Weak Passwords and Compromised Accounts: Discoveries in Blue Report 2025

“Let’s talk about how accounts got compromised due to weak passwords, according to the Blue Report 2025!”

It’s simple for security experts to become enmeshed in the competition to defeat the most cutting-edge attacker tactics. However, compromised credentials and accounts frequently result in the most devastating attacks rather than state-of-the-art exploits.

Even though this threat vector is well known, organizations still have trouble stopping password cracking attacks and identifying the harmful usage of compromised accounts, according to Picus Security’s Blue Report 2025.

As the first half of 2025 draws to a close, compromised legitimate accounts continue to be the most underprotected attack vector, underscoring the pressing need for a proactive strategy centered on the dangers that are eluding cybersecurity measures.

A Wake-Up Call: The Startling Increase in Successful Password Cracking#

An annual study that examines how successfully businesses are preventing and identifying actual cyberthreats is called the Picus Blue Report. The Blue Report is based on empirical findings from more than 160 million attack simulations carried out within enterprises’ networks worldwide using the Picus Security Validation Platform, in contrast to previous studies that only concentrate on threat trends or survey data.

According to Picus Labs’ Blue Report 2025, attempts to crack passwords were successful in 46% of the environments they were tested in, which is almost twice as successful as the previous year. This dramatic rise reveals a serious flaw in the way businesses are handling or failing to handle their password policy.

Critical systems remain susceptible to attackers that use brute-force or rainbow table assaults to break passwords and obtain unauthorized access due to weak passwords and antiquated hashing methods.

Given that one of the most established and consistently successful attack techniques is password cracking, this finding highlights a significant problem: many organizations are failing to implement and incorporate modern authentication practices into their defenses while enforcing strict basic password hygiene policies in their haste to counter the most advanced new threats.

Why Can’t Organizations Stop Password Cracking Attacks?

The persistent use of antiquated credential storage techniques and weak passwords is the main culprit. Many businesses continue to use poor hashing methods and easily guessed passwords, frequently without employing multi-factor authentication (MFA) or appropriate salting strategies.

The results of our survey actually revealed that at least one password hash was broken and converted to cleartext in 46% of situations. This underscores the insufficiency of many password policies, especially for internal accounts, where controls are frequently less stringent than those for external accounts.

Stronger password regulations, multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users, and frequent credential defense validation are all necessary for enterprises to fight this. Attackers will continue to breach legitimate accounts in the absence of these enhancements, giving them simple access to vital systems.

Credential-Based Attacks: A Quiet yet Dangerous Danger#

Although credential abuse is a widespread and deadly problem, businesses are still ill-prepared for this type of attack, as the Blue Report 2025 emphasizes. Additionally, attackers can quickly travel laterally, escalate privileges, and compromise vital systems once they have legitimate credentials.

Stolen credentials are commonly used by ransomware and infostealers to propagate throughout networks, digging deeper and deeper, frequently without being discovered. By moving covertly throughout the network, attackers can remain undetected for extended periods of time and exfiltrate data whenever they choose.

Organizations continue to prioritize perimeter defenses in spite of this well-known and persistent problem, frequently overlooking and underfunding identity and credential protection in the process.

The Blue Report this year makes it abundantly evident that legitimate account abuse is at the heart of contemporary cyberattacks, underscoring the pressing need for a greater emphasis on credential validation and identity protection.

 

Valid Accounts (T1078): The Most Abused Way to Reach a Compromise#

With an extremely alarming 98% success rate, Valid Accounts (MITRE ATT&CK T1078) continue to be the most abused attack technique, according to one of the main conclusions of the Blue Report 2025.

This implies that attackers may quickly go through an organization’s network and frequently get past conventional security once they have legitimate credentials, whether by password cracking or initial access brokers.

Because it enables attackers to function covertly and makes it more difficult for security teams to identify malicious behavior, the use of compromised credentials is very effective. Once inside, they can easily blend in with normal user behavior while gaining access to private information, launching malware, or developing new attack avenues.

How Can You Make Your Defenses Against Password Cracking and Credential Abuse Stronger?

Organizations should impose complexity standards, strengthen password regulations, and replace antiquated hashing algorithms with more secure ones in order to defend against increasingly potent attacks.

All critical accounts must also have multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled. This will ensure that, even in the event that credentials are compromised, an attacker cannot simply use them to gain access to the network without performing an extra verification step.

To find vulnerabilities and make sure your controls are operating as intended, it is essential to routinely validate credential protections using simulated attacks. In order to identify unusual activity linked to credential abuse and lateral movement, organizations must also improve their behavioral detection capabilities.

Protecting your sensitive information also requires making sure that data loss prevention (DLP) procedures are in place and functioning properly, as well as keeping an eye on and examining outgoing traffic for indications of data exfiltration.

Filling in the Gaps in Password and Credential Management#

The Blue Report 2025’s conclusions demonstrate that, regrettably, a lot of businesses are still at risk of password cracking and hacked accounts. It’s also evident that internal controls and credential management are the main areas of weakness, even while bolstering perimeter defenses remains a top goal.

 The research also emphasized how ransomware and infostealers are successfully taking advantage of these vulnerabilities. The Blue Report 2025 provides important information to help you prioritize your significant vulnerabilities, strengthen your security posture, and lower your exposure if you’re prepared to take proactive measures.

 Additionally, we at Picus Security are always pleased to discuss how we may assist your company in meeting its unique security requirements. Remember to pick up a copy of The Blue Report 2025 and start taking proactive measures to strengthen your security posture right now.

About The Author

Suraj Koli is a content specialist in technical writing about cybersecurity & information security. He has written many amazing articles related to cybersecurity concepts, with the latest trends in cyber awareness and ethical hacking. Find out more about “Him.”

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