Terra Security finds sharp rise in broken software patches during 2026

Artificial intelligence penetration testing startup Terra Security found a sharp rise in GitHub security fixes reported broken within 90 days during 2026. The Register reported that patch failures rose significantly this year after years of relatively low numbers. [1]

The increase in broken patches corresponds with a major expansion in artificial intelligence vulnerability discovery and automated patching throughout 2026. Security researchers observed that attackers are rapidly using artificial intelligence to bypass official updates after vendors release them. [1]

In computer security, a vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in the design, implementation, or management of a system that can be exploited by a malicious actor to compromise security. [2]

The Register detailed an example involving Russian government hackers who exploited a zero day Windows Shell security bypass bug, tracked as CVE-2026-21510. The group exploited the flaw at least a month before Microsoft issued a fix in February, but the resulting patch was incomplete. [1]