Industry Report

Zscaler ThreatLabz 2026 VPN Risk Report with Cybersecurity Insiders

Discover how AI collapsed the human response window and turned remote access into the fastest path to breach

Your VPN is Helping Attackers Move as Fast as AI

The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2026 VPN Risk Report reveals a dangerous disconnect: while attackers use AI to move at machine speed, legacy VPNs are leaving defenders blind and exposed. When you can’t see what’s happening, response time collapses and the odds of containment drop with it.

The reality of VPN risk in 2026:

• #1 Fear is Attacker Speed: 79% of survey respondents say AI lets attackers exploit vulnerabilities faster than patches can be deployed.
• They Can’t See AI-Driven Attack Signals: 70% of survey respondents admit to limited or no visibility into AI threats moving over their VPN.
• Attackers are Outpacing Patch Cycles: 61% of organizations believe adversaries move faster than their patching process.
• VPNs are Acting like Blind “Encrypted Pipes”: 1 in 3 organizations inspect 0% of encrypted VPN traffic.
• Slow Access Leads to Workarounds: 63% of users bypass VPN controls to reach apps faster, creating unmanaged risk.

Together, these gaps create the exact conditions attackers rely on: time, access, and limited detection.

Read the full report to benchmark your organization and learn how Zscaler Private Access™ (ZPA) delivers user-to-app, least-privileged access designed to reduce exposure and limit blast radius.