The release of the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) reinforces the power of the CIS Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls®) and CIS Benchmarks® and their ability to defend against top attacks.
The Center for Internet Security® (CIS®) has proudly contributed to the DBIR for the past 13 years, demonstrating a solid partnership and shared mission: to turn real-world threat data into actionable defense. This year’s contributions to the DBIR continue to support the global cybersecurity community by sharing data, insights, and expertise that help organizations better understand and defend against the most common attacks facing all industries, of any size.
The 2026 Verizon DBIR data shows that while the threat landscape continues to evolve, with the growing use of generative artifical intelligence (AI) and increased exploitation of vulnerabilities and social engineering attacks, fundamental cybersecurity best practices still provide the most effective defense. As such, the DBIR, once again, recommends specific CIS Controls and CIS Safeguards to defend against top attacks. Implementing the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks is foundational to any cybersecurity program for all organizations regardless of industry, size, or location.
CIS Controls Recommended by DBIR as Defense Against Top Attacks
|
Attacker Techniques |
DBIR Recommended Defensive CIS Controls |
Facts |
|
Vulnerability Exploitation |
CSC 2: Inventory and Control of Software Assets |
Vulnerability exploitation is now the leading initial access vector so organizations must focus on what software they have on the network and remediating vulnerabilities. |
|
Credential Abuse and Account Compromise |
CSC 4: Secure Configuration of Enterprise Assets and Software |
39% of breaches had credential abuse in the attack chain which highlights that improper authentication, lack of MFA, and excessive privileges continue to enable attackers. |
|
Human Element in Breaches |
CSC 14: Security Awareness and Skills Training |
62% of all breaches contain a human element Social engineering, pretexting, and user error remain major contributors to breaches. Solid training of an organization’s workforce builds the human layer of defense that technical controls alone cannot replace. |
|
Ransomware and Recovery |
CSC 11: Data Recovery |
Ransomware is on the rise. The ability to recover your data ensures an organization can restore operations without paying a ransom |
|
Third-Party and Cloud Authentication Exposure |
CSC 5: Account Management |
Breaches with third-party involvement increased by 60% from the 2025 DBIR. If a vendor’s account gets compromised, it poses organizational risk. Enforcing MFA, removing inactive accounts, and ensuring that security best practices are embedded into vendor contracts are essential best practices to mitigate a third-party breach. |
Secure Configurations: The Role of CIS Benchmarks
Misconfigurations remain one of the most persistent and preventable causes of data breaches. DBIR findings show that 83% of privilege escalation incidents did not involve exploiting a vulnerability, highlighting that attackers often rely on misconfigurations, excessive permissions, and credential abuse rather than traditional software exploits. This is what the CIS Benchmarks were built to solve. The Benchmarks are consensus-based, globally recognized secure configuration recommendations covering more than 100 technologies. The Verizon DBIR tells us what attackers exploit, while the CIS Benchmarks demonstrate how to configure the environment so those exploits have nowhere to land.
Refinement, Not Revolution
A central theme of Verizon’s 2026 DBIR is that cybersecurity success does not come from constant reinvention, but from continuous improvement of core practices.
For organizations seeking to reduce risk and improve resilience, the path forward is clear:
- Prioritize and implement CIS Controls
- Adopt CIS Benchmarks for secure configurations
- Leverage MS-ISAC and community intelligence for awareness and response
- Focus on consistent execution of foundational practices
Want to go deeper?
Join us on June 11 for Turn Intel Into Action: CIS Controls and the 2026 Verizon DBIR and learn how to turn this year’s findings into practical steps that strengthen your security program. Hear from CIS, Verizon, and the MS-ISAC on the top attack patterns, the safeguards that matter most, and how real‑world data can guide smarter security decisions.
