Patching vulnerabilities quickly significantly decreases the risk of incurring cybersecurity breaches, according to new research. The groundbreaking study, which was published on March 25, 2025, identifies a strong link between patching protocols and companies’ Cyber Risk Index (CRI), which is used to measure the likelihood of an organization suffering an attack.
Shockingly, the report also finds that 78% of successful breaches in the past quarter exploited vulnerabilities that could have been prevented by available patches, but which had not been implemented. This highlights a pervasive carelessness within multiple industries where cybersecurity is concerned.
According to our recent “Impact of Technology on the Workplace” report, just 1.6% of senior leaders can correctly identify a phishing scam, while 19% are unable to correctly define “two-factor authentication” (2FA). With the threat landscape evolving rapidly, it’s clear that businesses are not doing enough to counter the rise in cybersecurity breaches.
Patching Vulnerabilities Faster Dramatically Lowers Risk of Attack, Says Report
New research from Trend Micro highlights a strong link between the speed at which organizations patch cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the likelihood of an attack occurring. According to the “Trend 2025 Cyber Risk Report,” companies that reduce their patch implementation window from 30 days to 7 days will enjoy a 34% reduction in cyber breaches.
The study looked at exploitation patterns across several industries, including agriculture, communications, construction, transportation, government and public services, and more. Among other things, the findings indicate that threat actors are highly opportunistic, moving quickly to capitalize on systematic vulnerabilities.
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Hopefully, the findings will send shockwaves across the business world, with troubling implications for the nature of the threat landscape – as well as the individuals in charge of insulating companies from the worst of it.
Full Extent of Organizations’ Cybersecurity Failings Laid Bare
Elsewhere, the report paints a worrying picture of businesses’ approach to cybersecurity. At present, most organizations are failing to adequately safeguard themselves against the threat posed by bad actors.
In news that should haunt IT teams everywhere, Trend Micro observed that 78% of breaches recorded in the past quarter exploited vulnerabilities that could have been prevented by speedy patching. In other words, the overwhelming majority of cyberattacks in the period were easily preventable, but IT employees simply failed to implement available measures quickly enough.
Whether this is the result of sheer incompetence or a series of mistakes, it’s an extraordinary statistic that sheds light on the lackluster approach that many businesses are taking towards cybersecurity at the moment.
Business Landscape Not Set Up For Evolving Threat Landscape, Evidence Shows
The Trend Micro report corroborates some of our own findings. In “The Impact of Technology on the Workplace,” Tech.co observed some similarly concerning cybersecurity trends in the modern business environment. For instance, nearly a fifth (19%) of senior leaders are unable to accurately define 2FA, one of the most basic authentication tools at a business’s disposal.
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that cybersecurity isn’t afforded the requisite level of care and attention. The statistic above, as well as the findings in the Trend Micro report, point to a world in which data breaches are an afterthought for most businesses. To explicate this, our report found that 5% of respondents were unsure whether or not their business had actually suffered a cyberattack.
With the meteoric rise of AI, the threat landscape is evolving at a scarcely believable pace. Tech.co recently reported on a new Gmail scam that mimics the official “no-reply@google.com” address. We also recently published a piece on the spike in distributed denial of service (DDos) attacks. In this climate, businesses everywhere need to be doing more to ensure that they won’t be the next to be caught cold.
