Blackpoint Cyber Releases 2026 Threat Report

DENVER, April 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blackpoint Cyber, a leader in managed detection and response, today announced the release of its Annual Threat Report. The report revealed a major shift in cybercriminal tactics as attackers increasingly compromise organizations by abusing trusted credentials, tools, and everyday workflows rather than exploiting software vulnerabilities.

Drawing on incident response data from the Blackpoint Security Operations Center, the report identifies a defining trend from 2025. Attackers increasingly bypass traditional defenses by logging in through legitimate credentials and repurposing the same tools organizations rely on to run their businesses.

“Throughout 2025, simple symbols of trust such as a valid username, a legitimate password, or a trusted tool became the adversary’s welcome mat,” says Gagan Singh, Blackpoint Chief Executive Officer. “If 2025 was the year attackers weaponized trust, then 2026 must be the year defenders redefine it.”

Key Findings from the 2026 Annual Threat Report

• Trusted Compromise Is Rising
  Attackers are increasingly living off the land by using SSL VPN gateways, Remote Monitoring and Management tools, and legitimate Windows utilities to blend into normal IT activity.
• Human Behavior Is a Primary Target
  Fake CAPTCHA and ClickFix campaigns accounted for 57.5 percent of incidents observed by the Blackpoint SOC, exploiting routine user verification behavior to trigger remote code execution.
• Remote Access Tools Are a Major Entry Point
  The abuse of legitimate RMM tools represented 30.3 percent of incidents, while SSL VPN compromises accounted for 32.8 percent of identifiable activity.
• Identity Attacks Continue to Grow
  Adversary-in-the-Middle techniques allow attackers to hijack authenticated sessions and bypass traditional multi-factor authentication protections.
• Attack Infrastructure Is Becoming Harder to Trace
  Threat actors increasingly deploy Etherhiding, embedding malicious logic within decentralized blockchain smart contracts to manage compromised websites at scale.
• Manufacturing Remains a Top Target
  Manufacturing and industrial organizations accounted for 11.5 percent of incidents, reflecting the sector’s reliance on legacy infrastructure and its low tolerance for operational disruption.

Despite the increasing speed of adversary operations, the report highlights the advantage of real-time human-led defense. In 2025, the Blackpoint SOC disrupted 56 percent of incidents before attackers could deploy a payload, stopping intrusions before they escalated into breaches.

“Attackers today are not always breaking systems. They are exploiting trust,” said Wilfredo Santiago, Chief Security and Trust Officer at Blackpoint Cyber. “When adversaries operate inside legitimate systems and workflows, detection requires more than alerts. It requires context, expertise, and the ability to intervene in real time before intent turns into impact.”

The full report includes recommendations for strengthening identity protections, securing remote access infrastructure, and adopting phishing-resistant authentication to reduce exposure to credential-based attacks.

The 2026 Annual Threat Report is available to view and download at: https://blackpointcyber.com/resources/2026-annual-threat-report/.

About Blackpoint Cyber

Blackpoint Cyber was founded by former NSA cybersecurity experts with one purpose: to win the unfair fight. Blackpoint delivers Managed Detection and Response (MDR) through a 24/7 SOC that combines detection at AI speed with elite human expertise, giving organizations real defense against sophisticated threat actors. Its CompassOne platform unifies identity, endpoint, and cloud into a single context-rich environment, enabling decisive response before attacks escalate. We measure security by threats stopped, not alerts generated.

Media Contact
Holly Hagerman
Connect Marketing for Blackpoint Cyber
Hollyh@connectmarketing.com

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