In the cybersecurity landscape of 2025, major threats like ransomware, phishing, and zero-day exploits dominate headlines and organizational defense priorities. While these threats demand attention, there are critical yet underreported risks that quietly expose organizations to catastrophic damage. Addressing these overlooked vulnerabilities is vital to strengthening cyber defenses beyond common threat vectors.

One frequently ignored risk is the exploitation of vulnerable, digitally signed drivers used in enterprise environments. These drivers often go unnoticed by endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems because they appear legitimate. Yet attackers increasingly leverage these “BYO-Vulnerable Drivers” to gain kernel-level privileges swiftly, allowing them to control compromised systems stealthily. Many organizations hesitate to block these drivers due to fears of operational disruptions, creating a dangerous blind spot for privilege escalation attacks that penetration testers regularly exploit.​

Another significant underreported issue is poor management of privileged credentials and shared secrets within network environments. Many companies rely on generic or static “break-glass” accounts with unrestricted administrative access to network devices. These accounts are rarely rotated or uniquely assigned, leaving critical infrastructure exposed to unauthorized access if credentials leak or attackers infiltrate the network. Similar weaknesses exist with outdated or unmonitored RADIUS keys and SNMP community strings. The lack of robust credential hygiene around these shared secrets often remains unnoticed until a breach occurs.​

Remote access and Shadow IT create invisible entry points that attackers exploit effortlessly. The rapid shift towards remote work and cloud integration expanded the digital attack surface, yet many organizations do not continuously monitor or map remote access pathways comprehensively. Unauthorized third-party applications, unsanctioned cloud services, misconfigured VPNs, and exposed remote desktop protocols all contribute to latent vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals actively scan for these weaknesses, enabling lateral movement and data exfiltration without triggering conventional alarms. Shadow IT alone accounts for roughly 11% of security incidents, highlighting the urgent need for continuous discovery and stringent controls on unknown IT assets.​

Additionally, underreporting of cybersecurity incidents internally and externally prevents organizations from responding effectively. Studies reveal that nearly half of cybersecurity breaches go unreported to leadership or regulators, often due to fear of reputational damage or belief that leadership would not act. This pervasive underreporting undermines risk assessments and delays remediation efforts, allowing threats to persist unmitigated. Fostering a culture that encourages transparent incident reporting and quick escalation is critical to improving organizational resilience.​

To address these underrecognized risks, organizations should:

• Implement zero-trust principles that include micro-segmentation, strict access controls, and unique privileged account management.

• Continuously audit and update driver usage to identify and block vulnerable but digitally signed drivers.

• Map all remote access points, enforce endpoint security beyond managed devices, and monitor shadow IT.

• Promote a robust security culture that incentivizes incident reporting and timely communication to leadership.

• Employ breach attack simulations, penetration testing, and vulnerability management to proactively identify weaknesses before attackers do.

By focusing beyond the loud, headline-grabbing threats and accounting for these hidden risks, enterprises can build more comprehensive cybersecurity defenses capable of withstanding evolving cyberattacks in 2025 and beyond. In the end, cybersecurity is a collective effort, a partnership between human intuition and technological fortitude. Device like HyperBUNKER ensures that no matter what fails, data survives. But long-term protection begins long before an attack: in mindset, in awareness, and in a shared understanding that cybersecurity is everyone’s job.

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Author: Denis Eskic CISO, HyperBUNKER