The 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report indicates that vulnerability exploitation has surpassed stolen credentials as the primary initial access vector for attackers, marking the first time credential theft has not held the top spot in the report's history. The article is a high-level summary of this trend shift and does not provide specific technical details on any individual vulnerability, such as a CVSS score, affected versions, or remediation steps.
Vulnerability exploitation has overtaken stolen credentials as the most common way attackers gain initial access to target networks, according to the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. This is the first time credential theft has been knocked off the top spot in the report’s 19-year history, the company noted. Known initial access vectors over time (Source: Verizon 2026 DBIR) What is Verizon DBIR? Published annually, Verizon’s DBIR is based on the analysis of real-world data … More → The post Verizon DBIR: Vulnerability exploitation is the dominant initial access vector appeared first on Help Net Security .