Top five cyberdefense recommendations for 2026

The cybersecurity landscape of 2026 marks a critical inflection point where AI technology will power both criminal capabilities and cyberdefense. So, the good news is that AI is powering enhanced cybersecurity defenses, and the bad news is that cybercriminals are using it too.

For medium to large businesses and organizations — including businesses of all sorts, schools, healthcare, government agencies and hospitality enterprises — the stakes have never been higher. Cybercrime has become a very efficient business, using automation, AI and advanced social engineering to launch massive attacks and maximize impact. Access to commercial large language models are making cybercriminals more productive, and shortening their learning curve.

According to a study from HiddenLayer in the past year alone, 77% of businesses have suffered a breach of their AI systems. Meanwhile, the average cost of a data breach has risen to $4.9 million, a 10% increase over 2024. High-profile incidents, such as the AI-driven ransomware attack on Yum! Brands and the AI-enabled breach at T-Mobile, underscore the severity and complexity of these threats. 

AI-driven attacks exploit multiple vectors

First, let’s look at the bad news around AI and cybersecurity. There has been a dramatic increase in AI-related cybersecurity security incidents. In fact, 75% of cybersecurity professionals have seen an increase in AI-based cyberattacks over the past year. These attacks cover a wide range of possible avenues to exploit, Including: 

Phishing and social engineering: AI-generated phishing emails and deepfake multimedia can convincingly impersonate executives or staff, leading to significant financial losses. “Cybercriminals now use large language models like ChatGPT to create grammatically perfect, contextually relevant phishing emails that are virtually indistinguishable from legitimate communications. These AI-generated messages can be personalized at scale, making them far more convincing than traditional phishing attempt,” explains Fred Smith, Associate Vice President, Information Security Officer at the University of Maryland. 

Malware and ransomware: AI-powered malware mutates rapidly and can sometimes outpace signature-based cyberdefense.

Vulnerability discovery: Autonomous AI agents can be used to scan for vulnerabilities and orchestrate coordinated attacks without human intervention.

Data poisoning and model extraction: Cybercriminals can manipulate training data or extract proprietary AI models, undermining system integrity.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): AI is transforming the potential damage caused by DDoS attacks, by making them more adaptive, precise and more widely accessible to cybercriminals.

Top five cybersecurity recommendations for 2026

And now for the good news: the good guys can use AI to thwart the cybercriminals using the same technology. AI has become a crucial tool for organizations seeking to bolster their cyberdefense posture, reduce response times, and predict threats before they escalate. 

Organizations can stem the rising tide of data breaches by adhering to these five simple steps:

Leverage AI for cyberdefense: Use AI and machine learning to detect and respond to sophisticated threats in real time. The better commercially available managed services employ AI-powered security solutions, and use AI for log analysis, anomaly detection, and predictive threat modeling. AI can study user behavior over time. If a login attempt appears abnormal, the system can instantly generate alerts or require additional authentication layers.  

Adopt zero trust network access (ZTNA): Restrict access based on verification, not trust, to limit lateral movement by cybercriminals. Organizations should implement robust multi-factor authentication procedures and continuously verify the cybersecurity readiness of devices prior to granting access.

Prioritize cloud security: Implement strong access controls, regular audits, and continuous monitoring of cloud environments. For a managed service, capabilities that include zero trust network access (ZTNA) and a cloud-based firewall will allow IT to enforce security measures and device postures for both corporate and personal devices.

Enhance employee training: Humans remain the root cause of most breaches. It can be a weak or stolen password, poor judgment in clicking a malicious link, or just employees suckered by deep fakes and advanced phishing; people remain weakest point that cybercriminals can target. Regular cybersecurity training and phishing awareness training are crucial to reducing human error. Focus on how convincing AI-enabled attack techniques can be, particularly in social engineering techniques and deepfake chat cyberattacks. 

By leveraging AI in cyberdefense, stepping up MFA and ZTNA, investigating managed services and being diligent about training, organizations can significantly reduce their risk exposure. And as the cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, the strategic use of AI may well prove to be a cornerstone of cyberdefense.

Your goals are our priority. Let’s talk.

Spectrum Business can make network management and security easier with a complete solution that includes design, connectivity, configuration, equipment, installation and ongoing US-based support for all your locations nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Cisco, or Fortinet FortiGate and FortiCloud platforms — and all three of these platforms utilize AI in their cybersecurity features.

Additionally, we offer managed security services with unified threat management, Secure Service Edge (SSE), DDoS protection and other solutions that can address your cybersecurity concerns.

Feel secure in the knowledge that with Spectrum Business you have a partner who is always available for support, is experienced in providing managed networks, including SD-WAN, and delivers connectivity options with reliable, scalableand secure networks.

Learn more about our cybersecurity offerings and see for yourself why 83% of Fortune 500 rely on Spectrum Business for technology solutions.