2026, a Year of Major Cyber Threats According to Google
Google released its annual Cybersecurity Forecast Report on November 4, 2025. This report is based on data from Google Threat Intelligence, Google Cloud Security, and Mandiant Consulting teams, highlighting a global surge in cyber risks for 2026.
Key Cybersecurity Trends for 2026
- Increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) by cybercriminal groups, along with unauthorized AI use by employees, known as the "Shadow Agent" phenomenon.
- Growth in cybercrime, particularly a rise in ransomware attacks.
- Emergence of attacks targeting virtualization technologies, especially hypervisors—once seen as "unattackable" but now vulnerable due to outdated protections.
- An unstable geopolitical climate featuring renewed cyber operations from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
Google’s Warning on AI and Virtualization Threats
Google emphasizes the combination of AI misuse by threat actors and internal employees as a growing vulnerability. The report also notes the first waves of assaults on virtualized infrastructures, which traditional security tools often fail to adequately monitor.
“Once considered ‘unattackable,’ these infrastructures often prove outdated and poorly covered by traditional detection solutions.”
Geopolitical Impact on Cybersecurity
The report links geopolitical tensions to increased cyber operations, highlighting activities by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as key contributors to the unstable cyber threat landscape.
“An ‘unstable’ geopolitical environment is marked by a resurgence of cyber operations conducted by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.”
Author's Summary
Google's 2026 cybersecurity outlook warns of enhanced AI-driven cyberattacks, novel virtualization threats, and escalating geopolitical cyber tensions demanding urgent global attention.