Security professionals often focus on countering the latest sophisticated attack methods. However, the most damaging breaches frequently stem not from cutting-edge exploits, but from compromised accounts and cracked credentials. Despite widespread awareness, Picus Security’s Blue Report 2025 reveals that many organizations still struggle to prevent password attacks and detect malicious activity using stolen credentials.
A Growing Concern: The Rise of Password Cracking Success
The Picus Blue Report is an annual study that evaluates how well organizations defend against real-world cyber threats. Unlike traditional reports, which rely mostly on surveys or trend analysis, the Blue Report uses empirical data from over 160 million simulated attacks conducted across organizational networks worldwide using the Picus Security Validation Platform.
In 2025, the report found that password cracking attacks succeeded in 46% of tested environments, nearly double last year’s rate. This indicates a critical gap in how organizations handle password security. Weak passwords and outdated hashing techniques leave systems exposed to brute-force and rainbow table attacks, enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access.
Despite being one of the oldest and most predictable attack methods, password cracking continues to pose a serious risk, showing that organizations often neglect fundamental password hygiene while chasing protection against the newest threats.
Why Organizations Continue to Fail at Password Security
Many organizations still use easily guessable passwords and outdated credential storage methods. Proper salting techniques and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are often absent, leaving internal accounts particularly vulnerable. The survey showed that 46% of environments experienced at least one password hash being cracked and converted to plaintext.
To mitigate these risks, organizations must:
- Enforce strong password policies
- Implement MFA for all users
- Continuously validate credential defenses through testing
Without these measures, attackers can compromise valid accounts and easily access critical systems.
Credential-Based Attacks: A Silent but Dangerous Threat
Once attackers gain valid credentials, they can move laterally, escalate privileges, and compromise critical assets. Infostealers and ransomware groups frequently exploit stolen credentials to infiltrate networks without triggering alerts, allowing them to maintain prolonged, undetected access and exfiltrate sensitive data.
Unfortunately, many organizations continue to focus on perimeter security while overlooking identity and credential protection. The Blue Report 2025 emphasizes that abuse of valid accounts is at the heart of modern cyberattacks, highlighting the need for stronger identity and credential controls.
Valid Accounts (T1078): The Most Exploited Attack Vector
The Blue Report 2025 confirms that Valid Accounts (MITRE ATT&CK T1078) remain the most exploited technique, with a striking 98% success rate. Attackers using compromised credentials can navigate organizational networks stealthily, often bypassing traditional security measures. This enables them to access sensitive data, deploy malware, and create new attack paths while appearing as legitimate users.
Strengthening Defenses Against Password Cracking and Credential Abuse
To defend against these persistent threats, organizations should:
- Enforce strong password policies and complexity requirements
- Replace outdated hashing algorithms with modern secure alternatives
- Apply multi-factor authentication for all sensitive accounts
- Conduct simulated attacks to validate credential defenses
- Improve behavioral detection to catch unusual account activity
- Monitor outbound traffic and implement robust data loss prevention (DLP) measures
Closing the Gaps in Credential Management
The Blue Report 2025 highlights that many organizations remain exposed to password cracking and account compromise. While perimeter security remains important, credential management and internal controls are crucial areas of vulnerability, often exploited by infostealers and ransomware groups.
Proactively addressing these weaknesses can strengthen security posture, reduce exposure, and prioritize protection of the most critical assets. The Blue Report 2025 offers valuable guidance to help organizations focus on the threats that matter most.
