The future of cybersecurity – what does 2026 have in store?

This past year can be summed up in one word: cyberattacks. From industry giants such as M&S and JLR to national aerospace institutions, no one has been safe – and unless something changes, no one will be.

As we look to the new year, it is time for businesses to reevaluate their security strategies and focus on building strong, robust cyber defences. One thing is for certain, more attacks will come. The only questions that remain are what form will these take, and will businesses be ready?

Lessons from the past year

2025 has seen huge leaps forward in technological advancements. However, with these new capabilities, businesses must ensure their strategies are equipped to deal with the plethora of new issues that will arise.

AI – the great disruptor

Artificial Intelligence has dominated the headlines over the last 12 months. For many, the technology serves as a way to optimise their daily grind, providing support across a wide variety of tasks. Unfortunately, this is also true for cyber criminals, with many exploiting the technology to bolster their attacking power and target more businesses than previously possible. To defend against this unrelenting wave of attacks, businesses must rethink their security strategies.

Advice for 2026

As we move into the new year, businesses will have to transform and reignite their security strategies in order to avoid a repeat of 2025. Tom Stockmeyer, Managing Director Government and Critical Infrastructure at Cyware, believes that “in 2026, collective defence strategies will shift from traditional information sharing to fully automated, AI-enabled collaboration. Building on the progress of ISACs and the anticipated rollout of CISA’s Threat Intel Exchange Services (TIES), government agencies, particularly at the federal level, will increasingly adopt tools that allow for immediate, AI-driven action against threats.

“This shift will be driven by the necessity of defending against a growing speed and sophistication of AI-powered attacks, with a focus on raising the bar for both the speed and consistency of defensive actions. By integrating AI into both analysis and daily operations, defenders will finally be able to turn shared intelligence into immediate action.”