Identity as the Perimeter: The Hidden Gate in Cyber Breaches
A sponsored Visual Capitalist infographic (in partnership with Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks) outlines how cyberattackers breach systems by exploiting identity. Identity-based techniques drive about 65% of initial access, with social engineering and credential misuse leading the way, and 90% of recent investigations showing identity weaknesses as material. Once inside, over-privileged identities and token abuse enable rapid lateral movement, making identity the practical perimeter. Defenses recommended include phishing-resistant MFA (passkeys/FIDO2), rotating machine credentials, shorter sessions, just-in-time elevation for admins, and cross-cloud identity telemetry to detect unusual access chains.
- How Cyberattackers Gain Access Visual Capitalist
- 2026 Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report — Attacks Now 4x Faster Palo Alto Networks
- Unit 42: Identity gaps and AI speed increase enterprise risks TechHQ
- Attack path management: Why identity has become the primary security battleground Identity Week
- Identity Emerges As A Primary Attack Vector digit.fyi
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