Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report

Verizon's 2025 DBIR analyzes 22,052 incidents (12,195 confirmed breaches) and finds ransomware present in 44% of breaches, a sharp rise in exploitation of vulnerabilities (20% as an initial access vector, with edge devices and VPNs notably targeted), and third‑party involvement doubling to ~30%. The report highlights large-scale credential theft (infostealers and leaked repository secrets), growing espionage activity, sustained DDoS growth, measurable use of GenAI by threat actors and attendant data‑leak risks to AI platforms, and persistent challenges in vulnerability remediation and MFA bypass techniques; it concludes with sector and size‑specific patterns and pragmatic CIS control recommendations.