The Breachpocalypse Is Here
Sophos, Monday, October 26th, 2026
Sophos CISO Ross McKerchar warns a breachpocalypse is underway and urges leaders to act before the data fully confirms it.
Sophos CISO Ross McKerchar reports his team handled seven incidents in one week, roughly a quarter's worth a year earlier.
He argues cyber harm is hard to measure until well after it grows, comparing it to the gradual, undercounted US opioid crisis.
He cites saturated incident response firms, rising exploited vulnerability counts, and a Bitdefender survey finding 55% of breach-affected professionals were told to keep breaches confidential.
He recommends board support for accepting some risk, reducing internet-facing exposure, automating patching, using MDR, and adopting AI tools for defense rather than waiting for clear evidence.