Identity takes center stage as a leading factor in enterprise cyberattacks

Dive Brief

A new report shows two-thirds of ransomware attacks began with an identity-related breach.

Published May 13, 2026

First published on

Dive Brief:

• Seven out of every 10 organizations suffered at least one identity-related breach over the past year, according to a report released Tuesday by Sophos. Organizations, on average, reported three separate identity-related incidents during that time.
• Two-thirds of ransomware victims said the cyberattack stemmed from an identity-related incident, said Sophos. The report is based on a survey of 5,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 17 countries.
• The mean recovery cost was $1.64 million, read the report, and the median cost was $750,000. Seven of every 10 respondents reported recovery costs of more than $250,000.

Dive Insight:

The report underscores the increasing role identity plays in modern enterprise security.

“Identity is now the perimeter of cybersecurity, and that perimeter is expanding faster than most organizations can track,” Chester...

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