AI, ransomware and quantum risks: Barracuda outlines what will define cybersecurity in 2026

As the year closes, Barracuda’s experts have outlined key trends that will define cybersecurity in 2026, offering insights into how enterprises in India can prepare for a future where intelligent automation, governance and human expertise work hand in hand.

Key perspectives from Barracuda’s experts include:

• With hyper-personalised phishing and social engineering, we are going to see highly convincing, context aware phishing emails that are way beyond the capability of role-based defences and could circumvent behavioural-based defences as well.
• Multi-layered ransomware and extortion attacks will become a new normal, as attackers will craft tailored ransomware and take multiple swipes at compromised systems and organisational data.
• AI-driven SOCs, ‘co-pilot’ AI models and automated playbooks will compress response time, but they won’t replace human judgement. Managing AI itself will require new governance and oversight skills and structures. Automation may take a front seat, but in the short term the dependency ...