GLOBAL REPORT - 2026 Voice of the CISO

Higher Stakes, Closer Scrutiny, and a More Urgent CISO Agenda

See how 1,600 CISOs are navigating AI, human risk, and rising board expectations across 16 global markets.

Download the 2026 Voice of the CISO

See where cyber risk is shifting in 2026

See where cyber risk is shifting in 2026

Security programs are making progress against established threats, but the center of risk is moving into the systems, identities, and workflows that power modern work. Based on insights from 1,600 CISOs across 16 markets, the report shows how AI, human behavior, data movement, and board-level scrutiny are rewriting the CISO mandate. 

Turn the findings into a sharper security agenda

This global research combines year-over-year benchmarks with regional and sector insights to show where resilience is improving and where pressure is increasing. Use the findings to compare priorities, strengthen AI and data governance, and communicate cyber risk in business terms.

Plan for the AI mandate

Understand why 85% of CISOs prioritize safe AI use while 79% are expected to manage AI risk without proportional resources. 

Reduce human-centric risk

See how insiders, compromised identities, departing employees, and AI misuse are reshaping material data loss.

Align security and business

Learn how stronger board alignment is raising expectations for business impact, resilience, and CISO accountability.

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AI and human risk, and data loss are reshaping the CISO agenda 

78 %
say GenAI is a security risk to their organization.
79 %
say human risk is their organization's biggest cyber vulnerability.
93 %
say departing employees played a role in material data loss.

Prepare for where cyber risk is moving next

The 2026 findings show that cyber risk is moving deeper into the people, data, identities, applications, and AI systems that power modern work. Turn the research into action with a security strategy built for what comes next.

Explore the Proofpoint platform

Secure AI adoption

Give people the freedom to use AI while protecting sensitive data and reducing exposure across AI-enabled workflows.

Protect data wherever it moves

Apply context-aware protection across cloud, collaboration tools, endpoints, SaaS applications and AI systems.

Reduce human-centric risk

Understand the behavior, identity, access and intent behind data loss to stop risk before it becomes an incident.

Build resilience across modern work

Connect threat, data, identity and AI security to protect how people and AI agents work together.

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