> 67% of security leaders say their teams struggle to meet business needs

AI, identity-based attacks, and expanding digital operations are putting pressure on already overstretched cybersecurity teams. Security vendor Barracuda’s Cybersecurity Skills Gap report also found that security teams are struggling to keep pace with expanding responsibilities. The vast majority of the 2,000 IT and security decision-makers surveyed report cybersecurity skills gaps. In particular, the most common challenges are linked to AI-related risks (68%) and advanced identity and phishing threats (67%), including business email compromise, OAuth abuse, and multi-factor authentication bypass. Two-thirds (67%) of respondents say security teams are under pressure and struggling to scale to meet evolving business needs. Half say their security professionals are expected to support growing digital operations without additional resources. More than half (56%) report a reduction in security head count linked to AI, split evenly between entry-level and more senior roles. As AI takes on more routine analysis and response activities, human roles are shifting toward (higher value) threat investigation, incident leadership, automation governance, and business risk management. “AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape faster than many security teams can build the necessary skills, visibility, and governance,” said Siroui Mushegian, senior vice president and chief information officer at Barracuda. “Organizations need to reshape their security teams, combining the power of AI and automation with human expertise, judgment, and visibility.” Hiring challenges CSO parent company Foundry’s forthcoming Security Priorities report found that cloud security (35%), securing agentic AI technology (34%), and securing AI/machine learning-enabled technology (30%) topped the areas CSOs felt their teams needed to become more skilled and knowledgeable about in order to meet overall corporate security objectives. Underlining the difficulty of this ambition, the report found that cloud security architects, AI security specialist, and forensics analysts were the most difficult cybersecurity roles in which to find suitable applicants. Accessing the cost of the skills gap Separately, technology-focused online learning platform Pluralsight’s Tech Skills Report 2026 found that 41% of cybersecurity professionals in the UK estimate skills gaps cost them at least £380,000 each year (US$500,000). This estimated cost includes hiring and outsourcing expenses, lost revenue, abandoned projects, and poorly maintained technology. A quarter of cybersecurity professionals say their organization has experienced security incidents or vulnerabilities over the past 12 months due to skills gaps. Almost half (43%) admitted that skills gaps are a common reason for abandoning cybersecurity projects. The findings highlight the pressure on security teams as AI adoption increases demand for cybersecurity expertise, Pluralsight concludes. AI imperative exacerbating skills problem Europe is short of more than 300,000 cybersecurity professionals, and companies are now struggling to find qualified candidates or applicants, according to research by the AI Workforce Consortium. Cybersecurity job postings requiring AI skills have doubled year over year across G7 countries. Senior cybersecurity roles requiring AI skills are up 65% year-on-year, compared with 5.9% for junior roles. The research by the AI Workforce Consortium — an industry group backed by Cisco, Google, Microsoft, IBM, SAP, and others — also points to a growing need for practical experience and human skills.