2026, a year of major cyber threats according to Google

Google released its annual report on cybersecurity trends for 2026, the Cybersecurity Forecast Report, on November 4, 2025. Based on data collected by Google Threat Intelligence, Google Cloud Security, and Mandiant Consulting teams, the document warns of a global rise in cyber risks.

In detail, Google’s teams have identified four particularly worrying developments:

a widespread use of AI by cybercriminal groups, combined with the unauthorized use of AI tools by employees (the “Shadow Agent” phenomenon);

an intensification of cybercrime, notably through the multiplication of ransomware attacks;

the first attacks targeting virtualization, particularly hypervisors: once considered “unattackable,” these infrastructures often prove outdated and poorly covered by traditional detection solutions;

an “unstable” geopolitical environment, marked by a resurgence of cyber operations conducted by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.