AI, automation, and integration: The foundation for cyber protection in 2026

Cyber protection grew more complex in 2025 as more threat actors turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to increase their speed, scale, and precision. These autonomous ransomware, phishing, and data exfiltration attacks outpaced legacy tools and exploited gaps between security and backup solutions.

In 2026, organizations will have to evolve just as quickly, using AI and automation to unify their prevention, detection, response, and recovery strategies.

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Escalating AI threats

AI-driven threats surged in the first half of 2025, according to the Acronis Cyberthreats Report.  Attackers commonly employed deepfake-based social engineering, automated scripts, and AI-generated lures to increase their reach with less manual effort.

The number of publicly disclosed ransomware victims increased by nearly 70% compared to 2023 and 2024. And phishing remained the top initial vector, accounting for more than 73% of all incidents. These attacks hit the financial services, healthcare, and professional services industries particularly hard.​​

Meanwhile, malware developers accelerated their efforts, releasing variants at a record pace. Malware samples averaged a 1.4-day lifespan in early 2025, compared to 2.3 days in late 2023. Tactics such as zero-day exploitation and quieter data theft extortion further challenged manufacturing, retail, and technology organizations.

All told, these threats overwhelmed siloed data protection tools, which lacked the speed and context to counter AI-enhanced attacks.

The response

In 2025, some defenders began to respond in kind. By using AI to improve detection and automate responses, they reduced dwell time while accelerating containment and recovery. Others turned to integrated cybersecurity and data protection platforms, which simplified IT operations, consolidated alerting, and helped close the gaps attackers had exploited.​

Although managed service providers (MSPs) remained prime targets because of their privileged access to multiple environments, the number of initial access incidents reported declined by more than 25% — a sign that MSPs using consolidated security solutions were better able to detect and neutralize threats before they spread.

2026 priorities

To remain resilient in 2026, organizations must eliminate silos between cybersecurity, backup, and recovery. Critical priorities include:

• automation to reduce manual burdens and offset talent shortages;
• zero-trust frameworks, which restrict lateral movement and enforce least-privilege access; and
• unified platforms that reduce tool sprawl and integrate detection, response, and remediation.

Additionally, new regulations such as the European Union Network and Information Security 2 (NIS2) Directive, plus stricter incident reporting and business continuity requirements, will further push organizations to modernize and centralize their cyber protection.

Building a unified defense

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud enables this unified approach through a single AI-powered platform. It combines native endpoint detection and response (EDR) with extended detection and response (XDR), offers multitenant management for MSPs and managed security service providers, and integrates backup and recovery to minimize data loss and downtime.

By optimizing security management, simplifying compliance, and cutting recovery times across diverse environments, Acronis helps organizations respond to today’s threats while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.​​

For a deeper look at the latest threat trends and defense strategies, read the Acronis Cyberthreats Report, H1 2025.