Vulnerabilities Have Become Cyber Attackers' No. 1 Door to the Enterprise
CSO Online, Tuesday, May 26th, 2026
Vulnerability exploitation has surpassed credential abuse as the primary initial access vector in enterprise breaches.
According to Verizon's annual 'Data Breach Investigations Report' analyzing 31,000 incidents, exploited flaws now account for 31% of breach entry points compared to 13% for credential abuse, marking a significant shift in attack vectors.
Patch management remains a critical bottleneck, with only 26% of known exploited vulnerabilities fully remediated in 2025 despite a median patch time increasing to 43 days. Security experts attribute this trend to attackers targeting unpatched perimeter devices and the acceleration of exploit development timelines, particularly as AI assistance in attack chains rises.
The findings emphasize the need for organizations to shift toward risk-based, continuous vulnerability management approaches rather than relying on scheduled patch cycles that leave exploitation windows open for extended periods.