Gigamon Reports AI Involved in 83% of Security Breaches

Gigamon released its 2026 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey, citing an increase in breach activity and reporting that AI figured in most reported security breaches. The results point to a gap between how organizations invest in security tools and what they can observe and act on during attacks.

According to the survey, 65 percent of organizations experienced a breach in the past year, an increase of 40 percent over the past three years. It also reported that breach rates rose by 18 percent annually despite increased security investment. Gigamon attributed the disparity to defenders’ fragmented visibility into activity across networks and environments.

The survey states that AI was involved in 83 percent of reported security breaches. It also reported that 64 percent of organizations said their ability to secure new AI technologies was defined or integrated, while 65 percent reported experiencing a breach and one in three reported multiple breaches. The study further said 94 percent reported AI is embedded across security operations, with 5 percent reporting it autonomously initiates security functions without human interaction, most commonly in alert triage and prioritization (53 percent).

Gigamon said the survey also covered locations of AI-related incidents, including external AI attacks (41 percent), internal leaks (30 percent), unsanctioned use of AI (30 percent), and direct attacks on LLM systems (33 percent). It stated that deep observability was reported as a top security priority and that 93 percent agreed access to packet-level data and application metadata is essential for detecting and understanding modern threats. In addition, the survey said 90 percent of leaders reported that boards support deep observability initiatives.

“AI is embedded in nearly every stage of the attack chain, enabling adversaries to outpace detection and response,” said Shane Buckley, President and CEO at Gigamon. “While 93 percent of organizations are investing in new security tools, many still lack visibility into how data moves across their environments, creating confidence without control. Closing this gap requires deep observability, giving security teams the clarity needed to detect threats earlier and respond with precision.”

The survey, now in its fourth year, fielded an online survey of 1,023 respondents Feb. 16-Feb. 17, 2026, and it stated it was commissioned by Gigamon and fielded in collaboration with Vitreous World.