<p>As cybersecurity leaders begin 2026, they face yet another year of escalations. The attack surfaces they defend are becoming bigger and more complex, while the risks and threats facing their organizations are increasing in volume, velocity and sophistication.</p>
<p>It’s a familiar pattern: CISOs have faced this scenario every year since the beginning of the internet era.</p>
<p>Still, the upcoming year feels particularly challenging, according to CISOs and cybersecurity experts. They cited numerous issues that they expect to affect cybersecurity strategies and operations in the near future. The following is their list of the top 10 cybersecurity trends for 2026.</p>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”1. Attackers harness the power of AI”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>1. Attackers harness the power of AI</h2>
<p>In the past few years, malicious actors have ramped up their use of AI to craft more potent attacks — and it has CISOs worried. A 2025 Boston Consulting Group survey found 80% of CISOs list <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/AI-powered-attacks-What-CISOSs-need-to-know-now”>AI-powered cyberattacks</a> as a top concern.</p>
<p>They have good reason to be concerned, said Damon McDougald, global security services lead at Accenture. While AI-powered and AI-augmented cyberattacks have been present for the past few years, he said 2026 will see such attacks proliferate.</p>
<p>”The bad actors are using this technology to scale to get more done in less time,” McDougald said.</p>
<p>They’re also using AI to automate attacks. In November 2025, Anthropic announced it had disrupted a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/anthropic-state-actor-ai-tool-espionage/805550/” rel=”noopener”>large-scale cyberespionage campaign</a> that had been significantly automated by AI.</p>
<p>Kris Lovejoy, global head of strategy at IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl, said fully autonomous cyberattacks are on the way and will redefine cybersecurity.</p>
<p>”By 2027, fully autonomous, AI-driven cyberattacks will be successfully executed against enterprises, achieving the objective from initial penetration to data exfiltration without any direct human command,” she said. “This event will render t
[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.
Read the original article: