Key Takeaways
- 64% of third-party applications access sensitive data without legitimate business justification, a 25% year-over-year increase
- Malicious web activity has surged across critical public-sector infrastructure, with government websites seeing a rise from 2% to 12.9% and education websites quadrupling year-over-year
- Marketing teams introduce the majority of third-party risk, while IT lacks visibility into what’s actually running on the website
- Compromised sites connect to 2.7× more external domains, load 2× more trackers, and use recently registered domains 3.8× more often than clean sites
- Only one website, ticketweb.uk, achieved a perfect score across the Security Leadership Benchmarks framework
Introduction to the 2026 State of Web Exposure Research
Reflectiz has released its 2026 State of Web Exposure Research, which reveals a sharp escalation in client-side risk across global websites. The report is based on an analysis of 4,700 leading websites and highlights the growing threat of third-party applications, marketing tools, and unmanaged digital integrations. The research found that 64% of third-party applications now access sensitive data without legitimate business justification, up from 51% last year. This represents a 25% year-over-year spike and highlights a widening governance gap.
The Risks of Third-Party Applications
The report identifies several widely used third-party tools as top drivers of unjustified sensitive-data exposure. These include Google Tag Manager, Shopify, and Facebook Pixel, which were frequently found to be over-permissioned or deployed without adequate scoping. According to Simon Arazi, VP of Product at Reflectiz, "Organizations are granting sensitive-data access by default rather than exception — and attackers are exploiting that gap." The research also found that marketing teams introduce the majority of third-party risk, while IT lacks visibility into what’s actually running on the website.
The Surge in Malicious Web Activity
The report exposes a dramatic surge in malicious web activity across critical public-sector infrastructure. Government websites saw malicious activity rise from 2% to 12.9%, while 1 in 7 education websites now show active compromise, quadrupling year-over-year. Budget constraints and limited manpower were cited as primary obstacles by public-sector security leaders. The research also found that compromised sites connect to 2.7× more external domains, load 2× more trackers, and use recently registered domains 3.8× more often than clean sites.
Security Leadership Benchmarks
The report introduces updated Security Leadership Benchmarks, highlighting the very small group of organizations meeting all eight criteria. Only one website, ticketweb.uk, achieved a perfect score across the framework. The benchmarks provide a framework for organizations to assess their security posture and identify areas for improvement. The report also includes sector-by-sector breakdowns of web exposure risk, a full list of high-risk third-party applications, year-over-year industry trends, technical indicators of compromise, and best-practice controls for security and digital teams.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The 2026 State of Web Exposure Research highlights the growing threat of third-party applications, marketing tools, and unmanaged digital integrations. Organizations must take a proactive approach to managing third-party risk and ensuring that sensitive data is protected. This includes implementing robust security controls, monitoring website activity, and ensuring that marketing teams and IT have visibility into what’s running on the website. By taking these steps, organizations can reduce the risk of malicious web activity and protect their users, data, and brand reputation. The complete 43-page analysis is available for download, providing organizations with a comprehensive guide to managing web exposure risk.
About Reflectiz
Reflectiz empowers organizations to secure their websites and digital assets against modern web threats. Its award-winning, agentless platform provides continuous visibility into all client-side activity, detecting and prioritizing security, privacy, and compliance risks. Reflectiz is trusted by global enterprises across financial services, e-commerce, and healthcare to protect their data, users, and brand reputation. For more information, please contact VP Marketing Daniel Sharabi at [email protected] or join the Information Security Community on LinkedIn.
