Artificial intelligence now crystallizes all the concerns of security leaders. According to HarfangLab’s “State of Cybersecurity” study, 58% of European companies consider AI-powered cybercrime as their main threat in 2026, compared to 46% the previous year.
For executives, CIOs, and CISOs, this shift is not theoretical. PwC’s Global Digital Trust Insights 2026 reveals that only 6% of companies say they are fully prepared to withstand a cyberattack, even though 65% of French executives rank cybersecurity in their top three strategic priorities. Understanding how generative AI is simultaneously transforming attacks and defenses has become crucial to adapting your cybersecurity governance and cybersecurity action plan to this new reality.
The explosion of AI-powered cyberattacks
Statistics confirming a worrying trend
Recent figures paint a stark picture of the accelerating cyber threats driven by artificial intelligence. Hornetsecurity’s sixth annual report, based on the analysis of 72 billion emails per year, reveals that emails containing malware have increased by 131% compared to the previous year, along with a rise in email scams (+34.7%) and phishing (+21%).
This surge is directly linked to the mass adoption of generative AI by cybercriminals. According to the same report, 77% of CISOs identify AI-generated phishing as a serious and emerging threat. Malicious actors can now craft fraudulent content that is far more convincing, in French or any other language, without the spelling mistakes or syntactic awkwardness that traditionally helped identify them.
Cybersecurity maturity assessments must now explicitly integrate the organization’s ability to detect and counter these new AI-assisted threats, a dimension often missing from traditional audit frameworks.
New vulnerabilities introduced by AI
Model compromise and data poisoning
Proofpoint identifies a critical emerging threat for 2026: the compromise of AI models themselves. Ravi Ithal, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Proofpoint, explains that “the cybersecurity frontline will no longer be at the firewall level but at the heart of AI training pipelines.”
Cybercriminals exploit this vulnerability by turning corrupted datasets into backdoors. They inject subtly altered information into training models to distort their final behavior. A compromised threat-detection AI model could systematically ignore certain types of attacks or generate false positives to overwhelm security teams with alerts.
This technique of data poisoning represents a major blind spot. Organizations deploying AI-based cybersecurity solutions must verify the origin and integrity of training data, a complex task requiring expertise and resources.
Internal security controls must now extend to the development and deployment processes of AI models, with systematic validation procedures and integrity tests.
Accidental exposure of sensitive data
The enthusiastic adoption of generative AI by employees is creating new security gaps. A survey cited by Infosecurity Magazine reveals that 20% of UK companies accidentally exposed sensitive data through generative AI tools in 2024.
This vulnerability falls under the broader phenomenon of Shadow AI, where employees use AI tools not validated by IT, bypassing security controls. The IT security policy must explicitly govern the use of generative AI, with regular training and secure alternative solutions.
Regulatory challenges and legal uncertainty
In Europe, the AI Act is gradually coming into force with obligations phased through 2026. French companies using AI for cybersecurity will need to achieve compliance step by step, ensuring greater reliability and accountability of their systems. In the United States, regulation is struggling to keep pace with AI model evolution, leaving a legal void exploited by malicious groups.
The GDPR applies directly to the use of AI in cybersecurity, especially concerning the processing of personal data. Article 22 of the GDPR, concerning automated decision-making, is particularly relevant for AI systems affecting individuals.
Cybersecurity regulatory compliance becomes more complex with AI, requiring combined legal and technical expertise to navigate the AI Act, GDPR, NIS2, and sector-specific regulations.
The most vulnerable sectors
PwC reveals that half of organizations that experienced data breaches costing over one million dollars belong to sectors such as technology, media, or telecommunications. In these environments, digital transformation advances faster than security measures.
This observation highlights a systemic risk: the rapid adoption of new technologies, including AI, without an adequate security framework creates exploitable vulnerabilities. Innovative sectors, often early adopters of technology, paradoxically become more exposed.
