The cyber brain drain could be about to get worse, with new research from Fortinet finding that cybersecurity hiring has stalled as IT leaders battle to grow their teams against corporate pushback.

Fortinet’s 2026 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, based on insights from over 2,750 IT and cyber leaders, found that 86% of organisations have suffered at least one security breach in the last year, but 49% of IT leads still struggle to get approval to make additional cybersecurity hires.

This deficit is directly tied to security incidents. More than half of IT heads (56%) cite cyber skills gaps as a leading cause of serious breaches, and with 52% of organisations reporting costs of more than $1 million on average, cyber underinvestment amounts to a zero-sum game.

Given that half of executives and board members have also faced penalties after a cyber-attack, the resistance to bolstering security teams is surprising.

The surge in enterprise AI deployment is adding to the pressure and is likely to make things worse, as only 50% of IT leaders believe their board members are fully aware of potential risks from employee AI use.

That blind spot could prove costly in the long-term, with 63% of IT leaders expecting to need more AI oversight and governance as adoption continues at pace, while 44% are growing increasingly worried about the prospect of AI-enabled attacks.

Almost two-thirds (60%) of IT heads now say their top recruiting challenge is finding cybersecurity talent with specific experience in AI, with firms lacking skills in basic areas such as AI model development (55%), AI tool oversight (54%), and security automation (52%).

But while the emergence of AI is highlighting critical gaps, there are efforts to overcome it. Almost all organisations (92%) are looking to invest in AI-related cybersecurity training or certifications in the next year, with 59% developing internal training or reskilling programs to support AI adoption.

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Similar efforts are being made to close the wider cyber skills gap, with 92% of IT leaders willing to pay for an employee to get certified, up from 73% last year, and the same number (92%) using internships, apprenticeships, partnerships, and programs to source talent from underrepresented groups. 

“Cybersecurity is not simply a technical issue but a strategic business risk,” said Dr Carl Windsor, Fortinet CISO.

“This year’s survey suggests that while boards generally recognise the importance of cybersecurity, more investment is needed to address key issues, such as rapidly accelerating AI risks and the ongoing cybersecurity skills shortage. “Addressing these issues is critical to business resilience in an increasingly complex threat landscape.”