Verizon DBIR: Enterprises Face a Dangerous Vulnerability Glut

Enterprises are facing an unprecedented surge in vulnerabilities, with exploits playing a role in 31% of initial breach access, according to the 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon. The report highlights a disturbing trend where patching efforts are falling significantly behind the pace of emerging threats, leaving organizations exposed to attack. This vulnerability glut is exacerbated by the sheer volume of newly discovered flaws, making it increasingly difficult for security teams to keep up with remediation efforts. The situation is further complicated by the fact that many of these vulnerabilities are being actively exploited by threat actors, as evidenced by the rising number of breaches attributed to exploit-based attacks¹. This matters to security practitioners because the failure to address this vulnerability backlog can have severe consequences, including increased risk of breach and potential damage to an organization's reputation and bottom line.