Canonical segment URLs exist only for observed category/shape pairs.
Machine Relations Index
Observed shapes7 Published7 Collecting0 Release2026-10-16
Cybersecurity · Machine Relations Index category
Which sources AI engines cite for Cybersecurity questions
In the October 2026 release of the Machine Relations Index (mri_score_v2.1+2026-10-16+676547a595a3), these are the sources AI answer engines cited most often for each of the 7 Cybersecurity question shapes, each ranked on that shape's own observed runs. This category has 7 observed question-shape segments in the current public release. Each segment keeps its own observed-run denominator and dates; this page does not average rates across shapes. Observed runs are answer runs, not questions: every segment repeats a small set of distinct questions across engines and dates, so a run count is not a count of independent questions.
Top sources by question shape
The sources engines cite most, shape by shape
A rate is the share of the shape's observed answer runs that cited the source; rank is the source's place on that shape's full leaderboard.Best tools
Example pattern: best cybersecurity tools. 164 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 284 | Huntress.com | Vendor-owned source | 46.34% | 76 of 164 |
| #2 of 284 | Sentinelone.com | Vendor-owned source | 25.00% | 41 of 164 |
| #3 of 284 | Expertinsights.com | Market and company database | 23.78% | 39 of 164 |
| #4 of 284 | Cynet.com | Vendor-owned source | 23.17% | 38 of 164 |
| #5 of 284 | Kaseya.com | Other observed source | 22.56% | 37 of 164 |
How buyers choose
Example pattern: how to choose cybersecurity tools. 218 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 406 | Microsoft.com | Vendor-owned source | 19.27% | 42 of 218 |
| #2 of 406 | Kaseya.com | Other observed source | 12.39% | 27 of 218 |
| #3 of 406 | Expel.com | Other observed source | 11.93% | 26 of 218 |
| #4 of 406 | Community and social platform | 11.93% | 26 of 218 | |
| #5 of 406 | Jumpcloud.com | Other observed source | 11.01% | 24 of 218 |
Is it worth it
Example pattern: is cybersecurity software worth it. 219 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 288 | Paloaltonetworks.com | Vendor-owned source | 23.74% | 52 of 219 |
| #2 of 288 | Cyware.com | Other observed source | 21.00% | 46 of 219 |
| #3 of 288 | Microsoft.com | Vendor-owned source | 15.07% | 33 of 219 |
| #4 of 288 | Swimlane.com | Other observed source | 13.70% | 30 of 219 |
| #5 of 288 | Sentinelone.com | Vendor-owned source | 13.24% | 29 of 219 |
News-driven citations
Example pattern: recent cybersecurity news. 599 observed runs across 54 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 1,338 | Paloaltonetworks.com | Vendor-owned source | 13.52% | 81 of 599 |
| #2 of 1,338 | Sentinelone.com | Vendor-owned source | 12.52% | 75 of 599 |
| #3 of 1,338 | Microsoft.com | Vendor-owned source | 9.52% | 57 of 599 |
| #4 of 1,338 | Gartner.com | Analyst and consulting research | 9.35% | 56 of 599 |
| #5 of 1,338 | Crowdstrike.com | Vendor-owned source | 8.51% | 51 of 599 |
Problem-first research
Example pattern: how to solve cybersecurity problems. 205 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 373 | Github.com | Community and social platform | 18.05% | 37 of 205 |
| #2 of 373 | Nhimg.org | Other observed source | 13.17% | 27 of 205 |
| #3 of 373 | Microsoft.com | Vendor-owned source | 11.71% | 24 of 205 |
| #4 of 373 | Medium | Community and social platform | 9.76% | 20 of 205 |
| #5 of 373 | Community and social platform | 9.76% | 20 of 205 |
Top lists
Example pattern: top cybersecurity platforms. 207 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 359 | Hoxhunt.com | Other observed source | 25.12% | 52 of 207 |
| #2 of 359 | Adaptivesecurity.com | Other observed source | 24.64% | 51 of 207 |
| #3 of 359 | Expertinsights.com | Market and company database | 21.74% | 45 of 207 |
| #4 of 359 | Usecure.io | Other observed source | 21.26% | 44 of 207 |
| #5 of 359 | Knowbe4.com | Other observed source | 18.84% | 39 of 207 |
Comparisons
Example pattern: cybersecurity platform A vs B. 159 observed runs across 10 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 244 | Vectra.ai | Vendor-owned source | 27.67% | 44 of 159 |
| #2 of 244 | Exabeam.com | Other observed source | 25.79% | 41 of 159 |
| #3 of 244 | Sentinelone.com | Vendor-owned source | 23.27% | 37 of 159 |
| #4 of 244 | Cynet.com | Vendor-owned source | 19.50% | 31 of 159 |
| #5 of 244 | Paloaltonetworks.com | Vendor-owned source | 17.61% | 28 of 159 |
Published segments met the release evidence floor.
Collecting segments expose sample progress, not mature leaderboards.
mri_score_v2.1+2026-10-16+676547a595a3
Question shapes
Separate denominators by segment
| Question shape | State | Observed runs | Distinct questions | Run dates | Cited domain observations | Canonical segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best tools | Published | 164 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 284 | Open leaderboard |
| How buyers choose | Published | 218 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 406 | Open leaderboard |
| Is it worth it | Published | 219 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 288 | Open leaderboard |
| News-driven citations | Published | 599 | 33 | 54 | 1,338 | Open leaderboard |
| Problem-first research | Published | 205 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 373 | Open leaderboard |
| Top lists | Published | 207 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 359 | Open leaderboard |
| Comparisons | Published | 159 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 10 | 244 | Open leaderboard |
Release and boundary
No pooled category score
Release mri_score_v2.1+2026-10-16+676547a595a3; methodology mri_score_v2.1; generated 2026-10-16; window 2026-05-10 to 2026-10-16; artifact 676547a595a3.
This page is a directory of observed segments. A domain's overall citation rate is not a category rate, and MRI does not publish an averaged category score in this slice.
Cybersecurity buyers on AuthorityTech’s publication intelligence is a downstream practitioner projection of these segments. It is not source evidence, citation provenance, or sameAs identity for the neutral dataset.