A staggering 22,000 confirmed data breaches across 145 countries were analyzed in the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, revealing a stark reality: organizations are unable to keep pace with patching vulnerabilities to prevent incidents. The exploitation of vulnerabilities has become the primary initial access vector, with the median time to remediate critical flaws increasing to 43 days. Furthermore, the volume of critical vulnerabilities has grown by 50% year over year, overwhelming even top-performing organizations, which only managed to fix 30% to 40% of known exploited vulnerabilities1. This highlights the need for organizations to reassess their incident preparedness strategies, focusing on proactive measures beyond just patching. The sheer scale of breaches and the persistent threat of unpatched vulnerabilities make it essential for practitioners to prioritize robust incident response plans, acknowledging that prevention is no longer a viable sole strategy.