, vulnerability exploitation was the leading initial access vector, displacing credential abuse from the top spot. It was also the first year that researchers <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.anthropic.com/news/disrupting-AI-espionage” rel=”noopener”>documented</a> an AI-executed state-sponsored attack, bringing the hypothetical and experimental into reality.</p>
<p>But the more things change, the more they stay the same.</p>
<p>”The 2026 edition of the DBIR invites you to consider the importance of the fundamentals of cybersecurity as the best way to brave all of this change,” the <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/” rel=”noopener”>report</a> reads. “A little cyber-stoicism, if you will.”</p>
<p>Simply put, the tried-and-true best practices security teams have relied on for years — from visibility and patching to MFA and policies — are key to winning the fight against cyberattackers.</p>
<p>Below are six key takeaways from the 2026 DBIR for CISOs and their teams.</p>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”Vulnerability exploitation overtakes stolen credentials”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>Vulnerability exploitation overtakes stolen credentials</h2>
<p>Exploiting vulnerabilities became the most common method threat actors use to gain initial access to victims’ networks — accounting for 31% of attacks, up from 20% in 2024 — displacing credential abuse as the longstanding leading vector.</p>
<p>Organizations are clearly struggling to remediate flaws, with the DBIR reporting that only 26% of CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEVs) were fully remediated in 2025, down from 38% the previous year. To make matters worse, the report noted, median remediation time increased from 32 days to 43 days, perhaps in part because the median number of KEVs was 16 in 2025, up from 11 in 2024.</p>
<p>Because the report’s data set spans October 2024 through November 2025, it predates the release of Mythos, suggesting future reports could see even higher levels of vulnerability exploitation.</p>
<p>Credential abuse dropped to 13% from 22%, partially attributed to the addition of pretexting as an initial access vector (more on that below).</p>
<p><b>Vulnerability management and patching advice</b></p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-build-a-better-vulnerability-management-program”>How to build a better vulnerability management program</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/Benefits-of-risk-based-vulnerability-management-over-legacy-VM”>Benefits of risk-based vulnerability management over legacy vulnerability management</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/5-enterprise-patch-management-best-practices”>Enterprise patch management best practices</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/Security-patch-validation-and-verification”>How to conduct security patch validation and verification</a></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”Bad news and good news on ransomware”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>Bad news and good news on ransomware</h2>
<p>Ransomware proved yet again that it’s the threat that keeps on threatening. Nearly half of all incidents (48%) involved some form of ransomware, up from 44% in the previous reporting period.</p>
<p>On the somewhat positive side, 69% of victims did not pay the ransom, and the median ransomware payment decreased from $150,000 to $139,875.</p>
<p><b>Ransomware advice</b></p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-prevent-and-protect-against-ransomware”>How to prevent and protect against ransomware</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/Top-10-ransomware-targets-in-2021-and-beyond”>Top ransomware targets by industry</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-remove-ransomware-step-by-step”>How to remove ransomware: Step by step</a></li>
<li><a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/Should-companies-pay-ransomware-and-is-it-illegal-to”>Ransomwa
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