M-Trends 2026: Initial Access Handoff Time Shrinks Dramatically to 22 Seconds
Google's M-Trends 2026 report reveals that the time between initial system access and handoff to secondary threat groups has decreased from hours to just 22 seconds, with exploits being the most common infection vector.
Key Points
- Initial access handoff time decreased from hours to 22 seconds
- Exploits account for 32% of initial infection vectors
- Report based on 500,000+ hours of Mandiant investigations in 2025
Full Details
Google's M-Trends 2026 report, based on over 500,000 hours of Mandiant incident response investigations in 2025, reveals a dramatic acceleration in attack timelines. The time between initial access to an organization's systems and handoff to a secondary threat group has decreased from hours to just 22 seconds over recent years. Exploits were the most common initial infection vector, accounting for 32% of cases, followed by phishing (11%), prior compromise (10%), and stolen credentials (9%). This rapid handoff indicates increasing automation and coordination among threat groups, making detection and response more challenging for organizations.
Why It Matters
The dramatic reduction in handoff time requires organizations to implement real-time detection and automated response capabilities to counter increasingly coordinated and automated attacks.
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