Report by Pentera

AI Security & Exposure Benchmark 2026

13 FINDINGSPublished Feb 18, 2026
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Key Findings

1% of enterprises have a dedicated AI security budget.

BudgetingAI Security AI Security BudgetUSEnterprise

21% of enterprises plan to introduce a dedicated AI security budget.

BudgetingAI SecurityAI Security BudgetUSEnterprise

50% of CISOs cite lack of internal expertise as a top AI security challenge.

Workforce SkillAI Security ChallengeInternal ExpertiseUS

36% of CISOs report insufficient AI-specific security tools as a top challenge.

Security ToolsAI Security ChallengeAI ToolsUS

58% of CISOs say AI is influencing their security stack consolidation strategy.

ConsolidationAI AdoptionSecurity StackSecurity StrategyUS

3% of CISOs are actively consolidating their security stack due to AI.

ConsolidationAI AdoptionSecurity StackSecurity StrategyUS

11% of CISOs are consolidating their security stack for reasons unrelated to AI.

ConsolidationSecurity StackSecurity StrategyUS

44% of CISOs acknowledge their AI security posture lags behind the rest of their security program.

AI Security PostureSecurity PostureUS

48% of CISOs list limited visibility into AI usage as a top AI security challenge.

AI Security ChallengeAI Usage VisibilityUS

67% of CISOs report limited visibility into how AI is used across their environment.

AI VisibilityUS

75% of CISOs report their enterprises rely on extending controls originally designed for other attack surfaces to cover AI-driven workflows and infrastructure.

Legacy SystemsAI SecurityUSEnterprise

11% of enterprise CISOs have security tools specifically designed to protect AI systems.

Security ToolsAI SecurityUSEnterprise

78% of enterprises fund AI security through existing security budgets.

Security BudgetAI SecurityUSEnterprise