Beazley says agentic AI drove a 36% jump in disclosed vulnerabilities

Summary

Beazley Security reported that newly disclosed vulnerabilities rose 36% quarter over quarter in Q2 2026, while confirmed exploitation in the wild rose 10%. Its report attributed the disclosure increase to agentic AI in vulnerability research and said compromised credentials were the initial access vector in 67% of ransomware intrusions it investigated.

Why it matters

The report describes an asymmetric security shift in which AI accelerates discovery faster than real-world exploitation or defensive prioritisation can absorb it.

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Sources

• AI drives 36% surge in disclosed vulnerabilities
• Beazley Security Q2 2026 Quarterly Threat Report