Initial access broker

An initial access broker is a criminal who specializes in breaking into organizations and then selling that access to other criminals. They might use stolen employee passwords, infostealer logs, phishing or unpatched systems to get a foothold, such as a working login to a company's remote access system or email. They then advertise it on criminal forums, often describing the victim's industry, size and country. Buyers, such as ransomware groups, take over from there. Brokers show how a single stolen password can lead to a much larger attack, which is why unique passwords and MFA matter for every employee, not just IT staff.