New Study Finds 93% of SMBs Fail to Follow Baseline Cybersecurity Practices

2026 SMB Cybersecurity Statistics & Benchmark Report analyzes 500+ cyber assessments of small and midsized businesses

[ANN ARBOR, MI – March 11, 2026] SensCy today released its 2026 SMB Cybersecurity Statistics & Benchmark Report, revealing that 93% of small and midsized businesses do not follow baseline cybersecurity practices, leaving them vulnerable to common cyber threats such as phishing and ransomware.

The report is based on more than 500 cybersecurity assessments of SMBs across the United States, using SensCy’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-based framework and proprietary SensCy Score^®, which measures an organization’s cyberhealth across people, processes, and technology.

The findings suggest that many cybersecurity risks facing SMBs stem not from sophisticated attacks, but from gaps in foundational security practices and governance.

“Cybersecurity is not just a technology issue — it’s a business issue,” said Rick Snyder, Chairman and CEO of SensCy. “Our research shows that many organizations want to do the right things, but they often lack the structure needed to execute the fundamentals consistently. The good news is that improvement doesn’t require perfection; it requires leadership, accountability, and a commitment to building a stronger cybersecurity foundation.”

Key findings from the report include:

Cyber readiness remains structurally low.
Across more than 500 cybersecurity assessments, the average initial SensCy Score among SMBs was 504, well below the 800+ score considered strong cyberhealth.

Cyber risk often lacks executive oversight.
Only 28% of organizations report providing regular cybersecurity briefings to leadership, indicating that cyber risk is frequently not treated as a core business issue.

Avoidable weaknesses continue to drive exposure.
Many SMBs lack consistent execution of essential security practices such as employee training, incident response planning, and vulnerability management.

Foundational internet security controls are widely misconfigured.
External vulnerability scans revealed common issues in basic protections such as email authentication (DMARC, DKIM, SPF), DNS security, SSL configuration, and website security controls.

 Meaningful improvement is achievable with structured action.
Organizations that implemented cybersecurity best practices improved their cybersecurity scores by an average of 107% within the first year.

According to the report, cybersecurity resilience does not require advanced technology alone. Instead, organizations that treat cybersecurity as a governed business risk — supported by leadership engagement and disciplined execution — significantly reduce their exposure to cyber incidents.

The 2026 SMB Cybersecurity Statistics & Benchmark Report examines cybersecurity readiness across three dimensions:

• People — leadership engagement and employee awareness
• Processes — policies, incident response planning, and risk management
• Technology — tools, vulnerability scanning, and security controls

The report also identifies widespread gaps in core defenses. For example, more than half of SMBs reported never performing internal or external vulnerability scans, leaving security weaknesses undetected.

SensCy publishes the report annually to help SMB leaders better understand their cybersecurity posture and take practical steps to improve.

The full report is available here:
https://senscy.com/2026-smb-cybersecurity-statistics-and-benchmark-report/

About SensCy

SensCy (short for “Sensible Cyber”) helps small and midsized businesses measure and manage cybersecurity risk. Its solutions include the SensCy Score^®, which measures an organization’s cyberhealth; Sensible Cyber, designed to help organizations improve their cybersecurity posture; and third-party cyber risk solutions that help businesses assess the security of suppliers and vendors. SensCy’s mission is to help organizations become safer, more resilient, and better prepared for today’s cyber threats.

For more information, visit: https://senscy.com/

Media Contact:
Kim Quinn
Director of Marketing
kimquinn@senscy.com