Commissioned by OPSWAT
Published October 2026
Executive summary
Files are under sustained attack, and AI is intensifying both the threats coming in and the data leaking out. Security leaders believe their defenses are stronger than the evidence shows. That gap will widen as AI-driven threats accelerate. Something needs to change.
This report presents the data from a recent research initiative exploring the threat and protection dynamics of enterprise files in the age of AI. It examines the effects of the paradigm shift from detection to prevention, where confidence in security posture measurably increases, and assesses the distance between self-assessed maturity for file security and what the evidence actually supports (it’s significant). Finally, it proposes a set of grounded actions for organizations to pursue as they strengthen their file security posture for a rapidly intensifying AI-driven threat landscape.
Key findings (see the report for more):
- A growing majority of security leaders expect AI to make file security more difficult for their teams over the next 12 months. Concern about data moving unchecked through generative AI tools is climbing faster than any other file threat in the study.
- Nearly three quarters rate their file security as very or extremely mature. Scored against their own survey answers, not one organization reached the top tier. See what evidenced maturity actually looks like, and how far most organizations are from it.
- More than two thirds of security leaders say cybercriminals are more focused on circumventing their file security protections than they were 12 months ago. See which routes into the organization carry the most risk.