The Next Wave: Predictions for the 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape

ReliaQuest Threat Research analyzes 2025 trends and warns that 2026 will likely see cracked AI-powered pen-testing tools accelerate exploit discovery, specialized groups industrializing maintainer-targeted supply-chain compromises, and a bifurcation in ransomware tactics between high-profile noisy actors and stealthy, persistent operators—illustrating large-scale risks to software supply chains, CI/CD pipelines, and enterprise defenses.