Data Quality Surpasses Skills as Main Threat Hunting Challenge in 2026

• •Data quality is now the top barrier for threat hunters, cited by 50% of respondents.
• •Skilled staff availability has decreased as a concern, now at 45%.
• •Ransomware remains the leading threat, affecting 55% of threat hunting teams.

The SANS 2026 Threat Hunting Survey reveals that data quality and quantity have become the primary barriers for threat hunters, overtaking skills for the first time. 50% of 500 surveyed cybersecurity professionals identified data issues as their biggest challenge, a significant increase from 41% in 2025. Skilled staff availability was cited by 45% of respondents, down from 61% last year, indicating progress in skill development. The survey also noted a decline in the use of formal threat hunting methodologies, dropping from 51% in 2024 to 37% in 2026. Budget constraints and lack of data standards were also highlighted as significant barriers. Ransomware remains the top threat, with 55% of respondents indicating it as a primary concern. Despite these challenges, interest in AI and machine learning tools for threat hunting has decreased, with only 39% of respondents planning to incorporate these technologies. The report emphasizes the need for high-quality data to improve threat hunting outcomes.