CISOs turn to MSSPs as AI threats rise

Security service providers are being tapped to bolster defences.

CISOs are increasingly turning to managed service providers to bolster their defences against rising cyber risks, particularly as AI fuels the threats.

“As AI-driven threats outpace internal capabilities, MSSPs become a practical way to close readiness gaps,” said Jo Salisbury, regional director, APAC, LevelBlue.

A higher percentage of CISOs are expecting to engage threat intelligence providers, penetration experts and red team specialists in the next 12 months, according to LevelBlue’s 2026 CISO Spotlight report.

As AI-enabled threats are continually evolving, organisations require a less traditional approach and increased technical assurance.

They’re most exposed where AI amplifies human trust gaps, particularly in deepfake impersonation and AI-driven social engineering, Salisbury noted.

“Advanced threat modelling will be required to understand emerging threats, for example deepfake detection and personal agents,” she told CRN Australia.

Service providers tapped to help fill the skills gap

LevelBlue data shows a shift toward external expertise, particularly in threat intelligence and offensive security, as CISOs recognise emerging threats require specialist skills.

While 45 percent of CISOs expect AI-powered attacks in the coming year, just 29 percent believe their organisations are prepared, underscoring a capability gap that many are turning to specialist providers to address.

The risk is compounded by the fact that only 34 percent say their organisations are prepared for deepfake attacks.

“External partners are increasingly seen as a way to accelerate capability without slowing innovation,” Salisbury said.

Partners must adapt to shared responsibility model

Cybersecurity is increasingly treated as a shared leadership responsibility, with more executives embedding KPIs beyond the security team, the report found.

To adapt to the spread of accountability within customer organisations, service providers will need to align their services more broadly.

“They’ll need to align with business outcomes, not just technical controls, and support cross-functional accountability,” said Salisbury.

The report also suggests many CISOs don’t view elements of the supply chain as a major risk, with only 31 per cent believing their greatest risk could originate in the software supply chain, despite rising supply chain attacks.

Salisbury’s advice is for organisations to assign measurable confidence levels to suppliers and embed supply chain oversight into their broader resilience strategy to address this.

“In an AI-driven threat landscape, unseen dependencies are often the weakest link,” she said.

Resilience becomes the 2026 priority

“Resilience in 2026 is about enabling innovation safely,” Salisbury said.

Security foundations must allow organisations to grow and adapt, while shifting from reactive to proactive defence. This becomes critical as AI adoption deepens.

“Organisations should strengthen executive alignment and gain a comprehensive view of AI workloads across sanctioned and unsanctioned environments,” she said.

In tandem, organisations need to strengthen governance maturity to support responsible AI investment.

“Closing the gap requires treating AI resilience as a board-level priority, not just a technical upgrade,” she added.