University of Kwazulu-Natal

Top Cybersecurity Trends And Predictions For 2026

Bonisiwe Shabane
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top cybersecurity trends and predictions for 2026

In what could be described as a banner year for technology advancements, 2025 showed how powerful—and dangerous—AI can be in the wrong hands. With bad actors automating complex attacks, using AI tools to engage in social engineering campaigns and manipulating the AI agent to expose sensitive information, it’s no surprise that the year was a game of... And while the global average of the cost of a data breach fell 9% to USD 4.44 million, the average cost in the US hit a record high of USD 10.22 million. The cybersecurity threats didn’t end with automated chatbots spamming inboxes and tricking AI agents. This year, we saw what could happen when an organization is caught unprepared to deal with the consequences of integrating new tools like AI agents into their workflow: 13% of companies reported an AI-related... Last year’s cybersecurity predictions touched on AI’s increasingly important presence in the cybersecurity preparedness plan.

This year, IBM’s predictions for 2026 center on how the integration of autonomous AI into enterprise environments can be both a boon and a burden, depending on whether the proper security measures are implemented—or... The agentic shift is no longer theoretical; it’s underway. Autonomous AI agents are reshaping enterprise risk, and legacy security models will crack under the pressure. To stay resilient, organizations must drive a new era of integrated governance and security, built to monitor, validate and control AI behavior at machine speed. This transformation requires embedding security into the very fabric of AI development and governance—ensuring agents operate within ethical and operational boundaries from day one. Anything less risks fragmentation, blind spots and enterprise-wide exposure.

AI is accelerating innovation—but also exposing enterprises to unprecedented risks of intellectual property (IP) loss. In 2026, we’ll see major security incidents where sensitive IP is compromised through shadow AI systems: unapproved tools deployed by employees without oversight. These systems often operate across multiple environments, making it easy for one unmonitored model to trigger widespread exposure. This mirrors the rise of shadow IT a decade ago, but with far higher stakes—AI tools now handle proprietary algorithms, confidential data and strategic decision-making. Closing the gap will require security teams to move at the speed of innovation, delivering approved AI tools and governance frameworks that meet employee needs without sacrificing control. As organizations accelerate toward 2026, the cybersecurity landscape is becoming more complex, more unpredictable, and more heavily influenced by fast-evolving technologies like generative AI.

Threat actors are moving with unprecedented speed, regulatory demands are increasing, and the tools and techniques needed to defend modern environments are shifting just as rapidly. To help security leaders navigate what’s ahead, WatchGuard’s Threat Lab has released its annual Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026, a forward-looking analysis of the key trends, threat evolutions, and industry shifts expected to define the... Below is a snapshot of several major insights identified in this year’s report. Traditional encryption-based ransomware is expected to decline as threat actors turn their focus toward pure extortion and data theft. Open-source package repositories may begin implementing automated, AI-driven defenses to help identify and mitigate malicious activity in software supply chains. Emerging regulations, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act, are accelerating the industry’s adoption of secure-by-design development principles—making proactive security a requirement rather than an option.

Cybersecurity is advancing faster than ever, and as we move into 2026, organizations are navigating a digital environment that’s more dynamic, and more dangerous, than before. From AI-driven attacks that evolve in real time to the emergence of quantum computing and deepfake deception, businesses must adapt quickly to stay secure. The rapid growth of remote and hybrid work, combined with an expanding cloud and IoT ecosystem, has widened the attack surface dramatically. Meanwhile, new regulations and tighter cyber insurance requirements are reshaping how companies think about compliance, data protection, and risk management. Staying protected in 2026 will demand more than traditional tools or reactive defenses. Businesses will need to embrace AI-powered automation, Zero-Trust architectures, and resilience-focused strategies that prepare them to detect, respond to, and recover from attacks faster than ever before.

Let’s explore the top cybersecurity trends defining 2026, and how your organization can stay one step ahead in this rapidly evolving digital era. In 2026, artificial intelligence will be at the center of cybersecurity innovation. AI-driven tools can process large volumes of data, identify patterns of malicious activity, and automate responses faster than human analysts ever could. This allows organizations to move from reactive defense to real-time protection, detecting anomalies such as unusual login attempts, unauthorized data transfers, or system misconfigurations. Enterprises Will Start Treating AI Systems as Insider Threats. Josh Taylor, Lead Security Analyst, Fortra

As agents gain system-level permissions to act across email, file storage, and identity platforms, companies will need to monitor machine behavior for privilege misuse, data leakage, etc. The shift happens when organizations realize their AI assistants have broader access than most employees and operate outside traditional user behavior analytics. The first time an AI agent gets compromised through prompt injection or a supply chain attack and starts quietly exfiltrating customer data under the guise of “helping users,” organizations will realize they built privileged... John Wilson, Senior Fellow, Threat Research, Fortra 2026 is already on the horizon, and if you haven’t already been thinking about how cybersecurity will shift next year, now is the time to start. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to hear security leaders reflect on 2025’s cyber trends.

