Jan 5, 2026
Cybersecurity predictions 2026: Quantum threats, nation-state attacks and the rise of dark AI
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Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
A “wrecking ball moment” is coming for enterprise cybersecurity — and 2026 may be the year it lands.
Whether that trigger is a major quantum breakthrough exposing years of intercepted data, a nation-state attack that cripples critical infrastructure or autonomous AI systems launching and adapting attacks faster than humans can respond, security leaders agree: incremental improvement is no longer enough.
We asked more than 20 CISOs, threat researchers and security strategists what enterprises should prepare for. Their warnings cluster around five themes: the race to post-quantum cryptography, escalating nation-state cyber operations, the dual-edged rise of offensive and defensive AI, governance gaps as AI agents proliferate and the shrinking window to detect and stop attacks. Here’s what they see coming.