Sophos Report: Identity Attacks Dominate as Threat Groups Proliferate

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has released the 2026 Sophos Active Adversary Report, which reveals that 67 per cent of all incidents investigated by Sophos Incident Response (IR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) teams last year were rooted in identity-related attacks.

The findings highlighted how attackers continue to exploit compromised credentials, weak or missing multifactor authentication (MFA), and poorly protected identity systems, often without needing to deploy new tools or techniques.

Key findings of the report showed a shift from exploited vulnerabilities toward compromised credentials, with brute-force activity (15.6 per cent) drawing almost level with exploitation (16 per cent) as an initial access method.

Median dwell time declined to three days. This was driven by attackers’ movements, but also by defenders reacting more swiftly. This was particularly notable in MDR environments.

Attackers are getting faster at reaching Active Directory (AD). Once an attacker is inside an organization it takes them just 3.4 hours to get to the AD server.

According to the report, Ransomware  remains a firmly off-hours activity, as 88 per cent of ransomware payloads are deployed out of hours, and 79 per  ent of data exfiltration actions take place out of hours, emphasising the continued need for 24/7 coverage.

Missing logs due to data retention issues doubled over last year. This rise was largely driven by firewall appliances where the default was only seven days, and in some cases, 24 hours.

The report shows a continued rise in attacks rooted in identity compromise, including stolen credentials, brute-force activity, and phishing. 

While exploited vulnerabilities remain a factor, attackers increasingly rely on valid accounts to gain initial access, allowing them to bypass traditional perimeter defenses. 

Giving details of the report, Field CISO and Lead Author of the report, John Shier, said: “The most concerning finding in the report has actually been years in the making: The dominance of identity-related root causes for successful initial access. Compromised credentials, brute-force attacks, phishing, and other tactics leverage weaknesses that can’t be addressed by simple patch hygiene. Organizations must take a proactive approach to identity security.”

Sophos researchers observed the highest number of active threat groups recorded in the report’s history, expanding the overall threat landscape and increasing the challenge of attribution.

 “Law enforcement action continues to cause disruption in the ransomware ecosystem. Although we still see activity from LockBit, the dominance and reputation it once had has clearly been impacted. However, it means we are seeing a raft of other groups vying for dominance and many more emerging groups. For defenders, it’s important to understand the groups and their TTPs in order to best protect your organization,” Shier further said.

 Despite widespread predictions, Sophos found no evidence of a major AI-driven transformation in attacker behavior. While generative AI has increased the speed and polish of phishing and social engineering, it has not yet produced fundamentally new attack techniques.

Based on the findings of the 2026 Active Adversary Report, Sophos recommends organizations should deploy phishing-resistant MFA and validate its configuration; Reduce exposure of identity infrastructure and internet-facing services; Patch known vulnerabilities promptly, especially on edge devices; Ensure 24/7 monitoring through MDR or equivalent capabilities; and Preserve and retain security logs to support rapid detection and investigation.