● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
73% of Organizations Unprepared for Major Cyberattacks, Citing Coordination Gaps
Key points
- 73% of organizations are not fully ready for a major cyberattack.
- 76% of organizations experienced at least one cyberattack in the past year.
- Fewer than 40% rate key incident response components as highly effective.
- 90% expect difficulty coordinating stakeholders during an incident.
Cyberattack Preparedness Gap Identified
New research, "The State of Incident Response Readiness 2026," indicates that a significant majority of organizations are not adequately prepared for a major cyberattack. The survey, conducted by Vanson Bourne in early 2026, gathered insights from 600 senior IT security decision-makers. It found that 73% of organizations would not be "fully ready" for a significant cybersecurity incident.
Recurring Cyber Risks and Ineffective Response
The report underscores that cyberattacks are a persistent business risk, with 76% of organizations experiencing at least one attack in the past 12 months, and 32% facing multiple incidents. Despite the prevalence of attacks, many organizations struggle with effective incident response. Fewer than 40% of respondents rated critical incident response elements, such as documented plans, tabletop exercises, and 24/7 monitoring, as "highly effective."
The challenge extends beyond the mere existence of capabilities; it concerns their coordinated function during a crisis. Modern incident response requires comprehensive executive crisis management, legal and regulatory coordination, stakeholder communications, and enterprise-wide investigation, remediation, and recovery.
Coordination Breakdowns and Executive Disengagement
A key finding highlights internal friction as a major impediment to effective response. 90% of organizations anticipate difficulties coordinating stakeholders during a significant incident. This issue is exacerbated when legal, communications, security, IT, and executive teams lack pre-incident alignment.
The research also revealed that 75% of respondents believe delays or uncertainty regarding legal and communications team involvement slow decision-making during cyber incidents. Furthermore, 89% cited limited executive or board involvement in incident response readiness and decision-making, contributing to a dangerous pattern during live incidents.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
CVE CVE-2026-505229.8 CRITICALReporting from
A new report based on a survey of 600 IT security decision-makers reveals that 73% of organizations are not fully ready for a significant cyberattack, despite having incident response plans and tools. The findings highlight a critical gap in coordination, visibility, and executive alignment, which hinders effective incident response under pressure.