2026 Data Breach Investigations Report

Which routes are attackers actually using to break in? Verizon’s review of 2025 incidents shows how vulnerability exploitation, credential abuse and social engineering feature in confirmed breaches. Industry breakdowns help security teams compare their own exposure with organisations like theirs.

Inside the whitepaper

• See why exploited vulnerabilities overtook stolen credentials as the leading initial access route in this dataset.
• Use the industry chapters to compare the attack patterns that recur in your sector.
• Examine how partner access and exposed cloud permissions can contribute to third-party incidents.