AI Chaos, Geopolitics and Regulation to Shape Top Cybersecurity Trends in 2026: Gartner

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence, escalating geopolitical tensions, regulatory uncertainty and a fast-evolving threat landscape will be the dominant forces shaping cybersecurity strategies in 2026, according to new research from Gartner.

“Cybersecurity leaders are navigating uncharted territory as these forces converge,” said Alex Michaels, Director Analyst at Gartner. “This environment of constant change is testing the limits of teams and requires new approaches to cyber risk management, resilience and resource allocation.”

Gartner identified six major cybersecurity trends expected to have a broad impact on governance, AI adoption and the protection of emerging digital frontiers.

Agentic AI creates new attack surfaces

The growing use of agentic AI by employees and developers is expanding organizational attack surfaces, Gartner said. No-code and low-code platforms, along with “vibe coding,” are accelerating the spread of unmanaged AI agents, increasing the risk of insecure code and regulatory violations. Gartner advised organizations to strengthen governance by identifying both sanctioned and unsanctioned AI agents and preparing incident response plans tailored to AI-driven risks.

Regulatory volatility raises resilience stakes

Shifting global regulations and geopolitical fragmentation are turning cybersecurity into a board-level business risk. With regulators increasingly holding executives accountable for compliance failures, Gartner warned that organizations face higher exposure to penalties, lost revenue and reputational damage. The firm recommended tighter coordination between cybersecurity, legal, procurement and business teams, along with alignment to recognised control frameworks and data sovereignty requirements.

Post-quantum security moves from theory to action

Gartner reiterated its view that advances in quantum computing could undermine widely used encryption methods by 2030. Organizations are being urged to begin adopting post-quantum cryptography now to guard against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks targeting long-lived sensitive data. Michaels said early investment in cryptographic agility will be critical to reducing future legal and financial risks.

Identity systems adapt to AI agents

The rise of autonomous AI agents is also straining traditional identity and access management (IAM) models. Challenges include managing non-human identities, automating credentials and enforcing policy-driven access controls. Gartner said organizations should take a risk-based approach, focusing investments where identity-related threats are greatest.

AI-driven SOCs disrupt operations

AI-enabled security operations centres (SOCs) are reshaping how threats are detected and investigated, but they are also introducing staffing, skills and cost challenges. Gartner cautioned that organizations must balance automation with human oversight, ensuring that workforce development keeps pace with AI adoption.

GenAI weakens traditional awareness training

Finally, Gartner said conventional cybersecurity awareness programs are proving ineffective in the age of generative AI. A Gartner survey found that more than half of employees use personal GenAI tools for work, with one-third admitting to entering sensitive information into unapproved systems. Gartner urged companies to replace generic training with adaptive, behavior-focused programs and clearer governance around acceptable AI use.

Together, the trends underscore a shift from reactive cybersecurity toward resilience-focused strategies as AI becomes deeply embedded in enterprise operations.