Top cyber threats of 2026

Cyber threats in 2026 are shaped by a mix of rapid technological change and growing digital dependence across all industries. Organizations are relying more than ever on online systems, cloud services, and data-driven tools, which have expanded both the benefits and the risks of operating in a digital environment. As a result, the threat landscape is not only broader but also more unpredictable, with different types of attacks emerging and evolving at the same time.

 

 

One of the biggest shifts is how attacks are carried out. It’s no longer just about exploiting a technical flaw, as attackers are combining different methods to increase their chances of success. A single incident might involve social engineering, compromised third-party access, and automated tools working together. This makes attacks harder to detect and even harder to stop early.

Technology is also playing a major role in shaping these threats. AI, for example, is being used on both sides. It helps organizations improve detection and response, but it also gives attackers new ways to scale their operations, create convincing scams, and process stolen data. At the same time, long-standing threats like ransomware are evolving rather than disappearing, becoming more aggressive and financially driven.

Cyberattacks are also no longer just a business risk. They are increasingly tied to political and economic interests. State-backed groups are more active, and their operations often go beyond disruption, aiming to gather intelligence or influence public perception.

The following sections explore some of the top cyber threats in 2026, including supply-chain attacks, AI-driven threats, state-sponsored operations, and the continued evolution of ransomware.

Supply-chain attacks and third-party vendor compromises

Supply-chain attacks and third-party vendor compromises have become one of the most significant cyber threats heading into 2026. Rather than targeting organizations directly, attackers increasingly exploit trusted partners (e.g., cloud providers, analytics platforms, or software vendors) to gain indirect access. A single weak link in the supply chain can expose dozens of companies at once, often bypassing otherwise strong internal security controls.

A recent cyberattack on Rockstar Games is a great example of this. In April 2026, the video game company was breached not through its own infrastructure, but via a third-party analytics provider connected to its cloud environment. Hackers linked to the notorious ShinyHunters group reportedly accessed data by exploiting authentication tokens associated with the external service, effectively impersonating legitimate users. The attackers claimed to have stolen tens of millions of internal records and issued a ransom demand, threatening to leak the data publicly. While Rockstar stated that only limited, non-sensitive information was affected and that players were not impacted, the incident still underscores the broader risk. Even when the immediate damage appears contained, such breaches can expose intellectual property, internal processes, or strategic data.

What makes supply-chain attacks particularly dangerous is their stealth and reach. Organizations may invest heavily in cybersecurity yet remain vulnerable through less-secure partners. As ecosystems become more interconnected, the attack surface expands beyond direct control.

In 2026, defending against cyber threats is no longer just about securing internal systems. It requires continuous monitoring of third-party access, stricter vendor risk management, and a zero-trust approach to external integrations. The Rockstar case serves as a timely reminder that in today’s threat landscape, security is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain.

AI-driven cyber threats

AI tools are increasingly used in the line of defense against cyberattacks, but they are also employed by malicious actors. AI tools have made it possible for threat actors of all skill levels to engage in cybercrime. In the past, carrying out any kind of malicious attack required certain skills and a decent amount of experience. That is no longer the case today. AI tools can be used to create sophisticated phishing messages, write malicious code, sort through large amounts of stolen data, and distribute malware.

Generative AI has become one of the biggest concerns when it comes to the top cyber threats of 2026. Generative AI tools can create worryingly realistic fake content, known as deepfakes. Deepfakes are a broad term that includes images, videos, and audio that have been either edited or generated using AI. This kind of content is often made with the purpose of mimicking real people, and it has advanced so far that it is now difficult to distinguish between authentic and fake content.

Deepfakes are a significant threat to organizations because of how convincingly they can imitate high-ranking figures. Generative AI can be used to create videos and voice messages that seemingly come from trusted individuals inside an organization. Employees are already a weak link, and being targeted with sophisticated deepfakes would make them that much more susceptible. This could lead to financial loss, data theft, reputational harm, and more. To combat this, organizations will need to employ strict verification processes.

Generative AI has also changed how effective phishing is. Large-scale phishing campaigns were usually very easy to identify because of poor language, awkward phrasing, and grammatical and spelling mistakes. That was not the case with targeted phishing attacks because those were much more sophisticated. However, with generative AI, it has become easy to generate well-written and professional phishing messages. With information pulled from public sources as well as past data breaches, these AI-generated phishing messages can be very difficult to identify. Users who struggled to identify phishing attempts in the past will have little chance of identifying AI-generated ones.

Generative AI and deepfakes also pose a big societal risk, as they can be used to spread false information. This is already being done by certain countries in order to interfere in elections and shape public opinion.

State-sponsored attacks

State-sponsored cyberattacks are performed by groups that are either supported by or directly controlled by governments. Such attacks are performed for political, military, or economic reasons. With how common such attacks are becoming, state-backed cybercrime groups have become one of the most serious and complex cyber threats in 2026. Government support allows such groups to operate with significant resources and tools that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Cybercrime groups sponsored by countries can target different sectors and perform various types of attacks. Some focus on espionage, some target critical sectors with malware, while others focus on spreading disinformation. The last one is a key area where threat actors are becoming more and more active. With the assistance of AI tools, state-sponsored threat actors can spread deepfakes and disinformation on a massive scale in order to manipulate public opinion, create social division, and even influence elections. This information warfare is happening on an alarming scale, with Russia in particular being very active in this area.

Cyber espionage is another dangerous trend. These types of operations aim to gain access to classified, usually government-related information. That can include sensitive communications, military data, and intellectual property. The SolarWinds cyberattack in 2020 is a good example. Highly sensitive US federal government data was accessed and stolen during the attack, which is widely believed to have been carried out by a cybercrime group backed by the Russian government. The UK government, the European Parliament, and NATO were also affected by the attack. While such large-scale successful attacks are quite rare, even a slight possibility is a worrying one.

With geopolitical tensions rising in all parts of the world, government-backed cybercrime groups are a significant cyber threat in 2026.

Ransomware and double extortion

Ransomware has been appearing in these trend reports for years. It is neither a new threat nor a new trend. However, over the last couple of years, it has evolved in both sophistication and operation. The number of ransomware attacks per year is also increasing, further signaling that it is not going away.

The biggest shift in how ransomware operates has happened in the last couple of years, as ransomware operators shifted from file encryption to data theft and extortion. Ransomware attacks in the past were fairly simple. Attackers successfully targeted companies and organizations, encrypted important files, and demanded a ransom for their recovery. Organizations were often unprepared for this and were forced to pay a large ransom to regain access to their files. However, as ransomware attacks became more common, more and more potential targets started preparing for an attack. With backup plans in place that allowed organizations to return to normal quickly,  they stopped paying the ransom. However, ransomware would not remain such a threat if it did not adapt.

The majority of large-scale ransomware attacks targeting organizations and businesses now steal files in addition to encrypting them. Threat actors specifically try to steal data that would cause harm to the target if exposed. The stolen files are used by attackers to extort the targets. If a ransom is not paid, the files are published on a dark web forum or sold.

Several ransomware gangs, including ShinyHunters, have already become notorious for their extortion. The group is believed to have been active since 2019 and is responsible for several high-profile ransomware attacks in 2026. In March, ShinyHunters targeted the European Commission, stole and leaked over 350GB of data, including emails, sensitive documents, technical data, etc. In April, the group claimed to have breached video game publisher Rockstar Games.