This year, more than eight ransomware attacks occurred, targeting major companies such as Ingram, Microsoft, Volvo, and DaVita. In 2026, with the aid of AI and AI Agents, these attacks will likely see a spike like never before.
The A.I. rush is crazy, and such buzz comes with both negatives and positives. On one hand, everyone’s thankful for how A.I. simplified a ton of tasks and jobs for them. On the other hand, security-cautious individuals understand that A.I. paved the way to a plethora of cybersecurity threats by making it easy for literally anyone to reverse engineer malware and dish it out to internet users in the name of A.I. apps, tools, or software.
Of course, ransomware, malicious APKs, and other forms of cybersecurity threats have continued to thrive; the thing is, by 2026, all these will be precisely targeted, refined, automated, and more vicious than ever. You really have to up your security game and be more careful about how you use the internet in 2026. Hereunder are some of the most concerning threats you must look out for as an internet user in 2026.
Main Points:
- Ransomware remains a top business risk with increasing incidents in recent years.
- AI deepfakes, personalized phishing, and adaptive malware are on the rise, thanks to #vibecoding.
- Sideloadable malware APKs disguised as Android system apps, when installed, are still rampant.
- Data breaches are now more frequent than ever.
The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats to Watch in 2026
Cybersecurity experts from 3ptechies have followed the trend and forecast that cyberattacks in the upcoming years will be more precisely targeted and robust than ever before. Hence, it is important to take note of these emerging digital security threats and take preemptive actions against them.
1. AI-Powered Threats
Honestly, there are many ways AI is being used to launch attacks on personal systems and bespoke business solutions. From deepfake social engineering to malicious AI models, cyber attackers have figured out more “realistic” ways to carry out their hacks, leveraging AI.
As per Gartner’s release, around 45% of the worldwide organizations have faced AI-related attacks and breaches, and being that many companies were not fully prepared to hedge against AI-based attacks, they got hit severely.
In response to these attacks, cybersecurity solutions providers have integrated AI into their products; so now, AI is being used to detect and fight AI, making AI the frontier for both cyberattackers and cybersecurity experts. While this is yielding positive results for businesses at the moment, it’s really quite concerning because these AI models are self-learning, and as such, using them for both brute-force attacks and protection would only teach the system how to bypass its restrictions when in attack mode and how to stop an attack when in protection mode—quite crazy times ahead.
How Exactly is AI Being Used to Launch Cyberthreats?
Okay, we’ve been talking about AI this and that, and how it’s a bigger threat to cybersecurity than other previous mediums. Now, how exactly does this AI power these threats?
- Social engineering: AI is being used to create tailored and convincing phishing emails, deepfakes, and even perfected voice clones to lure unsuspecting internet users into performing, sharing, or approving a malicious procedure.
- Generative AI Scams: Generative AIs are now being used to craft natural-sounding emails that mimic original emails from businesses, executives, and colleagues to hack employees’ details and company data.
- Deepfakes: This is the most common. It is the use of AI to generate realistically-looking images or videos that are highly convincing as originals for scam or impersonation purposes to launch attacks on businesses and get their executives to approve fraudulent transactions unsuspectedly.
- Data poisoning: Manipulating existing data on AI models, retraining them on specific patterns to create backdoors for targeted phishing and other fraudulent activities. Another version of this manipulation is “model inversion,” which refers to querying an AI model with the intent to reconstruct its functionality or steal the sensitive data it was trained on.
- Adversarial attacks: This one is on the rise at the moment; it is the undetectable changes made on an AI system (usually business-focused AI systems) to alter its recognition cognizance so that the AI system misclassifies objects or misidentifies malicious traffic.
- Vulnerability exploitation: Of course, AI is the fastest tool to use to expose the weakness or vulnerability of any existing system; these attackers then use the vulnerability report to launch targeted attacks on the examined system. This usually affects businesses that do not patch too often.
2. Ransomware
A 2025 NordLayer report notes that more than 10 global-level companies got hit with ransomware attacks in 2025, so yeah, ransomware remains a top cybersecurity threat, especially to businesses. Although these ransom seekers do not get the amounts they request nowadays, the attacks are still persistent, and companies are actually paying.
We’ve seen a rise in state-affiliated and criminal RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service) groups thriving recently, and these guys are leveraging the rapid advancements of AI and technology to toughen their strikes. One of the major concerns of ransomware attacks isn’t the price (ransom) being requested, but the compromising of the hacked data, which is the chief cause of data breaches and critical data leaks.
In 2026, ransomware won’t stop or tone down; instead, it’ll become even more sophisticated and precisely targeted. Companies must fortify their networks and storage systems against these brute-force attacks and train their security departments on how to detect AI deepfakes and enforce MFAs or phishing-resistant auth for privileged accounts.
3. Malicious Mobile APKs Disguised as System Apps
It is always advised to install your mobile apps from the official app stores of your device’s stock OS; the Play Store for Android smartphones and Apple App Store for iOS users. Not like the apps on these official app stores are 100% safe and guaranteed, but you’d be safer that way, instead of downloading from APK-hosting sites.
Most times, when you install APK packages from these APK-hosting sites, they sideload additional malicious apps on your device, and these malicious apps won’t show in your device’s app drawer; instead, they’d disguise as system apps, working in the background to log your keystrokes or spy on your payment details—worst still, these apps automatically gain administrative rights on your device and install RATs (remote access trojans), rendering the device unusable unless you’re able to flash it on time.
Rooting is officially dead; if you still want to root or jailbreak your smartphone in 2026, you’ll be making a big mistake and inviting a butt-load of malicious Trojans and viruses to feast on your device.
However, it is understandable that some apps are only available as APKs and not on official app stores. For such apps, make sure to download from the official developer website using the developer’s official download link.
4. Supply-chain attacks
This applies to manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors that handle a ton of high-profile customer details. In 2025, attackers increasingly targeted companies in this category, including SaaS providers, to gain broad access into their customer databases; a single compromised supply chain exposes hundreds of customers. In 2026, these attacks are suspected to shoot up rapidly.
Companies in this category should continuously monitor their vendor posture and update their contract SLAs for formidable security, while employing SBOMs (Software Bill of Materials) or sign-off checks for third-party business.
5. IoT, OT, and Edge Device Exploitation
Today, we have thousands of smart home devices, which all run on IoT technology to keep all devices within a home or office space interconnected. While this is cool and handy, it means that if one of these devices is hacked, the hacker can access several other devices that are interconnected.
This is not to discourage smart home enthusiasts, but a call to always keep the firmware of your IoT devices updated and make sure to update to the latest patch releases for bug fixes and loophole closures. Also, make sure to use strong passwords; if possible, use passkeys or enable MFAs (multi-factor authentications).
Finally, make sure your home or office network is impenetrable—use reliable VPNs if you must, and enable “Whitelists” to whitelist only indicated device(s).
Conclusion
2026 is the year to up your security walls; invest in reliable security services and tools to keep your data and that of your customers safe. Leverage AI too, as part of your defender utilities, but make sure you understand the risks associated with not knowing how to perfectly secure your AI suite or solutions. This article is a call to awareness, so you don’t get caught in the web when the spider strikes.
