As I look at where cybersecurity is heading, it’s clear we’re not just dealing with “more threats” — we’re navigating a complete shift in how attacks happen and how we defend against them.
AI is at the center of that transformation. It’s reshaping identity, trust, and the systems we rely on every day. Based on what I’m seeing across the industry, here are the five predictions I believe will define 2026.
1. AI-powered attacks meet AI-driven defense
I’m watching AI fundamentally change the attack-defense cycle.
On the offensive side, we’re seeing early versions of LLM-assisted malware, automated vulnerability discovery, AI-powered phishing attacks, and credential-focused attacks that scale at a pace humans can’t match. Even low-skill attackers can now lean on AI agents capable of generating or modifying exploits for them.
But AI is also transforming the SOC. AI-assisted investigation, detection tuning, and triage are becoming standard.
I don’t believe AI replaces human analysts — instead, it amplifies them. Analysts will handle judgment, fine-tuning, and creative problem-solving while AI handles the scale, noise, and repetitive work. Ultimately, the side that leverages AI more effectively wins.
2. Deepfakes are forcing a trust revolution
Trust used to be implicit online. Now, it must be engineered.
Between deepfakes, synthetic identities, and AI-generated content, we’ve seen a surge in fraud and impersonation that legacy verification methods simply can’t mitigate.
Regulators are pushing toward mandatory provenance standards, and I expect that to accelerate. Companies will need the ability to prove where data came from, how it was generated, and whether it was altered — especially for high-impact decisions and sensitive workflows.
This shift isn’t just about compliance. It’s about maintaining credibility in a world where anything can be faked. Provenance pipelines, watermarking, and cryptographic signatures will become foundational.
3. ERP and OT systems become prime targets
Another trend I’m closely tracking is the growing focus on operational systems — ERP platforms, OT environments, medical systems, logistics networks, and more — as high-value targets.
We’re already seeing real zero-days emerging in SAP and Oracle environments, and nation-state actors are clearly investing in this space. These systems power hospitals, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and financial operations. When they’re compromised, the impact is immediate and tangible.
I expect organizations to start treating ERP and OT the same way they treat their cloud crown jewels — applying runtime monitoring, virtual patching, stronger extension vetting, and tighter network segmentation.
4. The shift to a predictive SOC
I’ve talked with security leaders who feel the alert-driven SOC model is crumbling under its own weight. Even with AI-assisted triage, defenders are reacting too slowly.
By the end of 2026, I expect more organizations to transition to a predictive model in which AI anticipates attacker behavior, surfaces early-stage signals, and proactively blocks malicious execution.
This is a significant mindset shift. Instead of asking, “How fast can we close alerts?” the question becomes, “How fast can we prevent measurable business impact?”
Analysts will focus less on chasing alerts and more on understanding attacker intent, validating anomalies, and improving automation. AI becomes the engine, and humans become the strategists guiding it.
5. The rise of on-device AI malware
The rise of agentic browsers, NPUs, and local LLMs on endpoints introduces a new class of threats that I believe will catch some organizations off guard.
Attackers can potentially generate and modify malware entirely on-device, without C2 traffic or predictable indicators. Local AI models can write malicious code, adapt dynamically to their environment, manipulate browser sessions, harvest credentials, and execute tasks without ever touching the network.
Traditional EDR defenses aren’t built for this. There are no signatures to detect, no behavior logs to correlate, and no outbound traffic to flag.
The only reliable countermeasures will be strong identity controls, hardened device posture, and governance around how on-device AI models operate and interact with sensitive data.
How AI is reshaping security in 2026
Cybersecurity in 2026 will be defined by how effectively we adapt to an AI-driven reality. We’re watching the emergence of AI-powered attackers, AI-augmented defenders, and synthetic content that undermines trust.
Our resilience in 2026 and beyond will depend on how quickly we align our defenses with the new reality AI is creating.
Also read: UK parents doubt tech giants’ efforts as blackmail cases climb, a look at new NSPCC research finding one in 10 children targeted by online blackmail and parents calling for stronger tech safeguards.
