• Tenable warned AI adoption is expanding cybersecurity risks for state and local critical infrastructure, with attackers exploiting under-resourced agencies.
• Nearly 90% of state CIOs rated attacks on critical systems a high concern in research cited by the analysis.
• Unauthorized AI applications, embedded software features and automated reconnaissance increase exposure across aging operational technology systems.
• Some 73% of states responding to the 2026 State CIO Survey include critical infrastructure cybersecurity in whole-of-state plans.
• The analysis recommends shared defenses and prioritizing exploitable vulnerabilities as federal funding shrinks.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Tenable Holdings Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief on October 27, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.