The increasing prevalence of ransomware attacks is exposing significant gaps in cybersecurity preparedness, particularly concerning machine credentials. According to Ivanti’s 2026 State of Cybersecurity Report, a staggering 63% of security professionals now view ransomware as a high or critical threat. However, only 30% feel “incredibly prepared” to defend against such attacks, creating a concerning 33-point preparedness gap, which has widened from 29 points in the previous year. This disparity highlights a persistent challenge in the cybersecurity landscape: the failure to adequately address machine identities during ransomware incidents.
Current cybersecurity frameworks, notably those outlined in Gartner’s ransomware preparation guidance, fall short in addressing these vulnerabilities. Whereas the guidance emphasizes the importance of resetting impacted user and host credentials during containment, it fails to consider service accounts, API keys, tokens and certificates—vital components of machine identity management. This oversight leaves organizations exposed to sophisticated attacks that leverage these overlooked credentials.
In fact, CyberArk’s 2025 Identity Security Landscape reports that You’ll see 82 machine identities for every human user within organizations, and 42% of these machine identities possess privileged access. This imbalance not only complicates incident response but also amplifies the risk of lateral movement within networks during a breach, as attackers can exploit these credentials with relative ease.
The Blind Spot in Ransomware Response
Most ransomware response playbooks follow a standard containment strategy that typically includes three credential reset steps: forcing logout of affected user accounts, changing passwords for these accounts, and resetting device accounts—all through Active Directory. However, these steps do not account for machine identities, which are crucial for maintaining operational integrity during an attack. This gap in the playbook leaves organizations vulnerable to ongoing exploitation during and after an incident.
Gartner’s own research warns that poor identity and access management (IAM) practices are a primary vector for ransomware attacks. Compromised credentials often serve as gateways for adversaries, particularly those obtained through initial access brokers or dark web data dumps. Despite this knowledge, the frameworks remain incomplete, as they do not instruct teams to update or remove compromised machine credentials—leaving doors open for attackers to regain access.
Preparedness Deficits and Economic Implications
The readiness gap is not merely a theoretical concern; it has tangible economic implications. Ivanti’s report reveals that every major threat category, including ransomware, phishing, and software vulnerabilities, has seen a year-over-year widening of the preparedness gap. Security professionals are optimistic about the role of AI in cybersecurity, yet findings indicate that organizations are falling further behind in their capability to defend against an array of threats. Daniel Spicer, Ivanti’s Chief Security Officer, describes this escalating imbalance as the “Cybersecurity Readiness Deficit.”
The economic stakes are high, with estimates suggesting that recovery costs from ransomware can reach up to ten times the ransom amount. CrowdStrike’s 2025 State of Ransomware Survey illustrates the severity of this issue: among manufacturers who rated themselves as “very well prepared,” only 12% managed to recover within 24 hours of an attack, while 40% experienced significant operational disruptions.
What Organizations Can Do
To effectively address these vulnerabilities, organizations must prioritize the management of machine identities. This involves several key steps:
- Comprehensive Inventory: Organizations need to map and inventory all machine identities, including service accounts and API tokens, before incidents occur. This proactive approach is essential for effective incident response.
- Enhanced Detection Logic: Detection rules must evolve to identify anomalous behaviors associated with machine identities. Traditional detection methods often overlook these behaviors, leaving a gap in security.
- Regular Credential Audits: Conducting regular audits of service accounts and ensuring timely credential rotations can aid mitigate risks associated with stale accounts, which are often the easiest entry points for attackers.
- Investing in AI Frameworks: As organizations integrate agentic AI into their operations, establishing formal guardrails for these autonomous agents will be crucial to prevent the creation of ungoverned machine identities.
Security leaders who incorporate machine identity management into their incident response procedures will not only close existing gaps exploited by attackers today but also prepare for the complexities posed by future autonomous identities.
The urgency to address these issues cannot be overstated, as the ransomware economy continues to evolve. With adversaries now capable of executing attacks within a day of initial access, organizations must act swiftly to strengthen their defenses. As cybersecurity threats develop into increasingly sophisticated, the integration of comprehensive machine identity protocols into existing frameworks will be essential for safeguarding data and operational integrity.
As the landscape of cybersecurity continues to shift, organizations must remain vigilant and adaptive. Building robust machine identity management practices will be a key focus moving forward, ensuring that security measures are not just reactive but also proactive in mitigating risks associated with ransomware and other evolving threats. Engaging in discussions about these strategies is crucial, and organizations are encouraged to share their insights and experiences with peers in the industry.
