SECURITY analysts warn that 2026 is likely to bring a significant increase in advanced cyberattacks against governments and critical infrastructure, driven by the growing use of artificial intelligence and the expansion of threat actor networks, according to IT Brief UK.
A recent multinational advisory, Cybersecurity Dive showed that pro-Russia hacktivist groups are increasingly targeting operational technology in sectors such as energy and water, marking a shift from predominantly state-led cyber operations to a broader mix that includes criminal groups and opportunistic hacktivists.
A hacktivist is a hacker who carries out cyberattacks for political or ideological reasons, using tactics such as malware, botnets, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt or pressure individuals, institutions, or organisations they oppose.
READ ALSO :Â How AI made deepfakes harder to detect in 2025
The lead Product Manager at NCC Group, Floris Dankaart said the widening scope of attacks shows that all major threat actor categories have bridged the IT–OT gap, warning that exposed remote access tools such as VNC offer simple but dangerous entry points capable of disabling safety systems.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is expected to intensify cyber-enabled fraud through deepfakes and automation, with Senior Threat Researcher at Infoblox, John Wojcik forecasting a significant acceleration in such attacks, particularly targeting regions like Australia.
In response, vendors predict a shift toward human-supervised AI, expanded threat-intelligence sharing, and greater platform consolidation.
SentinelOne’s Gregor Stewart notes that countering threats such as deepfakes will require a fundamentally different approach to identity verification, moving beyond reliance on single-layer defences.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
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