Isaca

45% of digital trust professionals noted that AI risks are an immediate priority.

74% of digital trust professionals cited privacy violations as an AI risk.

60% of digital trust professionals cited social engineering as an AI risk.

28% of digital trust professionals point to their board or executives as having ultimate responsibility for AI.

32% of digital trust professionals believe they could halt an AI system within 60 minutes after a security incident.

36% of digital trust professionals say humans approve most AI-generated actions before execution.

51% of professionals anticipate difficulty filling digital trust roles with qualified candidates in 2026.

Only 18% of professionals feel fully ready for new regulations like NIS2 and DORA in 2026.

14% of professionals ranked modernizing legacy systems as a top digital trust priority in 2026.

The top three most important soft skills needed by security professionals are critical thinking (57%), communication (56%), and problem solving (47%).

61% of respondents indicate that adaptability is very important in determining a cybersecurity applicant's qualifications.

Half of respondent enterprises have challenges retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals, which is the lowest percentage reported since 2020.

62% of technology and cybersecurity professionals are worried that quantum computing will break today’s internet encryption.

5 percent consider quantum computing a high priority for near-term planning.

19 percent say they have discussed quantum computing but not made any formal plans.

41 percent of IT tech professionals say lack of resources is a source of stress.

37 percent of women IT tech professionals have experienced gender discrimination at work, compared to 9 percent of men.

35 percent of IT tech professionals cite the need for more technical knowledge as a challenge when pursuing IT careers.

21% said the chief privacy officer was primarily accountable for privacy.

61% said privacy awareness training was separate from security training.

29% indicated there were open technical privacy positions.

90% believe employees are using artificial intelligence in their organization, but only 22% say AI return on investment (ROI) has met or exceeded their expectations.

Only 38% of digital trust professionals are confident in their board’s understanding of AI risks.

26% of digital trust professionals report that humans review selected AI decisions or patterns after execution.

43% of digital trust professionals are completely or fairly confident in their organization’s ability to investigate and explain to leadership or regulators if a serious AI system incident occurred.

18% of digital trust professionals indicate that disclosure is required and enforced when AI has been used to create or substantially assist with work products.

11% of digital trust professionals say humans intervene in AI decision-making only when alerted to potential issues.

20% of digital trust professionals say disclosure of AI use is required but not consistently enforced.

32% of digital trust professionals note that no disclosure requirements exist when AI is used to create or substantially assist with work products.

18% of digital trust professionals believe their CIO or CTO would have ultimate responsibility for AI.

20% of digital trust professionals say they do not know how humans oversee AI decision-making at their organization.

39% of digital trust professionals are completely or fairly confident in their organization’s data governance around AI.

56% of digital trust professionals indicate they do not know how quickly they could halt an AI system due to a security incident if needed.

7% of digital trust professionals say it would take them more than 60 minutes to halt an AI system after a security incident.

13% of digital trust professionals assign ultimate AI responsibility to their CISO.

20% of digital trust professionals do not know where ultimate responsibility for AI would lie in their organization.

30% of professionals indicated that workforce upskilling in data security is very important in 2026.

59% of professionals identified AI-driven social engineering as a significant cyber threat for 2026.

64% of professionals ranked regulatory compliance as a very important priority in 2026.

63% of professionals expect to hire for digital trust roles in 2026.

41% of professionals support statutory cybersecurity guidance for high-risk sectors in 2026.

43% of professionals in digital trust fields identified cloud migration and security as very important focus areas in 2026.

32% of professionals expect regulatory complexity and global compliance risks to be major concerns in 2026.

61% of professionals identified AI and machine learning as top technology priorities for 2026.

18% of professionals believe increased government funding for cyber skills and workforce development is the most important factor for enhancing cybersecurity resilience in their country.

Only 14% of professionals reported that their organization is very prepared to manage generative AI risks in 2026.

Only 12% of professionals reported having a strong talent pipeline for digital trust roles.

45% of professionals indicated they will be hiring for more digital trust roles in 2026 than in 2025.

Soft skills are the largest reported skill gap in cybersecurity, increasing from 51% in 2024 to 59% in 2025.

Only 41% of respondents believe their cybersecurity budgets will increase in the next 12 months, compared to 47% last year.