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 Requires Active Cybersecurity Governance
The rapid adoption of agentic AI by developers and employees is creating new, unmanaged attack surfaces. The rise of no-code and low-code platforms, alongside so-called “vibe coding”, is accelerating the proliferation of unsanctioned AI agents, insecure code and potential regulatory breaches.
Gartner advises security leaders to identify both authorised and unauthorised AI agents, apply appropriate controls and develop incident-response playbooks tailored to AI-related risks.
Trend 2: Regulatory Volatility Elevates Cyber Resilience to a Board Issue
Geopolitical shifts and evolving global regulations are turning cybersecurity into a material business risk. Regulators are increasingly holding boards and executives accountable for compliance failures, with consequences ranging from financial penalties to reputational damage.
To address this, Gartner recommends formal collaboration between cybersecurity, legal, business and procurement teams, alignment with recognised control frameworks, and proactive management of data sovereignty requirements.
Trend 3: Post-Quantum Readiness Moves from Theory to Execution
Gartner predicts that advances in quantum computing could render widely used asymmetric cryptography unsafe by 2030. Organisations must begin transitioning to post-quantum cryptography now to mitigate risks such as “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks targeting long-term sensitive data.
“Post-quantum cryptography is reshaping cybersecurity strategies by forcing organisations to identify, manage and replace legacy encryption methods,” Michaels said. “Cryptographic agility will be essential to protect assets as quantum threats become real.”
Trend 4: Identity and Access Management Must Evolve for AI Agents
The emergence of autonomous AI agents is challenging traditional identity and access management (IAM) models. New risks are emerging around identity registration, credential automation and policy-driven access for non-human actors.
Gartner recommends a risk-based approach that prioritises high-impact gaps while using automation to maintain control and compliance in AI-centric environments.
Trend 5: AI-Driven SOCs Disrupt Established Operating Models
AI-enabled security operations centres (SOCs) are reshaping detection, triage and investigation workflows but also introducing new challenges. These include workforce disruption, increased upskilling demands and uncertainty around the cost structures of AI security tools.
“To unlock the full value of AI in security operations, organisations must invest in people as much as technology,” Michaels noted. “Human-in-the-loop frameworks and clear strategic objectives are critical as SOCs evolve.”
Trend 6: Generative AI Undermines Traditional Security Awareness Training
Traditional security awareness programmes are proving ineffective in the age of generative AI. A Gartner survey conducted in 2025 found that 57% of employees use personal GenAI tools for work, while 33% admit to entering sensitive data into unapproved platforms.
Gartner recommends shifting towards adaptive, behaviour-based training that includes AI-specific use cases, alongside stronger governance and clearly defined policies for authorised AI usage.
