Conscia report sets out six leadership decisions for stronger cyber resilience in 2027

Copenhagen, 6 October - Conscia, a pan-European leader in cybersecurity and managed services for mission-critical IT infrastructure, publishes Cyber Resilience Insights 2026, the first edition of the report.

The report draws on operational data and insights from Conscia’s European SOC and Managed Detection & Response operations. During the reporting period, these teams performed 260,943 investigations and successfully contained 1,266 confirmed security incidents. Combined with forensic investigations, offensive security testing, and major global threat research, these insights point to six practical decisions that can help business leaders strengthen resilience. The report also examines how wider research shows that AI is increasing the pace and scale of familiar attacks, while the fundamentals observed in Conscia’s operational work remain unchanged.

The findings demonstrate that attackers rarely use entirely new techniques to succeed. Serious incidents occur when familiar weaknesses are combined, including compromised identities, excessive trust between systems, incomplete visibility, and delays in authorising action. 

Key findings include: 

• 64% of confirmed incidents involved phishing, malware, or misused identity 
• 43% of confirmed incidents began outside weekday business hours 
• Every forensic investigation reviewed found exposed credentials, tokens, or secrets 
• 27% of rated offensive security findings were classified as Critical or High 

“Wider research shows that AI is increasing the speed and scale of cyberattacks. But it does not change the fundamentals of resilience. Our managed services and cybersecurity operations across Europe give us practical insight into where organisations are most exposed. Combined with our local expertise, this helps us show leaders where action will make the biggest difference. If organisations get the foundations right, they will be better placed to prevent attacks, respond quickly, and recover,” says Lars Faeste, Group CEO of Conscia.

From fast detection to decisive action 

Forty-nine per cent of confirmed incidents were detected and reported in less than 20 minutes, including 30% in less than 15 minutes. Yet 43% began outside weekday business hours, showing that early detection must be matched by the authority to act at any time. 

The report recommends agreeing containment actions in advance, such as disabling compromised accounts, revoking tokens, and isolating affected devices. Clear mandates allow internal teams and managed service partners, including Conscia, to respond without unnecessary delay. 

Together, these findings point to six practical decisions that boards and executive teams can take to strengthen resilience: 

• Fund phishing-resistant identity for people and machines 
• Open a legacy-retirement lane 
• Treat recovery and management systems as Tier Zero 
• Govern software supply chain and pipeline trust 
• Authorise containment outside business hours 
• Make forensic readiness measurable 

These priorities become even more important as wider research shows AI increasing the speed and scale of established attacks. As organisations introduce AI agents, they must also govern non-human identities through tightly scoped access, reliable revocation, and effective monitoring. 

Turning European insight into secure progress 

Cyber Resilience Insights 2026 demonstrates the value of combining pan-European scale with a close understanding of each client’s organisation and operating environment.