State CISO Confidence Drops From 48% to 22%, NASCIO-Deloitte 2026 Study Finds
State CISO Confidence Drops From 48% to 22%, NASCIO-Deloitte 2026 Study Finds
https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/state-ciso-confidence-nascio-deloitte-2026-study/
Publish Date: 2026-05-31 15:27:00
Source Domain: www.cybersecurity-insiders.com
State CISO confidence has dropped from 48% to 22% in four years. That is the headline finding of the 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Cybersecurity Study, which surveyed the chief information security officers of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands on their ability to protect public data.
- Only 22% of state CISOs express high confidence in their ability to protect public data, down from 48% in 2022 — a 26-point collapse
- 78% cite third-party breaches as the largest anticipated threat; 55% flag AI-enabled attacks
- 16% reported budget reductions in 2026, versus zero reported budget declines in 2024
- The Trump administration moved the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) from federal funding to a fee-based membership model
What the 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Study Finds: State CISO Confidence at a Four-Year Low
The 26-percentage-point drop in state CISO confidence is the study’s headline figure, but the detail beneath it tells a more specific story: the state CISO cohort is simultaneously contending with deteriorating infrastructure, AI-driven threat vectors, shrinking federal support, and a local government supply chain they do not control.
The confidence collapse in local government and higher education is even sharper. The share of state CISOs who describe themselves as “not very confident” in local government’s ability to secure public data jumped from 35% in 2022 to 63% in 2026. With 43% of state CISOs now doubting local government cyber practices, more states are evaluating whole-of-state cybersecurity — a centralized approach that extends state-level security support to municipalities and schools. “A stronger whole-of-state orientation could help municipalities defend against cyber threats that could also affect state systems,” the NASCIO-Deloitte report states.
Nearly all survey respondents say their states are developing generative AI strategies, policies and best practices….
