SonicWall has released its 2026 Cyber Protect , introducing a major shift in how cybersecurity risks are presented moving beyond traditional threat metrics to focus on real-world protection outcomes that matter to business leaders.
The reveals a critical insight: most small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are not falling victim to highly sophisticated cyberattacks, but rather to a set of recurring, avoidable weaknesses. SonicWall has categorized these issues as the “Seven Deadly Sins of Cybersecurity.”
Drawing on data from over one million global security sensors, the report outlines a rapidly evolving threat environment:
- High and medium severity attacks increased by 20.8%, reaching 13.15 billion incidents
- Automated bots now perform more than 36,000 vulnerability scans per second, contributing to over half of total internet traffic
- Malicious bot activity alone accounts for 37% of global traffic
- IoT-related attacks rose 11% to nearly 610 million incidents
- Identity and credential-based threats now make up 85% of actionable alerts
- 88% of SMB breaches in 2025 involved ransomware more than double the rate seen in large enterprises
According to Michael Crean, SVP and GM of Managed Security Services at SonicWall, most attacks continue to exploit basic security gaps rather than advanced techniques. He emphasized that organizations often overlook fundamental practices while focusing on emerging technologies like AI.
Instead of attributing breaches to complex attack methods, the report identifies seven common operational failures that consistently expose organizations to risk:
- Ignoring the Basics – Weak authentication, unpatched systems, and excessive privileges
- False Confidence – Underestimating risk and overestimating security readiness
- Overexposed Access – Poor access controls and lack of network segmentation
- Reactive Security – Absence of continuous monitoring and threat detection
- Cost-Driven Decisions – Delayed investments leading to higher long-term losses
- Legacy Access Models – Overreliance on VPNs, which remain frequent attack entry points
- Chasing Technology Hype – Investing in tools without proper implementation or execution
The report notes that the average breach can remain undetected for 181 days, while the financial impact of a single SMB breach can exceed $4.9 million when factoring in downtime and recovery costs.
Debasish Mukherjee, Vice President of Sales, APJ at SonicWall, highlighted that SMBs across the region continue to struggle with predictable security gaps. He noted that the report aims to help organizations shift from awareness to action by focusing on measurable outcomes that directly reduce risk.
SonicWall has also designed the report to support managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs). By translating technical threat data into business risk insights, the report enables partners to have more strategic conversations with SMB decision-makers With attackers becoming more precise and increasingly leveraging automation and AI, SonicWall’s latest report underscores the importance of addressing foundational security practices. The findings suggest that strengthening basic controls and improving execution may be more impactful than adopting new technologies alone. The 2026 Cyber Protect ultimately calls on organizations to prioritize prevention, close known gaps, and build resilience through disciplined security practices rather than reactive measures.
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