Report by Forescout
The Riskiest Connected Devices in 2026
Key Findings
Telnet exposure in healthcare is 8%, up from 6%.
40% of the riskiest device types are new compared to last year.
75% of the riskiest device types are new compared to two years ago.
Telnet exposure in manufacturing is 12%, up from 5%.
Legacy Windows operating systems are most prevalent in retail (39%), healthcare (35%), and financial services (29%).
Routers account for one-third of the most critical vulnerabilities in organizational networks.
Telnet exposure in financial services is 12%, up from 3%.
Routers and switches average nearly 32 vulnerabilities per device.
11 device types appear on the riskiest devices list for the first time: Serial-to-IP Converters and Workstations (IT) Printers, Time Clocks, and RFID Readers (IoT) Power Distribution Units (PDUs), I/O Modules, and BACnet Routers (OT) Medication Dispensing Systems, Medical Image Printers, and DICOM Gateways (IoMT)
SSH is the second most common protocol observed, with rising usage in nearly every sector except retail.