Invisible Attack: Hidden Risks Within the Organization

Software at the core of digital productivity is regarded as the invisible backbone of modern organizations. Yet, when the same software is used in unlicensed or unauthorized ways, a silent but profound fragility is introduced.

This report is based on a dataset of more than 3 million records collected between 2007 and 2025.

Data obtained from over 100 distinct sources and from in excess of 300,000 software records were analyzed, and through the identification of more than 15,000 matches the way in which the uncontrolled circulation of professional applications has been shown to have given rise to a cyber-threat ecosystem is demonstrated.

Analyses are not only conducted to assess the risk of license violations; multi-layered threats to business continuity, intellectual property, and customer trust are also revealed. It has been shown by the findings that the highest risk is concentrated in sectors relying on professional software, such as design, engineering, media production, and architecture. In these sectors, both the high cost of tools and the pressure of project delivery lead employees to take shortcuts; the cost of these shortcuts is sometimes borne as the loss of intellectual property, and sometimes as operational disruptions.

This report is not only prepared as a situational assessment, but is also provided as an early warning for organizations. It is highlighted that today’s most invisible attack surface is no longer external it is hidden within the company itself, inside a file downloaded under the name of a “temporary solution.” The real risk is triggered by that unnoticed click.