75% of Cyberattacks Linked to Identity and Privilege Exposure, BeyondTrust Reports

• •75% of cyberattacks are linked to identity and privilege issues, according to BeyondTrust.
• •Credential exposure and identity misconfigurations are major root causes of these attacks.
• •AI agents are increasingly being treated as enterprise identities, raising security concerns.

BeyondTrust's Phantom Labs Research Index reveals that 75% of cyberattacks analyzed in the past year are tied to identity and privilege exposure. The report highlights that attackers exploit relationships between users, applications, and AI agents rather than just software vulnerabilities. Key root causes include credential exposure (18%), identity misconfiguration (10%), and excessive privilege (11%). AI agents have become significant targets, with half of the research focused on their security. The findings show that as organizations integrate AI into their systems, the risk of identity-related attacks increases. BeyondTrust emphasizes that understanding identity relationships is crucial for improving enterprise security.