Out-of-the-Box Expectations for 2026 Reveal a Grab-Bag of Risk

This report aggregates 2026 cybersecurity predictions, highlighting AI-augmented threats enabling small actors, ransomware’s declining ROI, the rise of data sovereignty and “data embassies,” investor emphasis on cyber-resilience, and persistent physical/ICS risks. It forecasts SOC evolution into distributed, API- and AI-driven environments, accelerated post-quantum cryptography migration with a focus on crypto‑agility, and an AI market correction without slowing security adoption. Additional themes include tighter executive/CISO accountability (notably in South Korea), security-driven pushback on hybrid work, continued investment—especially in Israeli cyber tech—and developers’ growing role in securing AI-generated code.