Gartner outlines six cybersecurity trends set to define 2026

Gartner has identified six major cybersecurity trends that will shape organisational risk, resilience and security strategy through 2026, driven by the rapid adoption of AI, escalating geopolitical tensions, regulatory volatility and an increasingly complex threat landscape.

According to Gartner analysts, cybersecurity leaders are operating in an environment of sustained disruption, where traditional approaches to governance, risk management and security operations are being tested by the convergence of emerging technologies and evolving attacker tactics.

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

The trends will be explored in detail at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, taking place on March 16–17, 2026, in Sydney.

Trend 1: Agentic AI ...