Cyber Breaches Hit 86% of Companies as AI Widens Security Skills Gap

Fortinet survey finds rising breach costs and growing demand for cybersecurity professionals with AI expertise.

TMR Staff 4 hours ago

Topics

Eighty-six percent of organizations experienced at least one cybersecurity breach in the past year, with skills shortages remaining a major contributing factor, according to Fortinet’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report.

The report, based on a survey of 2,750 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 32 countries and locations, found that 56% cited a lack of cybersecurity skills as a leading cause of breaches.

More than half of respondents (52%) said breaches cost their organizations over $1 million, up from 38% in 2021.

The shortage is becoming more pronounced as companies adopt artificial intelligence. Sixty percent said finding cybersecurity professionals with AI expertise was their biggest recruitment challenge, while 63% expect demand for AI oversight and governance roles to grow over the next three years.

Meanwhile, 91% said they were using or experimenting with AI-powered security tools, and 84% reported improvements in team effectiveness.

AI adoption also presents new risks. Only 50% of respondents believed their boards fully understood the security risks associated with employee use of AI, while 44% cited AI-enabled cyberattacks as a major concern.

Hiring remains another constraint, with 51% reporting the greatest need for senior-level cybersecurity skills and 49% struggling to secure approval for additional staff.

Companies are increasingly turning to training. Ninety-two percent said they would fund employee certifications, while an equal share planned to invest in AI-related cybersecurity training or certifications over the next 12 months.