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Trellix

Mind of the CISO: The New Insider

October 2026
Research parameters
Topic:
Cybersecurity
Countries:
US, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia
No. of interviews:
605
Methodology:
Qualitative and quantitative
Respondent profile:
CISO or equivalent

Brief

As part of their Mind of the CISO series, with AI becoming embedded in everyday working practices, Trellix wanted to explore how the definition of insider risk is changing. The research needed to uncover the risks posed by both people and autonomous systems, including data leakage and malicious activity, while examining organisations’ visibility, preparedness and response. The findings would support Trellix’s wider narrative around AI, data security, threat intelligence and cyber resilience.

Solution

We worked with Trellix to survey 600 CISOs and senior security leaders across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The research explored how AI and autonomous systems are reshaping insider risk, including emerging visibility and accountability gaps, the consequences of trusted access, and the role of AI in both attack and defence. Qualitative insights from security leaders helped bring the findings and real-world challenges to life.

Outcome

The research formed Trellix’s Mind of the CISO: The New Insider report, revealing that 95% of organisations had experienced an insider incident linked to AI or autonomous systems in the previous year. The findings provided a strong evidence base for Trellix’s position on AI-era cyber resilience and machine-speed defence, supporting its wider campaign and the launch of Trellix Wise for Private Cloud.

Read the report here

Key findings

95%
of organisations experienced an insider incident linked to the actions of an AI or autonomous system over the past 12 months
74%
agree AI has introduced risks traditional security controls were not designed to address
79%
expect their organization to be targeted by an AI-assisted attack exploiting trusted users, identities, or systems over the next 12 months

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