Vulnerability Exploitation Drives Cyberattacks, Report Reveals

Post Views: 17

Cyberattacks Increasingly Driven by Exploitation of Vulnerabilities

A recent report has shed light on the growing trend of cyberattacks being driven by the exploitation of vulnerabilities. According to the 2026 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Report, vulnerability exploitation was the primary cause of 40% of observed cyber incidents in 2025. This surge in attacks can be attributed to the increasing use of artificial intelligence-enabled vulnerability scanning and the lack of authentication controls in public-facing applications.

Key Findings

Researchers observed a 44% increase in cyberattacks targeting public-facing applications, with many of these vulnerabilities not requiring authentication to exploit.
The report highlights that attackers are leveraging AI to accelerate exploitation and reconnaissance, effectively lowering operational barriers.
This trend is expected to continue, with multimodal AI poised to enable more complex automated attacks.
Attackers are also shifting their focus towards software build environments, CI/CD pipelines, and SaaS integrations, exploiting trusted relationships to gain unauthorized access.
This has resulted in a nearly fourfold increase in supply chain and third-party compromises since 2020.
The manufacturing sector remains the most targeted industry, while North America has been the most attacked region.

Infostealer Malware and AI-Enabled Attacks

Furthermore, the report notes that infostealer malware was responsible for exposing over 300,000 ChatGPT credentials in 2025. This incident underscores the importance of robust security measures to protect sensitive information.

The increasing use of AI in cyberattacks has also been observed in other areas, including the creation of synthetic identities and translation in North Korean IT worker schemes.

Recommendations for Organizations

In response to these findings, organizations must prioritize vulnerability management and implement robust security controls to prevent exploitation. This includes ensuring the secure configuration of public-facing applications, implementing effective authentication controls, and regularly monitoring for suspicious activity. By taking a proactive approach to security, organizations can reduce their risk of falling victim to cyberattacks and protect their sensitive information.