OPSWAT, a provider of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) cybersecurity solutions, has released findings from The 2026 Enterprise File Security Report: AI Is Exposing the File Security Gap, highlighting a significant disconnect between organizations’ perceived file security maturity and their actual defensive capabilities.
Conducted by Osterman Research, the study surveyed 254 US-based IT and security leaders and found that many organizations overestimate their ability to protect files throughout their lifecycle, particularly as artificial intelligence introduces increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
The research found that 59% of organizations anticipate AI will increase the time their IT and security teams spend managing file security. Concern about AI-driven file threats increased by an average of 78.9% when comparing perceptions from 12 months ago with expectations for the next 12 months. Concerns specifically involving generative AI and large language model (LLM) threats recorded the sharpest increase, rising by 105%.
Additionally, 68.1% of security leaders believe cybercriminals are placing greater emphasis on bypassing file security controls than they were a year earlier.
Despite these concerns, confidence in existing defenses remains considerably higher than the evidence supports.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73.6%) described their organizations’ file security maturity as either “very” or “extremely” mature. However, when Osterman Research evaluated their responses using an evidence-based maturity framework, none demonstrated capabilities consistent with either of the two highest maturity levels. Instead, 85.8% showed evidence of being no more than “somewhat mature.”
The assessment also revealed that 94.5% of respondents rated their security maturity above the level supported by their reported capabilities.
Security leaders expressed greater average confidence in their ability to detect and prevent emerging threats (60.6%) than established threats such as malware (56.6%). However, when evaluating polymorphic threats designed to evade signature-based detection, only 12.2% reported extreme confidence in their defenses.
“The takeaway from this research is the vast distance between perceived security and evidenced reality,” said Michael Sampson, Principal Analyst at Osterman Research and author of the report. “By comparing organizations’ actual capabilities against their self-ratings, we found a gap that AI-driven threats will severely test organizations over the next 12 to 24 months. You cannot defend against what you incorrectly assume is already protected.”
The findings also demonstrate the operational and financial consequences of inadequate file security. Over the previous two years, 41.7% of surveyed organizations experienced file-related security incidents or breaches, with average costs reaching $2.2 million.
The actual number of incidents could be higher, as 83% of organizations reporting no breaches acknowledged that they lacked complete visibility into their file lifecycles. Without comprehensive monitoring, these organizations could not confidently determine whether a security incident had occurred.
Only 16.9% of respondents reported complete visibility into files entering, moving through, and leaving their networks.
These limitations are contributing to increased interest in preventive security controls rather than approaches that primarily depend on identifying malicious activity after it appears.
Among the security posture statements evaluated in the survey, the strongest agreement (27.2%) was recorded for the need to urgently move away from a “detection-first” security model.
Content disarm and reconstruction (CDR), which reduces file-based threats by removing potentially malicious components, has already been adopted by 51.6% of surveyed organizations. Another 8.3% intend to implement the technology within the next 12 months, placing it among the file security approaches with the highest planned adoption rates in the research.
These findings reflect growing interest in prevention-first security architectures capable of addressing file-based risks, including threats that may evade conventional detection mechanisms.
“Detection-first is reaching its limits, and this latest research shows security leaders acknowledge it,” said George Prichici, VP of Products at OPSWAT. “When AI-generated threats appear daily, a control that has to recognize a threat first will always be a step behind. Prevention-first changes the question from which threats you caught to which classes of risk you addressed.”
The report also identified organizational barriers preventing broader adoption of modern file security prevention technologies.
A lack of senior leadership support and insufficient understanding of available security methods emerged as the two most significant obstacles. Budget constraints ranked third, suggesting that executive awareness and education may be more immediate challenges than financial resources.
The research underscores the importance of reassessing file security maturity using measurable capabilities rather than relying exclusively on organizational confidence, particularly as AI-driven threats continue to evolve.
Organizations seeking additional findings and practical guidance for strengthening file security and adopting prevention-first architectures can download the 2026 Enterprise File Security Report.
OPSWAT will also host a webinar with Osterman Research Principal Analyst Michael Sampson and OPSWAT experts on November 12 to examine the research findings in greater detail.
About OPSWAT
Since 2002, OPSWAT has protected the world’s critical infrastructure by preventing known, unknown, and AI-generated threats before they disrupt operations. The MetaDefender™ Platform is OPSWAT’s AI-powered cybersecurity platform for IT, OT, and cross-domain environments, securing files, devices, and data transfers across cloud, on-premises, and air-gapped environments.
By combining AI, machine learning, advanced threat prevention, and purpose-built hardware, OPSWAT protects critical operations through file security, peripheral media protection, managed file transfer, optical firewall technology, data diodes, and specialized training. Trusted worldwide, OPSWAT safeguards the systems modern society depends on. Learn more at www.opswat.com.
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