Cyber Security Report 2026

Check Point Research’s Cyber Security Report 2026 summarizes 2025 observations showing AI embedded across the attack lifecycle (improving social engineering, reconnaissance, and malware development), a shift to smaller and more targeted ransomware/data-extortion operations, increased exploitation of unmonitored edge and perimeter devices for initial access and persistence, and cyber activity aligned with geopolitical conflicts — with particular note of industrialized Chinese-nexus operations and rapid one-day weaponization; the report highlights exposure from misconfigurations, identity weaknesses, and ungoverned AI and urges data-driven defensive measures across cloud, edge, SaaS, and on-prem environments.