It’s Not Always the Hackers - Everyday Weaknesses That Cause Real World Cyber Incidents
When most people imagine cyber attacks, they picture sophisticated and skilled hackers executing complex, high profile operations.
The reality is very different. The barrier to entry for attackers is lower than it’s ever been.
Most breaches exploit predictable, everyday weaknesses which fall into a consistent pattern of People, Process, Technology, and Third Parties. For example, human error, insider oversights, misconfigured systems, unpatched systems, and gaps in supply chain weaknesses. Incidents typically emerge from a combination of these risks rather than a single point of compromise, causing operational disruption, financial loss, and reputational damage.
For risk leaders, these are not “cyber issues” in isolation, but rather operational risk issues: weaknesses in controls, oversight, process design, assurance, and third party governance. We know that cyber attacks are no longer a question of “if,” but when. Organisations that fail to identify and address these weaknesses leave themselves exposed. Attacks are indiscriminate. The differentiator between a breach that causes chaos and one that can be contained is proactive preparation. Understanding and mitigating these predictable risks turns exposure into resilience.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the everyday weaknesses that actually cause most breaches.
Human error
People are a key factor in most breaches. Verizon’s 2025 report notes that “60% of all breaches include the human element, with people being involved either via error, privilege misuse, use of stolen credentials or social engineering.”
This isn’t necessarily because users are careless, but because cyber risk intersects with busy, under resourced, and high-pressured environments, aiming to exploit the uncontrollable and the fallible – the organic part of the network.
Tight deadlines, complex systems and competing priorities create conditions where mistakes are inevitable. For example, a manufacturing manager, rushing to meet a production deadline, might receive an email that appears to be from a regular supplier confirming a change in shipment schedules. Thinking it’s routine, they click a link or open an attachment. Unbeknownst to them, it deploys malware that disrupts production systems for days.
In another scenario, a financial services analyst, under pressure to review year-end reports before a tight deadline, could download a seemingly urgent spreadsheet from a colleague. The file contains ransomware, spreading across the network and halting access to critical systems.
Regular phishing simulations, training, and multi-factor authentication remain essential controls to prevent these attacks, even for well trained staff operating under pressure.
INSIDER THREATS
Insider threats can also occur intentionally. For example, a departing employee copying sensitive client files, or staff storing critical data on personal devices that are later lost. These risks are often amplified by misconfigured Identity and Access Management or Privileged Access Management settings, insufficient movers/leavers/joiners policies, or limited visibility over sensitive data exfiltration.
Leadership must recognise that employees are both a potential vulnerability and a critical part of the organisation’s security posture. Implementing a Zero Trust approach, where access is continuously verified, privileges are tightly scoped, and anomalous behaviour is automatically flagged, helps ensure that no single human error becomes a breach point. By reinforcing least-privilege access, strong authentication, continuous monitoring and segmentation, organisations can limit the blast radius of compromised accounts or insider misuse. Embedding Zero Trust principles into everyday operations creates a security model that assumes breaches are possible, reduces reliance on perfect user behaviour, and materially strengthens overall resilience.
SUPPLY CHAIN RISK
Suppliers are essential to operations, but they can also significantly expand your attack surface. A 2025 DSIT report found that 58% of large UK organisations experienced at least one supply chain cyber incident in 2024, with nearly a quarter experiencing multiple in 2025. Weak security practices or unmonitored access of third party provider can give attackers a direct path into your systems.
The M&S cyber incident illustrates this risk clearly. The retailer disclosed that attackers gained entry via a third party service provider, not directly through M&S’s internal systems. Their profit hit was estimated at around £300 million due to disruptions in online sales and supply chain operations. Analysts have pointed out that the real cost extended beyond IT, affecting operations, logistics and public and stakeholder trust.
At the same time, CMC’s October 2025 statement on the Jaguar Land Rover incident shows the broader scale. This automotive breach was said to be the costliest cyber attack ever, with an estimated UK impact of £1.9 billion, largely driven by supply chain and manufacturing shutdowns. This reinforces the same point: weak links in the supply chain create operational, financial and reputational damage, even if your own systems weren’t initially targeted, or obviously insecure.
Your organisation is only as secure as your weakest supplier. To reduce exposure, you must map and monitor all third party access, enforce strong authentication and least privilege policies, and audit supplier security controls. Even if a breach begins elsewhere, the operational and financial consequences will reflect on you. You can outsource critical operations, functions, but never ownership, it is your risk and your data.
MISCONFIGURED SYSTEMS
Technical oversights remain a major source of cyber risk. Two of the most common issues are misconfigured systems and unpatched systems, both of which create opportunities for attackers.
Misconfigured systems occur when settings, permissions, or security controls are not properly applied. Examples include overly permissive access rights, a lack of multifactor authentication, incorrectly configured firewalls and VPNs, or insufficient network segmentation that creates flat networks. These misconfigurations can leave sensitive data exposed, allow attackers to escalate privileges, and enable lateral movement across the network once a foothold is gained.
Misconfigurations are often subtle and can persist unnoticed for long periods, creating persistent vulnerabilities that attackers actively identify and exploit. According to IBMs 2025 report, the mean time to identify, contain and then restore services post breach is 241 days.
PATCH MANAGEMENT
A lack of patch management planning can also leave systems weak to attackers. Firewalls, routers, VPNs, and other boundary devices are critical in patching and configuration reviews. Known vulnerabilities are publicly disclosed, and attackers routinely hunt and scan for systems that remain unpatched. Even small delays in applying patches can provide attackers with an easy entry point. Legacy or unsupported systems exacerbate this risk, as patches may no longer be available, leaving critical systems permanently exposed.
SHADOW IT
Edge devices and Shadow IT add to this problem. Shadow IT can include unverified applications used by employees on corporate devices, such as AI notetaking bots, as well as unmanaged hardware like personal routers or IoT devices. These are not documented and recorded on asset registers and when unpatched, introduce additional unknown vulnerabilities. These tools and devices often bypass central IT controls and policies, leaving sensitive data unmonitored or unencrypted. They can also connect to cloud services or external networks that haven’t been assessed for security, creating hidden pathways for attackers.
THE COMMON THREAD
Regardless of industry, most breaches occur not because of sophisticated attacks, but because everyday weaknesses go unaddressed. Human error, insider threats, phishing, ransomware, misconfigurations, patch failures, edge device vulnerabilities, and third-party gaps create pathways that attackers exploit.
Preparation transforms this exposure into resilience.
Cyro Cyber’s Cyber Security Maturity Assessment gives organisations full visibility across your people, processes, and technology, providing:
Detailed insights into your organisation’s current security maturity, detailing your operational and technical vulnerabilities
Expert guidance and clear next steps to reduce risk and strengthen defences
Confidence that your organisation can respond effectively to phishing, ransomware, insider threats, and attacks exploiting edge devices or third party weaknesses
Take control before the next incident occurs. Enquire about a CSMA today to uncover your hidden risks, protect your operations, and strengthen stakeholder trust.
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