Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report shows a notable shift in the threat landscape compared with the 2025 report. In 2025, the headline story was expanding ransomware and rising third-party risk. In 2026, vulnerability exploitation moved to the top for the first time in 19 years, third-party involvement climbed further, shadow AI usage tripled, and ransomware continued to grow even as more organizations resisted payment demands.
- 48% ↑ of breaches involved ransomware in 2026, up from 44% in 2025
- 31% ↑ of breaches began with vulnerability exploitation, up from 20% in 2025
- 48% ↑ of breaches involved a third party in 2026, up from 30% in 2025
- 45% ↑ Frequent use of unapproved AI tools rose to 45% of employees in 2026, up from 15% in 2025
Key Findings
Vulnerability exploitation overtook credential abuse as the lead entry path
In 2025, credential abuse (22%) and vulnerability exploitation (20%) were the leading initial access vectors. In 2026, exploitation climbed to 31% and became the top breach entry point for the first time in the DBIR’s 19-year history. Credential abuse fell to 13%. AI is accelerating the speed of exploitation, compressing the window for defense from months to hours.
Patch pressure increased as critical exposures outpaced remediation
Organizations faced 50% more critical vulnerabilities in 2026 while median remediation time grew from 32 to 43 days. Only 26% of actively exploited flaws tracked by the U.S. government were fully patched, down from 38% the prior year. Nearly half were under active attack on 96% of monitored days, meaning the patch window has effectively closed for many exposures.
Ransomware kept rising, but resistance strengthened
Ransomware appeared in 48% of breaches in 2026, up from 44% in 2025. Even with that increase, payer behavior continued to favor defenders: 69% of victims refused to pay ransoms, up from 65% the prior year, and the median payment fell to $139,875 from $150,000. The extortion model is under pressure even as attack volume grows.
Third-party exposure expanded from major concern to dominant risk amplifier
Third-party involvement rose from 30% of breaches in 2025 to 48% in 2026, a 60% year-over-year increase. Vendors, partners, and external platforms are no longer peripheral concerns. They are central to modern breach exposure, and organizations that treat them as extensions of their own environment are better positioned to respond.
Shadow AI moved from emerging issue to governance priority
Employee AI use on corporate devices tripled from 15% in 2025 to 45% in 2026. More critically, 67% of those users are accessing AI services through non-corporate accounts with no organizational visibility or control. The data leakage risk is no longer theoretical; it is an active, unmonitored pipeline in most organizations.
The human element remained stubbornly central
62% of breaches involved a human element. The 2026 report highlights continued human-element risk, including more successful mobile-centric social engineering and the growing impact of unapproved AI use. Mobile-centric phishing achieved a 40% higher success rate than email phishing as attackers pivot to SMS and voice tactics.
The defensive mandate is broadening
The 2026 DBIR points to a wider operating challenge than 2025. Security teams must improve patch velocity, tighten vendor controls, strengthen identity protections, and govern AI use. Organizations that treat these as connected disciplines rather than separate programs will outperform those that do not.
In 2026, only 26% of actively exploited vulnerabilities tracked by the U.S. government were fully patched, down from 38% in 2025. Median remediation time grew from 32 to 43 days, and nearly half of those flaws were being targeted on 96% of monitored days.
Source: Verizon 2026 & 2025 Data Breach Investigations Reports. Full report: verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir