FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 28, 2026--
CyberEdge Group today announced the release of its 13th annual Cyberthreat Defense Report (CDR), a comprehensive global study capturing the perspectives of 1,200 IT security professionals across 17 countries and 19 industries. The 2026 report reveals a cybersecurity landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), workforce transformation, and escalating threat sophistication.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428367752/en/
AI Reshaping the Cybersecurity Workforce and Threat Landscape
This year’s findings underscore the profound and accelerating impact of AI on cybersecurity operations and talent:
“AI is no longer an emerging technology in cybersecurity—it is a defining force,” said Steve Piper, founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group. “Organizations are simultaneously leveraging AI for defense while contending with adversaries who are weaponizing it, creating a rapidly evolving and highly dynamic threat environment.”
Persistent Challenges Beyond AI
While AI dominates this year’s narrative, the report also highlights ongoing operational and strategic challenges:
On a positive note, 90% of organizations increased their IT security budgets in 2026—a record high for the report—with an average increase of 5.6%, reflecting heightened prioritization of cybersecurity investments. Additionally, more than half of organizations (53%) now have a board member involved in or leading a cyber risk assessment committee, highlighting the growing emphasis on proactively managing emerging threats.
Navigating a New Cybersecurity Era
This year’s report highlights a pivotal shift: AI is now both a critical defense tool and a powerful weapon in the hands of cyber adversaries. Organizations that invest in AI capabilities, talent development, and resilient security strategies now will be best positioned to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.
About the Report
The 2026 Cyberthreat Defense Report is based on a comprehensive 27-question survey conducted in November and December 2025. The study captures insights from IT security professionals working in mid-size to large organizations (500+ employees) across six global regions. It provides a detailed benchmark of cybersecurity postures, investment priorities, and technology adoption trends—enabling security leaders to assess their readiness, identify gaps, and compare their strategies against industry peers worldwide.
This year’s report is made possible through generous sponsorships by industry leaders:
Now Available
Download the full report from any sponsor or visit: www.cyberedgegroup.com/CDR.
About CyberEdge Group
CyberEdge Group is a leading research and marketing firm dedicated to serving cybersecurity vendors worldwide. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the company partners with nearly one in four established IT security solution providers to deliver data-driven insights and strategic marketing services. Its flagship Cyberthreat Defense Report is widely recognized as an authoritative industry resource, offering unparalleled visibility into how security teams are prioritizing investments and defending against today’s most advanced cyber threats.
To learn more, visit www.cyberedgegroup.com.
The CyberEdge Group name and logo are registered trademarks of CyberEdge Group, LLC in the United States. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
CyberEdge 2026 Cyberthreat Defense Report
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defense minister claimed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range attack drones struck a Russian oil refinery and terminal on the Black Sea for the third time in less than two weeks, prompting the evacuation of local people as a precautionary measure.
Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world.
Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defense system are now being sought by Middle East and Gulf countries amid the Iran war, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine is scaling up supplies of interceptor drones to thwart Russian aerial attacks, and its military has introduced a new command within the air force to boost the country’s capabilities, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a post on Telegram late Monday.
Ukraine’s offensive capabilities have also improved, with the Defense Ministry saying Tuesday that the country’s forces have more than doubled the range of their deep-strike capabilities since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
At that time, Ukrainian forces were able to hit military targets about 630 kilometers (400 miles) away, it said. They are now striking targets as far as roughly 1,750 kilometers (1,100 miles) behind enemy lines, the ministry said in a statement.
That improvement has allowed Ukraine to hit Russian oil installations that provide crucial revenue for Moscow’s war effort. It has also targeted manufacturing plants that supply Russia’s armed forces.
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery at the Black Sea port of Tuapse for the third time this month in a coordinated operation involving multiple branches of the country’s defense and security services, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said Tuesday
The two strikes earlier this month destroyed 24 oil storage tanks and damaged four others, it said.
Independent verification of the claims was not possible.
People who live near the Tuapse refinery were being evacuated Tuesday, Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said. He didn’t provide any details about how many people were being evacuated or for how long.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday its air defenses overnight intercepted 186 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas.
In the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, three people were killed and three more were wounded in a drone attack, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, meanwhile, killed three civilians and wounded five others, Ukrainian authorities said.
Two people were killed in the city of Chuhuiv in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to the head of the regional military administration Oleh Syniehubov.
A 40-year-old man died and five other men sustained injuries in Kryvyi Rih, the home town of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Another Russian attack on Konotop, in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, knocked out the city’s power and water supply.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
FILE - An instructor from the Ukrainian company General Cherry demonstrates the operation of an anti-air interceptor drone designed to destroy Russian attack drones in Kyiv region, on March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
