Your Employees Are Adopting AI Faster Than You Can See It
Bitdefender, Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026
Bitdefender warns that shadow AI use is expanding attack surfaces faster than security teams can gain visibility into it.
Bitdefender argues that internal AI adoption is expanding the attack surface through tools, endpoints, integrations, and data connections that security teams may not know exist, entering via browser extensions, developer environments, local models, agents, and AI-enabled SaaS.
Its 2026 Cybersecurity Assessment of 1,200 IT and security professionals found 47.4% have only partial visibility into employee AI tool use, with internal AI governance (40%) and shadow AI attack surface management (35%) the top security initiatives for the year ahead.
Bitdefender says teams need to answer what AI is present, where and by whom it's used, which findings matter most, and where controls should apply.