Now, five experts share their predictions for 2026 below. The explosive growth in AI usage represents the single greatest operational threat to organizations, putting intellectual property (IP) and customer data at serious risk. While AI adoption is growing rapidly, enterprises are increasingly exposed to risks related to data security, third‑party AI tools, shadow AI usage, and governance issues. When sensitive IP or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is entered into unsanctioned AI systems, the data may be used for model training, stored externally, or exposed in unexpected ways, leading to compliance, IP, and... Organizations must monitor not only sanctioned AI tools but also the growing ecosystem of “micro‑AI” extensions and plugins that can quietly extract or transmit data. A global KPMG and University of Melbourne survey of 48,340 individuals across 47 countries found that 48% of employees admitted uploading company data into public AI tools, and only 47% received formal AI training,...

In 2026, three regulatory shifts will dominate the compliance and security agenda. The EU AI Act’s full release in August will require organizations to classify systems by risk, complete conformity assessments, and maintain documentation that reshapes how AI is deployed. As we’re heading into 2026, we at Dataminr see the cyber landscape reshaped by new motives, bolder adversaries, and evolving technologies. It will require organizations to make more than just incremental adjustments to security strategies. We foresee fundamental shifts in how adversaries operate, the targets they choose, and the way organizations must prepare to defend themselves. Here are our eight predictions for the cybersecurity challenges that will define 2026.

We expect to see an escalation in attacks aimed at society’s most vital systems. Infrastructure like telecommunications, rail networks, and water treatment facilities will face both opportunistic and more targeted and destructive threats. Threat actors, either overestimating their own capabilities or misunderstanding the tools they wield, will cause collateral damage far beyond their initial targets. This will leave security teams scrambling to contain potentially cascading failures. If these attacks are politically motivated, a cyber operation could easily spill over into a real-world physical conflict. The era of system-locking ransomware as a primary cybercriminal attack method is waning.

By 2026, we predict a decisive shift toward pure data exfiltration. Attackers are increasingly finding that encrypting entire networks is inefficient and often triggers robust security measures. It is far simpler and more efficient to breach a network, steal valuable data, and hold it hostage with the threat of public release. This strategy circumvents many traditional ransomware defenses and hits organizations where it hurts most: their reputation, customer trust, and bottom line. A perfect storm is brewing, created by organizational complacency and mass layoffs in the security workforce. Many companies that once prided themselves on robust cybersecurity programs are now cutting experienced personnel and placing a misplaced faith in early-stage AI security tools to fill the void.

This is creating a dangerous security vacuum. While AI is a highly valuable tool, it cannot replace human intuition and expertise. This growing over-reliance on automation will weaken security postures, creating an “adversary free-for-all” where attackers can exploit new vulnerabilities with greater ease and frequency. We predict that in 2026, state-sponsored actors affiliated with China will become one of the foremost security threats to both public and private sector entities in the U.S. and its allied nations. We have already witnessed a significant surge in operations from these groups, and their continued success will only make them bolder.

The perimeter is gone. Credentials are no longer sufficient. And security can no longer rely on static controls in a dynamic threat environment. Cybersecurity has always evolved in response to attacker innovation, but the pace of change over the last few years has been unprecedented—particularly with the emergence of weaponized AI to scale phishing, deepfakes, and voice... As we head toward 2026, several structural shifts are becoming impossible to ignore. Traditional security assumptions are breaking down, threat actors are scaling faster than defenders, and identity—not infrastructure—has become the primary battleground.

Here are five predictions that will shape the cybersecurity landscape in 2026: 1. Identity Will Fully Replace the Network as the Primary Attack Surface Published On:October 20, 2025 By: Tom Ruffolo The rate of cybersecurity attacks continues to increase at a rate of 20-50% year over year for major attacks such as malware. As technology continues to evolve, so do the threats and vulnerabilities.

Current technology trends, such as the increased use of AI and the migration of corporate assets to the cloud, are leading to a rise in attacks, making them harder to protect. Want a quick summary of 2026 cybersecurity trends, predictions, and solutions to help guide your strategy for the coming year? Then this is your comprehensive guide. Small and medium businesses are not safe: Around 50% of cyber-attacks target them: Company assets are already in, or quickly moving to, the cloud. This includes company servers, SaaS applications, remote workers, and partners.

Securing these remote workloads requires purpose-built 2026 cybersecurity solutions for each asset type. Cybersecurity has become a strategic necessity for businesses, governments, and individuals in today’s hyper-connected world. As digital transformation accelerates, organizations face increasingly sophisticated threats, from ransomware and phishing to AI-powered attacks, that exploit vulnerabilities across industries. Staying resilient requires advanced technology, skilled professionals, and adaptive strategies to protect critical data and operations. IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 shows the global average breach cost at $4.4 million, with 97% of organizations experiencing AI-related incidents lacking proper access controls. Organizations using AI in security reported $1.9 million in cost savings, highlighting the growing importance of AI-driven defenses.

In this blog, we explore key cybersecurity trends, their applications, and why they matter, along with other key emerging threats shaping 2026. 1. Agentic AI Attacks and Autonomous Defenses Artificial Intelligence is transforming cybersecurity for attackers and defenders alike. AI agents can independently scan networks, develop adaptive phishing campaigns, and execute sophisticated attacks. On the defensive side, AI-enabled systems can identify anomalies, quarantine threats, and patch, in real time, vulnerabilities with limited or no human intervention.

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