Design Highlights
- Shadow data shared outside secure systems contributes to 35% of breaches, increasing risks for organizations.
- Lack of SaaS visibility can lead to five times more incidents or data loss by 2027.
- Third-party compromises are responsible for 36% of data breaches, with significant financial repercussions.
- Cloud breaches are rising, with 82% attributed to insufficient visibility and monitoring.
- Overprivileged API access and unmanaged non-human identities create severe vulnerabilities in security.
In a world where data reigns supreme, it’s shocking how many organizations are stumbling around in the dark when it comes to security. Take shadow data, for instance. A staggering 35% of breaches stem from this sneaky phenomenon, where data is created or shared outside secure systems. The average time to detect these breaches? A whopping 204 days. Containing them? Another 73 days. That’s nearly a year of chaos and panic waiting to happen.
In a data-driven world, 35% of breaches arise from shadow data, leading to nearly a year of chaos before detection.
And if organizations think they can ignore Software as a Service (SaaS) visibility, think again. They are five times more likely to face an incident or data loss by 2027. That’s not a typo—five times!
Meanwhile, about 32% of cloud assets linger unmonitored. Each one carries around 115 known vulnerabilities. Yes, you read that right. Vulnerabilities just hanging around, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
But wait, there’s more—unauthorized SaaS apps and weak privilege controls account for 58% of issues. Poor user lifecycle automation? That’s another 54%. Together, they create pathways for data exfiltration. No big headlines, though. Just silent chaos. Data spreads across environments like a bad rumor. Shadow AI incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property (IP) are rampant.
Now, let’s not forget third-party compromises. In 2024, at least 36% of all data breaches originated from these sneaky outsiders. That’s a 6.5% increase from the year before. In fact, breaches involving third-party compromises were the second most prevalent and costliest attack vector at $4.91 million.
Supply chain compromise? Oh, it’s the second most prevalent attack vector now, right after phishing. High-profile companies like LinkedIn and Accenture have seen their fortunes falter due to these breaches. Shared vendors and cloud integrations? They expose entire sectors to disaster, like the retail breaches that affected millions.
Cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities are another monster lurking in the shadows. A staggering 82% of cloud breaches are tied to a lack of visibility. As cloud intrusions increased by 75% in a year, the risk of on-premises breaches is quickly becoming a relic of the past. Organizations without full SaaS visibility are 5x more likely to face an incident or data loss through 2027.
Real incidents are happening daily. Change Healthcare? Over 100 million exposed patient records. Ticketmaster? 40 million records gone in a flash.
Unauthorized access patterns? Most companies think this is where breaches start. Yet, 58% struggle with overprivileged API access.
And who can forget the battle to monitor non-human identities? The gaps are wide open, and the risks are real. When a breach does occur, businesses face a financial catastrophe that can rival the impact of a long-term disability, potentially crippling operations for months or even years. It’s a recipe for disaster, and organizations are just waiting to get burned.
