As the year concludes, several cybersecurity trends are expected to shape the threat and defence landscape in 2026, particularly for enterprises operating in India. These developments point to a future where automation, governance frameworks, and human expertise increasingly intersect.

One major shift is the rise of hyper-personalised phishing and social engineering. Attackers are expected to use contextual and highly tailored messages that go beyond traditional role-based or behavioural defences, increasing the likelihood of successful compromise.

Ransomware and extortion tactics are also becoming more layered. Instead of single-stage attacks, threat actors are likely to deploy customised ransomware and repeatedly target compromised environments, extracting value across multiple systems and datasets.

Security operations are expected to rely more heavily on AI-assisted monitoring, automated response playbooks, and decision-support models to reduce response times. However, human judgement will remain essential. As AI becomes embedded in detection and response processes, organisations will need new governance structures and oversight capabilities to manage these systems effectively.

Quantum readiness is emerging as a board-level issue, particularly in sectors such as banking, healthcare, and defence. Awareness initiatives, quantum-resilient architectures, and cryptography-focused engineering practices are expected to gain traction as part of long-term risk planning.

Workforce requirements are also shifting. Broad, generic skills in coding and testing are giving way to specialised domain expertise. Upskilling and reskilling existing employees is expected to play a critical role in addressing emerging security and technology demands.

Supply chain risks are anticipated to grow further, with organisations seeking greater visibility, assurance, and accountability from vendors and partners as third-party exposures increase.

Employee security awareness training is expected to become more targeted and personalised to counter increasingly sophisticated and context-aware threats. At the same time, cyber resilience is becoming a priority, with a focus on operational continuity, data integrity, immutable storage, and micro-segmentation to limit the impact of successful attacks.

Regulatory authorities are also placing greater emphasis on demonstrable operational resilience. This includes requirements for organisations to maintain and test plans that ensure continuity of critical services during and after cyber incidents.

Overall, the evolving threat environment suggests that resilience will depend less on individual tools and more on integrated strategies that combine technology, governance, skilled personnel, and continuous adaptation.

Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals.

Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox.

All about ETCISO industry right on your smartphone!