Ransomware Remains A Top 10 AI Threat In 2026
This week in cybersecurity from the editors at Cybercrime Magazine
Sausalito, Calif. – Feb. 11, 2026
ZDNet recently published “10 ways AI can inflict unprecedented damage in 2026,” that deserve every business leader’s attention:
1. AI-enabled malware will unleash havoc
2. Agentic AI is evolving into every threat actor’s fantasy
3. Prompt injection: AI tools will be the new attack surface
4. Threat actors will use AI to go after the weakest link – humans
5. AI will expose APIs as a too-easily-exploited point of attack
6. Extortion tactics will evolve from ransomware encryption
7. How the contagion spreads to industrial control and operations
8. Imposter employees: The insider threat to your organization
9. Nation-states will destabilize Western interests
10. Credential mismanagement to continue as a leading cybersecurity challenge
Even though ransomware encryption is not at the top of its rankings, ZDNET emphasizes that Cybersecurity Ventures predicts the global total cost of ransomware damage to increase by 30 percent, from $57 billion in 2025 to $74 billion in 2026.
For some organizations, ZDNet says, ransomware isn’t just a threat to the bottom line; it’s a threat to the business’s survival.
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