Top Takeaways from the 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report

The 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) by Verizon delivers critical insights every cybersecurity-minded executive must understand. This year’s findings have strategic implications for business and security leaders supporting technology-forward organizations, from evolving ransomware campaigns and edge device vulnerabilities to AI-powered phishing and third-party risks.

In particular, companies in regulated industries, private equity-backed firms, and high-growth tech providers must assess these trends not just tactically—but as part of broader governance and security maturity planning.

1. Ransomware Attacks Are Escalating

Ransomware was featured in 44% of breaches, representing a 37% year-over-year increase. While the median ransom dropped to $115,000, the impact on business operations has intensified, with 88% of smaller firms affected.

2. Vulnerabilities Surpass Phishing as Initial Entry

The exploitation of vulnerabilities rose by 34%, now seen in 20% of breaches. Edge devices and VPNs were particularly targeted, highlighting gaps in patch management and perimeter defense.

3. Third-Party Involvement in Breaches Doubled

Breaches involving third-party vendors or service providers grew from 15% to 30%. Vendors continue to expand the threat surface for application providers and service delivery firms, whether via compromised credentials, exposed APIs, or direct system access.

4. The Human Element Remains a Core Risk

Human involvement was a factor in 60% of breaches, primarily driven by phishing, misdelivery, and poor credential hygiene. Even advanced controls falter without consistent user behavior and a high level of security awareness.

5. Credential Abuse and BYOD Risks Persist

22% of breaches involved stolen credentials. Notably, 46% of breached systems were non-managed devices—a clear sign of BYOD policy gaps and insufficient identity governance in hybrid environments.

6. Nation-State Actors Are Diversifying Motives

Espionage-related breaches hit 17%, and 28% of state-backed incidents were financially motivated. State actors aren’t just stealing secrets—they’re increasingly monetizing access.

7. AI Is Amplifying Threats

Threat actors are leveraging AI to generate more convincing phishing emails—synthetic content in malicious messages has doubled. Additionally, 15% of employees accessed GenAI platforms from work devices, often unsanctioned and without SSO or SAML controls.

8. Secret Exposure Is a Growing Epidemic

API keys, cloud tokens, and JWTs continue to be exposed in public code repositories. Median remediation time on GitHub? 94 days. This provides a wide attack window for access brokers and ransomware groups.

9. Business Disruption Rivals Traditional Breaches

Service interruptions from providers like CrowdStrike and CDK Global demonstrate that availability-related incidents can be as damaging as data breaches. Expect cyber insurance carriers to increasingly focus on business interruption risk.

10. Managed Devices Aren’t Immune

30% of compromised systems were fully managed corporate devices, debunking the myth that endpoint management alone ensures protection. Endpoint security must integrate tightly with user access, behavior analytics, and Zero Trust policies.

Final Thoughts for Security-Minded Leadership

The 2025 data breach investigations report confirms that today’s threats are automated, scalable, and increasingly beyond your perimeter. For security-conscious business leaders, the strategic mandate is clear:

• Build visibility beyond internal systems—into vendors, partners, and unmanaged endpoints.
• Prioritize vulnerability management at the executive level, particularly for externally facing systems.
• Elevate credential governance and access control beyond basic MFA.
• Integrate AI usage policies and monitoring to prevent data loss resulting from employee experimentation.

It isn’t just about responding to threats; it’s about reshaping your security governance, aligning with audit requirements, and ensuring that your security investments match your business risk profile.

If your internal security leaders are stretched thin or lack strategic guidance, consider engaging external cybersecurity leadership to:

• Design scalable security programs
• Lead third-party and due diligence reviews
• Ensure alignment with best practices and security frameworks. Frameworks and best practices exist for a reason!
• Strengthen domain-specific initiatives like incident response, patch management, or vulnerability management

Now is the time to move from reactive defense to proactive resilience. Let this year’s DBIR be your benchmark—and your launchpad for a stronger security posture.