The article highlights systemic vulnerabilities in IBM’s research, where organizations managing an average of **83 security tools from 29 vendors** face severe operational inefficiencies. Fragmented architectures—exemplified by IBM’s findings—create blind spots, with **95% of security leaders admitting redundant tools lack full integration**. This sprawl leads to **72-day delays in threat detection** and **84-day delays in containment**, directly enabling attackers to exploit gaps. The study underscores that **one-third of breaches originate from phishing**, with Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) failing to block an average of **67.5 phishing emails per 100 mailboxes monthly**. Default configurations, misaligned protections, and unintegrated tools amplify risks, resulting in **missed handoffs, poor detection, and inflated response costs**. The cumulative effect is **reputational damage, financial loss from prolonged breaches, and erosion of customer trust**, particularly for smaller teams lacking resources to maintain defenses. IBM’s own data reveals that non-consolidated environments suffer **101% lower ROI** compared to unified platforms, signaling systemic exposure to **sophisticated social engineering and evolving threat tactics** that bypass static defenses.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security-tool-bloat-is-the-new-breach-vector
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ibm
"id": "ibm500090325",
"linkid": "ibm",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Cross-Industry',
'location': 'Global',
'name': 'Average Organization (Generalized)',
'size': ['Small (higher risk)', 'Medium', 'Large'],
'type': ['Enterprise', 'SME']}],
'attack_vector': ['Phishing (Email)',
'Vendor Scams',
'Credential Theft',
'Image-Based Phishing',
'Social Engineering'],
'customer_advisories': ['Organizations advised to assess email security gaps '
'(SEGs) and adopt adaptive defenses.'],
'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': ['Potential (if '
'phishing leads to '
'account takeover)'],
'sensitivity_of_data': ['High (credentials)',
'Medium (corporate email access)'],
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Credentials (via phishing)',
'Potential PII (if phishing '
'successful)']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-10-04T00:00:00Z',
'description': 'The average organization now manages 83 security tools from '
'29 vendors, leading to rising complexity, tool sprawl, and '
'mounting pressure on security teams. This fragmentation '
'creates blind spots, slower threat detection (72 days '
'longer), and weaker response times (84 days longer to contain '
'threats), making it easier for attackers to exploit gaps. '
'Traditional tools like Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) fail to '
'block modern phishing attacks, with an average of 67.5 '
'phishing emails evading SEGs per 100 mailboxes monthly. '
'Smaller organizations are disproportionately affected, facing '
'7.5× more missed attacks than larger counterparts due to '
'understaffing and misconfigured tools. Attack vectors include '
'phishing (1/3 of breaches per Verizon DBIR), vendor scams, '
'credential theft, and image-based phishing, which bypass '
'static filtering and signature-based detection.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Reputational damage due to delayed '
'breach detection/response',
'Perceived insecurity by '
'customers/partners'],
'identity_theft_risk': ['Credential theft via phishing'],
'operational_impact': ['72-day longer threat detection',
'84-day longer threat containment',
'Increased operational risk due to tool '
'sprawl',
'Stretched security teams',
'Higher response costs'],
'systems_affected': ['Email Systems (SEGs)',
'Endpoint Security',
'Identity Management']},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': ['Potential (if '
'credentials stolen)'],
'entry_point': ['Phishing emails (1/3 of breaches)',
'Vendor impersonation',
'Credential theft'],
'high_value_targets': ['Email accounts',
'Corporate credentials',
'Financial systems']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (Industry-Wide Analysis)',
'lessons_learned': ['Tool sprawl (83 tools from 29 vendors) increases '
'complexity and risk, with 95% of leaders reporting '
'redundant, unintegrated tools.',
'Fragmentation leads to 72-day longer detection and '
'84-day longer containment, inflating costs and '
'reputational damage.',
'SEGs fail to block modern phishing (67.5 emails/month '
'evade detection per 100 mailboxes), especially in '
'understaffed SMEs.',
'Default configurations and unintegrated tools create '
'exploitable blind spots.',
'AI/automation widens gaps when layered on disjointed '
'architectures.'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Transition to unified '
'cybersecurity platforms '
'(101% ROI).',
'Replace SEGs with '
'API-based, adaptive email '
'security.',
'Automate threat '
'intelligence sharing '
'across tools.',
'Continuous tuning of '
'security tools to address '
'evolving tactics.',
'Prioritize domains with '
'highest threat volume '
'(e.g., email).'],
'root_causes': ['Over-reliance on bolt-on security '
'tools without integration.',
'Lack of API-centric threat '
'intelligence sharing.',
'Static detection methods (SEGs) '
'unable to counter social '
'engineering.',
'Understaffed teams unable to '
'maintain tool configurations.',
'Default settings and unintegrated '
'tools creating blind spots.']},
'recommendations': ['Replatform: Consolidate tools into a unified, '
'API-centric architecture with shared intelligence and '
'automation.',
'Start small: Focus on high-risk domains (e.g., email, '
'endpoint, identity) before expanding.',
'Prioritize adaptive tools: Use ML, behavioral analysis, '
'and human feedback to counter evolving threats.',
'Assess current stack: Inventory tools for overlap, '
'integration gaps, and misconfigurations.',
'Measure ROI: Track time-to-detect/respond to justify '
'consolidation (101% ROI for platformized vs. 28% for '
'fragmented).',
"Avoid 'more tools' mindset: Simplify to reduce "
'operational burden and improve resilience.'],
'references': [{'source': 'IBM and Palo Alto Networks Study'},
{'source': 'Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)'},
{'date_accessed': '2023-10-04',
'source': 'TechRadar Pro Expert Insights (Eyal Benishti, '
'IRONSCALES)',
'url': 'https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Expert Insights (TechRadar Pro '
'article)',
'Awareness of tool sprawl risks'],
'enhanced_monitoring': ['Continuous ROI measurement '
'(time-to-detect/respond)'],
'remediation_measures': ['Replatforming (consolidating security '
'tools)',
'API-centric tool integration',
'Adaptive capabilities (ML/behavioral '
'analysis)',
'Automation for shared threat '
'intelligence']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Security leaders urged to replatform and '
'consolidate tools to reduce risk.'],
'title': 'Security Architecture Bloat and Fragmentation Leading to Increased '
'Cybersecurity Risks',
'type': ['Operational Risk',
'Tool Sprawl',
'Phishing Vulnerability',
'Security Architecture Fragmentation'],
'vulnerability_exploited': ['Fragmented Security Tool Integration',
'Default Configurations in Security Tools',
'Lack of API-Centric Threat Intelligence Sharing',
'Static Filtering in SEGs',
'Signature-Based Detection Gaps']}