73.6% of security leaders believe their file defences are highly mature, but evidence-based assessment found no organisation achieving top-tier readiness.
A growing disconnect between perceived cybersecurity readiness and actual file protection capabilities is leaving enterprises exposed to increasingly sophisticated AI-driven threats, according to a new OPSWAT-sponsored report conducted by Osterman Research.
The 2026 Enterprise File Security Report, based on a survey of 254 IT and security leaders, found that while 73.6% of organisations consider their file security posture very or extremely mature, evidence-based assessments revealed that none achieved either of the two highest maturity levels. Furthermore, 85.8% demonstrated no more than a somewhat mature security posture.
“Detection-first is reaching its limits. When AI-generated threats appear daily, a control that has to recognise a threat first will always be a step behind.” — George Prichici, VP of Products, OPSWAT
The gap is significant: 94.5% of respondents overestimated their file security maturity compared with the capabilities demonstrated in their survey responses.
AI is adding urgency to the problem. Concern about AI-driven file threats increased by an average of 78.9% compared with levels reported 12 months earlier, with concerns around generative AI and large language model threats rising 105%. Meanwhile, 59% of organisations expect AI to make file security more time-consuming for security teams.
Michael Sampson, Principal Analyst at Osterman Research and author of the report, warned that the gap between perceived security and actual capabilities would be severely tested by AI-driven threats over the next 12 to 24 months.
The financial exposure is already substantial. Some 41.7% of organisations experienced file-related breaches or security incidents in the past two years, at an average cost of $2.2 million. Visibility remains a major weakness: only 16.9% reported complete visibility into files entering, moving within and leaving their networks.
The report calls for a shift from detection-first security towards prevention-first approaches. Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR), which removes potentially malicious components from files, is already deployed by 51.6% of organisations, with another 8.3% planning adoption within a year.
OPSWAT says leadership support and awareness not budget are the biggest barriers to wider adoption of modern file security methods.
