Intruder Finds 70% of Mid-Sized Firms Expose Internet Systems, Raising Breach Risk
Updated
Updated · Petri.com · May 14
Intruder Finds 70% of Mid-Sized Firms Expose Internet Systems, Raising Breach Risk
8 articles · Updated · Petri.com · May 14
3,000 organizations surveyed in Intruder’s 2026 index showed widespread internet exposure of systems that should stay internal, with exposed databases flagged as the most serious risk and public API documentation often leaking sensitive details.
AI-driven discovery is shrinking the window to respond, letting attackers find and exploit newly exposed weaknesses almost immediately after they appear.
26% of organizations had exposed MySQL databases, while other common issues included PostgreSQL, WordPress admin panels, open RDP, and legacy services such as SNMP, UPnP, NTP and RPC.
70% of mid-sized companies had at least one security issue versus 54% of small businesses, and mid-sized firms were also slowest to fix them, averaging 56 days compared with 14 to 18 days for smaller peers.
Intruder said organizations should focus less on patching alone and more on continuously finding, restricting or removing unnecessary internet-facing assets as digital environments expand.
As digital footprints expand, is achieving a 'zero attack surface' a realistic goal or a costly and ultimately futile security chase?
With AI powering both cyberattacks and defense, are businesses trapped in an unwinnable and expensive technological arms race?
2026 Cybersecurity Crisis: Why 1 in 5 Mid-Sized Firms Suffer Data Breaches and How to Fight Back
Overview
Mid-sized firms are facing a sharp rise in internet exposure and data breach threats, with breaches occurring at a sustained rate and these organizations being hit four times more often than larger companies. This vulnerability is made worse by persistent security weaknesses, such as exposed edge devices and overlooked gaps in firewalls, VPNs, and multi-factor authentication. Attackers exploit these easy targets, while many firms delay fixing known issues. Overlooked API documentation for private systems further increases risk, turning hidden vulnerabilities into open attack paths. These factors combine to leave mid-sized firms continuously exposed to significant financial and operational disruption.