The Cybersecurity Trust Reality in 2026

**Executive summary:** Sophos commissioned a global survey of 5,000 IT and security decision-makers which found very low full trust in cybersecurity vendors (only 5%), widespread difficulty assessing vendor trustworthiness (79% for new vendors, 62% for existing), and reported impacts including increased concern about incidents, vendor switching, and oversight; respondents urged transparency and verifiable artifacts (bug bounties, trust centers, third‑party assessments, advisories) as primary ways vendors can build trust.