Vulnerability exploitation has overtaken credential abuse as the top initial intrusion vector (Verizon DBIR 2026). Your IT hardware is the hacker’s new favorite target, and continuous monitoring of the whole device is necessary to stay protected.
“The very devices that are supposed to be our frontline defense are turning into our greatest weakness. I would argue that the mean time to adapt those devices is on a potentially decade scale, versus the speed of the attacker which is on a daily scale.”
– Pat Opet, Global CISO, JPMorganChase
Known initial access vectors in non-Error, non-Misuse breaches over time (n for 2026 dataset=19,905)
Devices already in production are increasingly targeted for exploitation with newly disclosed vulnerabilities and zero days. Continuous monitoring of every device, including hardware and firmware level integrity monitoring, is crucial for preemptive exposure management and threat detection.
Network edge devices are inherently exposed to the internet, so they need to be protected with layers of authentication, authorization, and other protections against malicious action.
When a management interface is exposed, it is already a target, and any authentication bypass vulnerability or misconfiguration can leave the door open for attackers.
IT hardware is built of dozens of components running their own firmware that isn’t monitored by EDR or legacy vulnerability management.
Chip level vulnerabilities in endpoints, servers, and even network hardware offer attackers a stealthy way to land and expand in your infrastructure without being detected.
Learn how Eclypsium Protects Enterprises Against Hardware and Firmware
Device software and firmware has ballooned in recent years, taking on new open source dependencies and more powerful capabilities. Every chip is a computer within the computer. This creates more attack surface, and potential for backdoors to be introduced during routine updates. From Log4j to XZUtils to the F5 company breach, compromised dependencies represent real risk to IT hardware.
Read our blog on the Future of Supply Chain Backdoor Detection
Eclypsium monitors and manages integrity, baseline, vulnerabilities and detects threats in each device in operation.
Case Study: Learn how a Global Telecommunications company inventories, secures, and hardens active duty network devices. Read Case Study.
Try our guided product tour to learn how Eclypsium monitors and secures your IT asset inventory throughout its entire lifecycle.
