Enterprise Defenses Recovered at the Edge and Collapsed Inside

A new report from Picus Labs reveals a concerning trend in cybersecurity defenses: while overall prevention effectiveness has improved, defenses are significantly weaker *inside* a network, failing to stop quiet, reconnaissance-based attacks that precede more disruptive breaches. Despite a 69% prevention rate at the perimeter, only 37% of attacks are blocked within the network, with key techniques like credential harvesting and reconnaissance receiving minimal protection. The report highlights a gap between logging and alerts, with fewer than one in seven simulated attacks triggering an alert. This shift emphasizes the need to move beyond signature-based defenses and focus on behavioral analysis and proactive testing of internal defenses.