INTEL-23: The Permission Problem

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The INTEL

The 2026 DBIR settles a long-running argument: privilege escalation is an identity-and-permissions problem, not a patching one. 83% of escalation incidents involved no vulnerability exploit at all — attackers used the permissions that were already there.

Most security budgets treat escalation as something you patch your way out of. The data says otherwise. Only about 10% of escalation techniques are mitigated by patching; 65% are mitigated by privilege management. The single most common technique in real breaches isn’t an exploit — it’s “valid accounts”: logging in with legitimate credentials, at 39%. Attackers aren’t breaking in. They’re signing in, then walking the permissions they find.

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INTEL-23: The Permission Problem

The INTEL