2026 State of Software Security Report: Prioritize, Protect, Prove

Critical security debt, defined as risky vulnerabilities older than a year, increased 20% year-over-year.

11.3% of software flaws pose real-world danger.

High-risk vulnerabilities (flaws that are both severe and highly exploitable) increased 36% year-over-year.

82% of organizations now harbor security debt, an 11% increase from the prior year.

Third-party libraries and open-source dependencies account for 66% of the most dangerous, longest-lived vulnerabilities.

60% of organizations with security debt have security debt defined as "critical," representing vulnerabilities severe enough to cause catastrophic damage if exploited.