2026: the year AI could dominate cybercrime?

January 9, 2026 2 min read

Experts warn of autonomous attacks using AI to infiltrate, extort, and manipulate data in corporations and governments.

Table of Contents

Are we ready for cybercrime that acts on its own?

What does it mean to live in a world where attacks are orchestrated by artificial intelligence without human intervention?

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are taking cybercrime to unprecedented levels: entire campaigns—from reconnaissance to extortion—are now executed autonomously, leaving businesses and governments with an escalating challenge to defend themselves.

Trend Micro Incorporated has released its 2026 Annual Security Predictions Report, warning that next year will mark the industrialization of cybercrime. According to the report, the speed, scale, and complexity of attacks will surpass anything seen before.

Ryan Flores, Head of Prospective Threat Research at Trend Micro, anticipates:

Related Posts:

“2026 will be remembered as the year cybercrime shifted from a service-based industry to a fully automated one. We are entering an era where AI agents will discover, exploit, and monetize vulnerabilities without human intervention. The challenge for defenders is no longer just detecting attacks but keeping pace with machine-driven threat timelines.”

The Transformation of Cybercrime

The report highlights that generative AI and agent-based systems will reshape the cybercrime economy. Autonomous intrusion campaigns capable of adapting in real time, malware that rewrites its own code, and social engineering attacks powered by deepfakes are expected.

Automation could also introduce hidden risks into legitimate workflows, blurring the line between innovation and exploitation.

Key targets for 2026 include hybrid cloud environments, software supply chains, and AI infrastructures. Poisoned open-source packages, malicious container images, and cloud identities with excessive privileges are expected to become frequent attack vectors.

Additionally, state-sponsored groups may employ “collect now, decrypt later” strategies to safeguard espionage against the advancement of quantum computing.

The Evolution of Ransomware

Ransomware, according to Trend Micro, will evolve into an AI-driven ecosystem capable of self-management: identifying victims, exploiting vulnerabilities, and even negotiating through automated “extortion bots.” These campaigns are expected to be faster, harder to trace, and more persistent, relying on data analysis rather than traditional encryption.

Trend Micro recommends organizations move from reactive defense to proactive resilience by embedding security into every layer of AI adoption, cloud operations, and supply chain management. Organizations that integrate ethical AI use, adaptive defenses, and human oversight will be better positioned to confront future challenges.

The report concludes that security in 2026 will demand visibility, automation with human validation, and a cultural shift that treats protection as strategic infrastructure. Innovating safely—balancing speed, governance, intelligence, and ethics—will be key to building trust and resilience in an increasingly autonomous world.