// #initial-access

Verizon DBIR 2026: Vulnerability Exploitation Surpasses Phishing as Top Initial Access Vector — Enterprise Implications

Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, published mid-May, documents a structural shift in breach methodology: vulnerability exploitation has overtaken phishing as the most common initial access pathway in analysed breaches. The shift reflects a maturing attacker ecosystem that increasingly uses automated exploit delivery rather than requiring human interaction. Enterprise security programmes built around phishing awareness need recalibration.