New Research Finds Identity has Become the Most Common Entry Point for Cyberattacks

With identity-based vectors the most common entry point for cyberattacks, security leaders turn to agentic AI to both secure and manage identities at scale

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumos, the industry's first Autonomous Identity Platform, today announced the release of its AI, Automation, and Risk in 2026: Identity at a Breaking Point report. The findings indicate a pivotal moment in enterprise security, characterized by the rise of identity-based security threats and the critical role of agentic AI in mitigating and addressing these challenges. Responses reveal 96% of organizations have experienced identity-related security incidents.

Adversaries no longer need complex technical exploits to gain access, identity is now the main entry point for cyberattacks. 43.6% of organizations reported the use of stolen credentials, and 48.1% experienced a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) fatigue attack. That's why despite over 90% of security leaders saying they feel prepared to defend themselves, only 3.8% of companies actually made it through the last year without a significant identity-related incident.

The research highlights three core areas of concern shaping the 2026 identity risk landscape:

Among the report highlights:

"Organizations stand at a crossroads when it comes to managing and securing identity. As identity-based attacks are on the rise, it's becoming more and more clear existing paradigms both lack the intelligence and require too much manual, operational work to keep pace," said Andrej Safundzic, CEO of Lumos. "This research shows that adopting an agentic approach that brings intelligence, automation, and scale must be on every security leader's agenda in 2026. We've seen firsthand from our customers the incredible impact embracing this innovation can deliver."

Agentic AI Promises to Radically Improve Identity Management and Security

AI is one of the most important and top-of-mind emerging technologies for identity leaders, with 88.7% rating it as important or very important to their detection and response efforts over the next 2 years. This aligns with current adoption trends, with 85% of organizations leveraging AI in some capacity in their identity governance processes. However, the majority (68.4%) of organizations are only using AI in narrow use cases, and have not adopted AI-native tools, processes, or workflows.

Although the benefits of automation like speed, scope, and risk reduction are theoretically obvious, many leaders lack the confidence to initiate full-scale deployment.

Next Steps for Identity Leaders

Organizations are pivoting toward several key pillars for improving their identity and access management programs:

Methodology

The AI, Automation, and Risk in 2026: Identity at a Breaking Point report surveyed 133 technology and security leaders from large organizations across major industries. Respondents hold titles of CISO, CIO, CTO, VP/Director of IT, and Security/Identity Manager at North American companies with 500 to over 10,000 employees across a wide range of industries.

Access the full report here.

About Lumos

Lumos is the first Autonomous Identity platform that empowers organizations with an agentic approach to enhance security, drive productivity, and meet compliance standards. The company's AI-native platform automatically discovers and manages access across customers' entire tool stack. By delivering rich, contextual intelligence, organizations can move beyond rubber stamping to proactively mitigate identity-based risk, all without slowing their business down. Powered by agentic workflows in Albus, the company's leading identity agent, organizations can address security concerns and establish governance that evolve as quickly as your business does. Trusted by hundreds of companies including Pinterest, Anduril, and GitHub, Lumos powers millions of access requests across global companies. Learn more: lumos.com

SOURCE Lumos