The Board-Level Guide to Stolen Credentials
Cyber Management Alliance, Friday, June 19th, 2026
Stolen credentials have become a clear example of cyber risk turning into business risk requiring board oversight.
Stolen credentials represent transferable business authority that can compromise customer data, financial systems, and critical infrastructure.
The infostealer malware economy has expanded the attack surface to personal devices, SaaS apps, and third-party vendor accounts. MFA is essential but should be one component of a broader identity-risk program, as attackers adapt through session cookie theft and phishing-resistant attacks.
Boards should expect management to show visibility into exposed credentials, assess business impact, contain compromised access quickly, and govern human and machine identities consistently. A mature program requires collaboration across security, IT, legal, procurement, and risk leadership.