Why Do Cybercriminals Succeed? Mainly Because of a Lack of Visibility Into Vulnerabilities
To get right to the point: you can’t blame employees or end users for a cyberattack. We’ve written about this before in this blog in the CorporatieGids. In fact, a large proportion of high-impact attacks occur because vulnerabilities have not been adequately identified and are not mitigated in a timely manner.
Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report* shows that technical attacks remain the dominant cause of data breaches in the EMEA region. In 53% of the incidents investigated, system intrusion was involved—a significant increase from 27% the previous year. This type of attack includes, among other things, exploiting vulnerabilities and unauthorized access to systems. As a result, technical intrusion now accounts for more than half of all data breaches, while human error and social engineering have actually decreased slightly.
The study shows that many organizations do not properly track which systems are vulnerable or which patches are missing. As a result, servers and network components sometimes run for months without updates. Of particular concern is that so-called public exploits exist for many of these vulnerabilities: ready-made attack methods circulating on both the dark web and public platforms, which cybercriminals can use to easily exploit unpatched systems. The rise of AI means it has become even easier for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. It no longer even requires programming knowledge.
“Based on several industry reports from 2025: approximately 50 to 61 percent of newly disclosed vulnerabilities were exploited within 48 hours exploit code used as a weapon.”
There’s another factor to consider. Whereas IT departments used to have several days to install a patch without risk, critical vulnerabilities today ideally need to be addressed within a single day. But is that feasible in practice? Only when the right experts are available can patching be carried out systematically, ensuring that processes are executed correctly and configured securely. However, a lack of capacity or a heavy workload should never be used as an excuse.
Vulnerability Management
Cyber resilience begins with a risk-based approach. Vulnerability management plays a crucial role in this. It is the process by which an organization continuously checks its systems and applications—or has them checked—for weaknesses in order to eliminate risks. These vulnerabilities are prioritized and addressed.
The value of vulnerability management lies in the fact that it doesn’t just track individual patches, but provides a systematic overview of where risks arise. Organizations that manage this effectively can address technical weaknesses early on and significantly reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack. Vulnerability management thus forms the foundation upon which further technical measures can be built. Once you know where the risks lie and which systems are vulnerable, you can deploy targeted additional layers of defense that effectively stop cybercriminals.
What kind of technical measures
In addition to vulnerability management, there are several practical measures that reduce the likelihood of successful attacks. For inspiration, we’ve listed four measures, in no particular order:
OneXillium helps organizations identify vulnerabilities and ensure that patches and updates are always up to date. With a second opinion on patch management or, for example, a review of your vulnerability management process, you gain clarity, control, and certainty. Properly setting up and maintaining secure systems is a significant but crucial task. OneXillium makes this efficient and manageable, ensuring that technology and processes are ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
Attacks are happening faster than patches, so now is the time for us to work together to address this issue. Source: Verizon