Fortinet has released its 2026 Cyberthreat Predictions Report, describing the coming year as a turning point in the evolution of global cyber risk. According to FortiGuard Labs, cybercrime is shifting into a fully industrialized system driven by automation, specialization, and artificial intelligence. The report says success for both attackers and defenders in 2026 will hinge less on innovation and more on how quickly intelligence can be turned into action.
Fortinet warns that AI and automation will make intrusions faster and easier, reducing the need for new malware and encouraging attackers to refine and scale the tools they already use. AI is expected to manage reconnaissance, speed up intrusions, process stolen data, and even generate ransom negotiations. Autonomous agents on the dark web will begin carrying out major stages of attacks with little human involvement. As a result, attackers will be able to run many more campaigns at once, while the time between intrusion and damage is expected to shrink from days to minutes.
FortiGuard Labs predicts the emergence of specialized AI agents that will help with credential theft, lateral movement, and monetizing stolen data. AI will also accelerate extortion by instantly analyzing stolen databases, identifying high-value victims, and creating tailored messages. The underground economy is expected to become more structured, with more targeted botnet and credential-rental services and a move toward customer service, reputation systems, and automated escrow. Fortinet says these developments will push cybercrime closer to full industrialization.
On the defensive side, the report says organizations will need to move toward “machine-speed defense.” Security teams will rely more heavily on continuous threat exposure management and frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK to map active threats in real time and prioritize fixes. Identity management will become central, as companies must authenticate not only people but also automated agents and AI processes. Managing these non-human identities will be critical to preventing widespread privilege escalation and data exposure.
Fortinet also calls for more coordinated global action. It points to efforts such as INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 and the Fortinet–Crime Stoppers International Cybercrime Bounty program as examples of how shared intelligence and community reporting can help disrupt criminal infrastructure. The company expects continued investment in education and deterrence programs aimed at steering young people away from cybercrime before they enter the underground ecosystem.
Looking ahead, FortiGuard Labs says that by 2027 cybercrime is likely to operate at a scale comparable to legitimate global industries. Offensive operations are expected to become even more automated, with swarm-based AI agents capable of coordinating tasks and adapting to defenders. Supply-chain attacks targeting AI and embedded systems are also expected to rise. Defenders, the report says, will need to evolve through predictive intelligence, automation, and exposure management to stay ahead.
Jonas Walker, Director of Threat Intelligence APAC & Middle East at FortiGuard Labs, says, “The findings clearly show that cybercrime is no longer an opportunistic activity, it is an industrialized system operating at machine speed. As automation, specialization, and AI redefine every stage of the attack lifecycle, the time between compromise and consequence continues to collapse. The road ahead will be shaped by how quickly defenders can adapt to this reality. Cybersecurity has become a race of systems, not individuals, and organizations will need integrated intelligence, continuous validation, and real-time response to stay ahead of adversaries who measure success by throughput, not novelty.”
Bambi Escalante, Fortinet Philippines Country Manager, says, “For defenders, the shift we are seeing is profound. Static configurations and periodic assessments can’t keep pace with an environment where attackers automate reconnaissance, privilege escalation, and extortion in minutes. What organizations need is a unified, adaptive security posture, one that brings together threat intelligence, exposure management, and incident response into a continuous, AI-enabled workflow. At Fortinet, our focus is on helping customers build this level of resilience so they can act at the same speed as the threats they face and strengthen their ability to contain attacks before disruption occurs.”
