Don't Let AI Distract From Cybersecurity Basics, Officials and Executives Warn
CIO Dive, Wednesday, September 9th, 2026
Government and industry leaders say simple attacks remain far more consequential than anything AI is currently doing.
At the Billington cybersecurity summit, government and industry leaders warned that attention on AI threats is pulling focus from the attacks actually causing damage.
Unpatched internet-facing systems, stolen credentials and misconfiguration continue to account for the overwhelming majority of successful intrusions, and none of those require sophisticated tooling.
The concern is budget allocation: AI-branded defensive products compete for spending with basics that remain incomplete. The article is useful ammunition for security leaders trying to fund unglamorous work against pressure to buy something AI-related.