Attackers Don’t Break In, They Login; Because Your Access Control Strategy Lets Them

This guest post was contributed by Apu Pavithran, Founder & CEO of Hexnode

The numbers are sobering. In just the first half of 2025, data breaches surged by 235%, exposing 9.45 billion records. Yet, this is dwarfed in comparison to the 800% rise in stolen credentials, compromising over 1.8 billion accounts. It is no coincidence that the same period saw a 179% increase in ransomware incidents.

These figures reveal a shift in how attackers operate. They are no longer forcing their way past hardened perimeters; they are simply logging in with stolen identities. AI-powered phishing and automated credential theft let adversaries outpace defenses that still rely on a “verified once, trusted forever” mindset. This static model has become dangerously obsolete, and it is time to rethink what access should look like.

Why the Castle and Moat Approach Fails

The legacy perimeter model was built for another era. Once inside the “castle,” users were implicitly trusted. That trust, unfortunately, persists even after credentials are stolen. On average, attackers spend more than ten days moving laterally through systems before being detected, leveraging that static trust to their advantage.

The knee-jerk response to this has been to pile on more tools. Well-intentioned as it may be, this patchwork fragments visibility rather than providing clarity. Security teams are left dealing with isolated dashboards and conflicting alerts, drowning in noise while real threats go unnoticed. When visibility fractures, compliance becomes shaky too, built on partial truths. It’s no wonder more than half of security teams admit they lack real-time insight into their environments. And without the complete picture, blind spots multiply, and that is exactly where attackers thrive.

The Always Verify Way

The path forward is clear: access must be continuous, unified, and adaptive. Conditional access delivers exactly that. Rather than trusting a user once they’re inside, every login, session, and device is treated as unverified until proven otherwise, making verification a constant, dynamic process.

When a user attempts to connect, the system runs a silent examination, checking identity, device health, network context, application sensitivity, and even behavioural anomalies. If something feels off, it can challenge with multi-factor authentication, restrict access, or block it outright. The scrutiny does not end there. It continues to monitor for unusual activity even after entry, ready to pull the plug if conditions become unsafe. 

Yet, for conditional access to work its full potential, it needs reliable insights about the devices connecting to the network. This is where Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) adds context. By continuously verifying encryption, patch levels, security policies, and app compliance, UEM supplies the necessary endpoint details. Non-compliant devices aren’t just flagged; they’re quarantined or remediated before they can cause damage.

Together, Conditional Access and UEM transform access control into an intelligent, adaptive system. Conditional Access sets the rules, and UEM enforces them, automating responses and adjusting to risk in real time. The outcome is a zero-trust security posture that frustrates attackers while keeping legitimate users moving without friction. In an era of credential theft and AI-powered intrusions, “always verify” isn’t a slogan, it’s survival.