Q1 2026 Threat Landscape Report: Zero-clicks, geopolitical tensions, and some wins for law enforcement

The first quarter of 2026 reinforced that attackers are moving faster, operating with greater coordination, and exploiting weaknesses before most organizations can respond effectively. From escalating geopolitical tensions to increasingly aggressive ransomware operations, the latest quarterly Threat Landscape Report highlights a security environment where reactive defense strategies are becoming unsustainable.

Quarterly Threat Landscape Report findings

Exploits unseat social engineering for top initial access vector (IAV)

One of the biggest takeaways is that vulnerability exploitation surpassed social engineering as the largest initial access vector with 38% of the total. This would be interesting on its own, but when coupled with more than 50% of all exploited vulnerabilities actively being zero-click, network facing vulnerabilities, it indicates that, at least in the short term, attackers are finding AI-enabled vulnerability exploitation easier to accomplish than exploiting human behavior. These types of vulnerabilities require no authentication and no user interaction, giving attackers rapid pathways into exposed systems and edge infrastructure. At the same time, exploitation activity was frequently preceded by large spikes in public discussion across forums, blogs, and social media platforms, demonstrating how quickly threat actors operationalize publicly available information once vulnerabilities gain visibility.

Geopolitics and FBI takedowns in the threat landscape

Geopolitical instability also continued to shape cyber operations throughout the quarter, particularly in the Middle East, where cyber activity was increasingly synchronized with military escalation. Iranian state-aligned groups targeted government infrastructure, financial services, and industrial systems, while Russian and Chinese campaigns focused heavily on intelligence collection, telecommunications infrastructure, and persistent access operations designed to remain undetected over long periods of time. The result is a threat landscape where organizations must prepare not only for immediate disruption, but also for long-term persistence inside enterprise environments.

Meanwhile, law enforcement operations targeting underground criminal infrastructure disrupted several major ransomware and credential marketplaces during Q1, including the seizure of RAMP and LeakBase. These takedowns have created operational pressure for cybercriminal groups, pushing threat actors toward smaller, decentralized communities and increasing internal distrust.

A marked shift towards "pure extortion"

The report also highlights the continued evolution of ransomware operations, particularly the growing shift toward “pure extortion” tactics focused on rapid data theft rather than traditional encryption-based attacks. Threat actors increasingly leveraged zero-click vulnerabilities to gain initial access, exfiltrate sensitive data, and pressure victims without deploying ransomware payloads that create additional operational risk and visibility.

Taken together, the findings from Q1 2026 show that organizations can no longer rely on periodic assessments and reactive workflows alone. Security teams need continuous visibility into their attack surface, better prioritization around exploitable risk, and the ability to move at a pace that matches modern attackers before small exposures become large-scale incidents.

Download the full report here.