New report: Firewalls and VPNs the biggest cyber threats to the financial sector

Cyber threats to the financial sector is increasing rapidly according to a new report from Armis Labs which shows that firewalls and VPN Today, the most common methods of intrusion are against banks and financial players.

A new report from Armis Labs shows how the financial sector is becoming increasingly vulnerable as cyberattacks occur faster and through more avenues than ever before. Ironically, firewalls and VPNs are the most common intrusion routes, accounting for four out of ten cyber incidents in the past year. 

Cyber threats to the financial sector require new type of early warning

In Armis Labs report "Catch Attackers Before They Strike – Early Warning Insights for the Financial Services Industry” highlights three threats that are expected to have a major impact on banks and financial players in 2026:

• Firewalls and VPNs as an input: Perimeter equipment is cited as the primary intrusion route in 40 percent of incidents over the past year (2024–2025).
• GenAI scams: Deepfakes and AI-driven social manipulation are behind most frauds, with the average cost being $600,000 per incident.
• Attacks via the supply chain: 63 percent of exploitations in the sector are linked to hardware or software manufacturers, with smaller suppliers becoming a shortcut into larger environments.

The report further notes that it is no longer enough to wait for official warnings; nearly three out of ten, 28 percent, of vulnerabilities are exploited on the same day they are listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Armis newly launched product Armis Centrix™ for Early Warning identifies over 3,800 CVEs before they become public. The report also includes information on Cloud Concentration Risk (CCR), as well as concrete lists of relevant CVEs and Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) for threats targeting the financial sector in 2026.

About Armis

Armis is a cyber exposure management and cybersecurity company that protects the entire attack surface and manages organizations' cyber risks in real time. In a rapidly changing and borderless digital world, Armis ensures that organizations can continuously see, protect and manage all critical assets from ground level to the cloud.

Armis protects Fortune 100, 200 and 500 companies as well as national, regional and local governments to help keep critical infrastructure, economies and communities safe and secure 24/7. Armis is a privately held company headquartered in California.