Top 6 Cybersecurity And AI Predictions For 2026 - crn.com

HOME ▸ NEWS ▸ SECURITY ▸ 2026 ▸ TOP 6 CYBERSECURITY AND AI PREDICTIONS FOR 2026 Security Top 6 Cybersecurity And AI Predictions For 2026 BY KYLE ALSPACH JANUARY 21, 2026, 3:00 PM EST A surge in AI-generated vulnerabilities, more-autonomous cyber defense agents and impossible-to-identify deepfakes are among the developments expected by security experts this year. SHARE THIS Cybersecurity And AI Predictions For 2026 While the arrival of GenAI and agentic technologies have already had a massive impact in the cybersecurity world—both for defenders and attackers—2026 may mark a turning point. That’s according to a half-dozen cybersecurity experts who spoke with CRN recently, sharing their top predictions on cybersecurity and AI for 2026. [Related: 10 Top Cybersecurity CEOs On AI’s Impact In 2026] Major developments to expect in 2026 include a surge in AI-generated vulnerabilities, according to Adam Meyers, senior vice president for counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike. “AI is suited for that, because AI can really start to dial in what data you’re throwing at that software to try to break it,” Meyers said. Ultimately, in 2026, AI-driven vulnerability research will become “more practical” and lead to a far greater number of vulnerabilities available in the market, he told CRN. On the cyber defense side, the availability of more-autonomous cyber defense agents could help to even the scales, according to Rob Lefferts, corporate vice president for threat protection at Microsoft. Lefferts said he sees agentic-powered security quick moving beyond task-based automation and toward outcome-driven approaches. The next generation of AI-driven cyber defense is “when I have systems of agents, coordinating together—and it’s not task-specific, it’s [about the] outcome,” he told CRN. Meanwhile, the continued improvement of video and voice deepfake technologies will likely make many deepfakes practically impossible for humans to identify in the near future, according to Bryan Sacks, field CISO at Myriad360, No. 110 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2025. “By mid to late 2026, it’ll be really hard to tell the difference,” Sacks said. What follows are more cybersecurity and AI predictions for 2026. KYLE ALSPACH Kyle Alspach is a Senior Editor at CRN focused on cybersecurity. His coverage spans news, analysis and deep dives on the cybersecurity industry, with a focus on fast-growing segments such as security operations, AI security and identity protection. He can be reached at kalspach@thechannelcompany.com Application and Platform Security Cloud Security Cybersecurity AI Artificial Intelligence Generative AI Vulnerabilities Cyberattacks Security operations AI Agents LLM Nvidia GTC 2026: HPE Unveils Vera Rubin Systems, Expands Private Cloud AI Portfolio Nvidia Puts Groq LPU, Vera CPU And Bluefield-4 DPU Into New Data Center Racks Nvidia To Use Intel Xeon 6 CPUs For DGX Rubin NVL8 Systems AWS Security Director Leaves For Stripe Caylent CEO On AWS’ AI Lead And Growing Sales But Not Head Count Strategy TO TOP