Stolen Credentials, Fake Hires, and the New Insider Threat

In this episode of Unspoken Security, host AJ Nash sits down with Dan O'Day, Senior Consulting Director at Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks. Dan shares key findings from the 2026 Global Incident Response Report, built from over 750 real-world cyber incidents, covering four major threat trends reshaping the security landscape.Dan breaks down how AI is compressing attack timelines at a dramatic rate. The fastest incidents now move from access to full impact in just 72 minutes, down from 285 minutes the year prior. Attackers are no longer breaking in. They are logging in, using stolen credentials, tokens, and API keys to move laterally and avoid detection. Identity is now the dominant attack surface, playing a material role in nearly 90% of Unit 42's investigations.The conversation closes on a note of cautious optimism. Dan argues that over 90% of breaches stem from preventable gaps, meaning security is solvable. He outlines three priorities for defenders: empowering the SOC to act at machine speed, treating identity as the new perimeter, and securing the entire software supply chain from the first line of code to cloud runtime.Download the Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report 2026 here: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/research/unit-42-incident-response-report?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=na&utm_content=pa001134 Send us Fan MailSupport the show