44% Surge in App Exploits as AI Speeds Up Cyber-Attacks, IBM Finds

IBM X-Force's 2026 Threat Intelligence Index reports a 44% increase in attacks on public-facing applications and finds vulnerability exploitation was the leading cause of incidents in 2025 (40%); supply-chain and third-party compromises nearly quadrupled since 2020, ransomware groups grew 49% year-over-year, infostealer malware exposed over 300,000 ChatGPT credentials, and AI is accelerating reconnaissance and exploitation across the threat landscape.