Ivanti has released its 2026 State of Cybersecurity Report: Bridging the Divide, based on insights from over 1,200 cybersecurity professionals worldwide. The report highlights a widening gap between escalating cyberthreats and organizations' defensive capabilities, termed the "Cybersecurity Readiness Deficit," while showing growing optimism about AI's role in closing that gap—though operational adoption remains uneven.
Quick Intel
The report reveals a persistent imbalance in cybersecurity readiness as threats evolve faster than defenses. While defenders express strong belief in AI's potential to outpace attackers—particularly over the next two years—actual implementation lags in critical areas, limiting the ability to operationalize AI and automation effectively.
"Although defenders are optimistic about the promise of AI in cybersecurity, Ivanti's findings also show companies are falling further behind in terms of how well prepared they are to defend against a variety of threats. This is what I call the 'Cybersecurity Readiness Deficit' — a persistent, year-over-year widening imbalance in an organizations' ability to defend their data, people and networks against the evolving threat landscape. This challenge is intensified by the accelerating pace of technological change, particularly as organizations advance their SaaS transformation initiatives and the speed at which new technologies are adopted," said Daniel Spicer, Chief Security Officer at Ivanti. "Security leaders understand that time and people are their most valuable assets. Currently, AI tools are effective at automatically handling cyber hygiene tasks that can bog down IT teams and helping close some of the most common gaps in an organizations' defense."
Growing IT–Security Rift Over Cyber Risk Priorities
Nearly half (48%) of security professionals report that IT teams do not respond urgently to cybersecurity concerns, and 40% believe IT lacks sufficient understanding of organizational risk tolerance. This misalignment hampers exposure management, which requires tight collaboration to translate technical vulnerabilities into business-contextualized priorities.
Fragmented Approach to Cybersecurity Metrics
Most organizations track metrics that lack risk context. Only 60% incorporate business impact analysis into prioritization, and just 51% use a cybersecurity exposure score or risk-based index. Reliance on volume-based or speed-focused metrics—such as percentage of exposures remediated—can create a false sense of progress without meaningful improvement in overall risk posture.
Deepfake Attacks Target Organizations—Employees Are the Front Line
A majority of companies (77%) have already encountered deepfake attacks, including 51% facing advanced, personalized phishing campaigns powered by synthetic media. Despite 48% viewing synthetic content as a high or critical threat, only 27% consider themselves very prepared. Confidence is particularly low for executive-level detection, with just 30% believing their CEOs could reliably identify a deepfake.
Workforce Stress as a Silent Systemic Threat
Cybersecurity teams face intense pressure, with 43% reporting high stress levels and 79% noting negative effects on physical and mental health. Burnout compounds skill shortages, which respondents identify as the leading barrier to achieving cybersecurity excellence and resilient outcomes.
Ivanti's findings emphasize the urgent need for organizations to accelerate AI and automation adoption, improve cross-team alignment, adopt risk-contextualized metrics, strengthen deepfake defenses, and address workforce well-being to narrow the readiness deficit and strengthen defenses against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.
For the full report, visit Ivanti's website.
About Ivanti
Ivanti is a global enterprise IT and security software company dedicated to unlocking human potential by managing, automating and protecting data and systems to empower continuous innovation. With adaptable software solutions tailored to customer needs, Ivanti empowers IT and security teams to enhance operational efficiency, cut costs and proactively mitigate security risks. At the heart of Ivanti's offerings is the AI-powered Ivanti Neurons platform, which transforms the way IT and security teams operate. By delivering unified, reusable services and tools, the platform helps ensure consistent visibility, scalability, and secure solution implementation, enabling teams to work smarter, not harder. Ivanti follows "Secure by Design" principles to provide software solutions that scale with our customers' needs to help enable IT and Security to improve operational efficiency while reducing costs and proactively reducing risk. Ivanti fosters an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are honored and valued, reflecting a commitment to a sustainable future for customers, partners, employees and the planet.
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