Automation, AI scale, and machine-speed operations will redefine the global cyberthreat landscape
As digital ecosystems expand and adversaries adopt advanced automation, the global cyberthreat environment is undergoing a fundamental shift. According to Derek Manky, Chief Security Strategist and Global Vice-President, Threat Intelligence, Fortinet, 2026 marks a transition from innovation-driven attacks to throughput-driven cybercrime—where speed, scale, and industrialized operations shape both offense and defense.
FortiGuard Labs’ latest threat predictions reveal that cybercrime is rapidly evolving into a structured industry. Automated reconnaissance, AI-driven intrusion workflows, and autonomous dark web agents will enable attackers to execute campaigns faster than ever before. Tasks such as data parsing, privilege escalation, and ransom negotiation—once requiring manual effort—will increasingly be delegated to AI systems.
This shift dramatically increases attacker capacity. A ransomware affiliate previously limited to a few campaigns will soon manage dozens simultaneously. As the time between breach and impact compresses from days to minutes, the risk for enterprises escalates sharply. The underground economy will mature as well, with tailored access bundles, automated escrow, and reputation-based marketplaces becoming standard.
“Cybercrime is no longer just evolving—it is industrializing at a scale that requires defenders to operate at machine speed,” said Derek Manky, Chief Security Strategist and Global Vice-President, Threat Intelligence, Fortinet.
On the defensive side, organizations will be forced to match this momentum. FortiGuard Labs expects 2026 to accelerate the move toward machine-speed security operations, where detection, triage, and containment occur within minutes. Frameworks such as CTEM and MITRE ATT&CK will be essential for mapping exposures and prioritizing remediation based on live intelligence.
Identity will emerge as the operational backbone of cybersecurity—not only for human users but also for automated agents, AI systems, and machine-to-machine interactions. Managing these non-human identities will become critical to preventing privilege misuse and data compromise.
Global collaboration will be equally important. Programs such as INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 and initiatives like the Fortinet–Crime Stoppers International Cybercrime Bounty Program are creating new deterrence models through community reporting and shared intelligence.
Looking ahead to 2027, FortiGuard Labs predicts the rise of semi-autonomous swarm agents capable of coordinating complex attacks, along with deeper threats to AI supply chains and embedded systems. In this new era, resilience will depend on how effectively organizations unify intelligence, automation, and human expertise into a single adaptive defense.
