Barracuda Networks, Inc., the cyber resilience platform leader making security easy for all size business, has released the Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report showing how AI, identity-based attacks, and expanding digital operations are putting pressure on cybersecurity teams. Almost all respondents (94%) report cybersecurity skills gaps, with the most common challenges linked to AI-related risks (68%) and advanced identity and phishing threats (67%).
Barracuda's 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report surveyed 2,000 IT and security decision-makers internationally.
94% of organizations report cybersecurity skills gaps, with 68% citing gaps related to AI risks.
67% cite gaps in advanced identity and phishing threats, including business email compromise, OAuth abuse and MFA bypass.
67% say security teams are under pressure and struggling to scale to meet evolving business needs.
56% report a reduction in security head count linked to AI, split evenly between entry-level and more senior roles.
79% report that AI is already affecting security roles or head count.
"The findings show how the impact of AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape faster than many security teams can build the necessary skills, visibility, and governance," said Siroui Mushegian, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Barracuda. "Organizations need to reshape their security teams, combining the power of AI and automation with human expertise, judgement, and visibility. We must nurture these critical skills in the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, building new development pathways and opportunities for hands-on experience."
The report also reveals that security teams are struggling to keep pace with expanding responsibilities. Half say their security professionals are expected to support growing digital operations without additional resources. Further, 40% say business expectations exceed the team's cybersecurity skills and tooling, while 35% say expectations exceed staffing capacity. As a result, 67% say their teams are struggling to scale, and nearly a third (32%) say they can protect the business only reactively rather than proactively.
Most organizations (79%) report that AI is already affecting security roles or head count. More than half (56%) have experienced professional workforce reductions linked to AI, divided evenly between entry-level and more senior positions.
At the same time, organizations continue to rely on human expertise for critical decisions. More than two-thirds (69%) use a shared decision-making model in incident response, where AI supports investigation and analysis while people retain responsibility for context, judgement, and final decisions.
As organizations implement consolidated security tools and AI takes on more routine analysis and response activities, human roles are shifting toward threat investigation, incident leadership, automation governance, and business risk management.
More than half (56%) of the organizations surveyed say they need additional skills and expertise in incident response, decision making under pressure, and risk. Six in ten (61%) reported skills needs in strategic security leadership, including AI governance and translating technical risk into business impact.
About Barracuda
Barracuda is a leading global cybersecurity company delivering complete resilience made easy to buy, deploy, and use through a partner-first model. Our intelligent BarracudaONE platform provides cyber resilience across email, identities, AI, data, applications, networks, and managed XDR within an open ecosystem. Trusted by hundreds of thousands of organizations and partners worldwide, Barracuda delivers industry-leading solutions and support, powered by people and enhanced by AI, for all sized businesses.