AI as a shield: strengthened defense and detection
Proactive detection and behavioral analysis
In the face of growing threats, AI simultaneously represents a strategic advance for defenders. According to UpGuard analyses cited by Stor Solutions, AI enables faster detection, containment, and anticipation of attacks compared to traditional approaches.
Behavioral anomaly detection: AI excels at identifying subtle deviations from normal patterns. An unusual login at 3 a.m., an abnormally large data transfer, or a suspicious sequence of commands, AI detects weak signals that might escape human monitoring or static rules.
Automated response and intelligent filtering: smart detection systems filter false positives, continuously adapt, and alert teams as soon as suspicious activity is detected. This automation frees analysts from repetitive tasks so they can focus on complex investigations and strategy.
Real-time analysis of massive data volumes: AI processes vast amounts of data continuously, 24/7. It detects new security risks and learns over time, avoiding repetitive procedures. According to onepoint, these enhanced capabilities significantly improve several aspects of cybersecurity.
Automation and reduction of human error
Fortinet identifies key advantages of AI in cybersecurity that directly address human limitations. Intelligent automation accelerates data collection, makes incident management more dynamic and efficient, and eliminates the need for security professionals to perform time-consuming manual tasks.
Security reporting also benefits from AI, with automated cybersecurity dashboards that synthesize critical information and proactively alert decision-makers to concerning trends.
Defense strategies and best practices for 2026
Building secure AI governance
Facing these challenges, IT governance best practices must evolve to explicitly incorporate the AI dimension. Hornetsecurity emphasizes that “resilience, driven by cultural change rather than prevention alone, will define cybersecurity success in 2026.”
Establish a clear AI usage policy: define which uses of AI are allowed, regulated, or prohibited. This policy covers both generative AI used by employees and AI-based cybersecurity solutions deployed by IT.
Integrate cybersecurity leaders into strategic decisions: as recommended by PwC, CISOs must participate in executive committees to inform decisions on technology investments, including AI.
Document and track usage: maintain a registry of deployed AI solutions, the data used for training, and validated use cases. This traceability facilitates compliance audits and demonstrates adherence to regulatory obligations.
Continuously train teams: invest heavily in training IT and security teams on AI technologies, as well as educating all employees about risks and opportunities.
Adopting an AI-assisted defense-in-depth approach
SOC and SIEM integration: AI-enabled Security Information and Event Management platforms become the operational core of defense. They centralize alerts, correlate events, and orchestrate responses. For organizations unable to maintain an internal SOC, MSSP audit and governance services offer this outsourced capability.
Testing and simulation: Hornetsecurity notes that few boards conduct cyber crisis simulations. Regularly organizing exercises involving AI-assisted attack scenarios validates the effectiveness of defenses and trains teams.
Constant human oversight: Verspieren stresses the need to “balance technological innovation with critical human supervision to avoid bias and false positives.” AI assists, humans decide and oversee.
Preparing the organization for cyber resilience
Daniel Hofmann, CEO of Hornetsecurity, states that “internal security awareness efforts must evolve at the pace of AI adoption. A security culture based on preparedness, supported by awareness of AI and its capabilities, will need to be a top priority in 2026.”
Develop operational guides: document response procedures for incidents involving AI.
Strengthen the business continuity plan: include scenarios of rapid, automated attacks capable of simultaneously compromising multiple systems.
Invest in resilience rather than prevention alone: accept that despite all precautions, some attacks will succeed. Investing in the ability to detect quickly, contain effectively, and fully recover becomes as important as prevention.
Conclusion: The delicate balance between opportunity and threat
AI represents both the most powerful offensive weapon of cybercriminals and the most promising defensive shield for organizations. This duality requires a balanced approach: leveraging AI’s potential to reinforce defenses while rigorously managing the new risks it introduces.
For executives, CIOs, and CISOs, the challenge goes far beyond the technical dimension. It is a profound organizational and cultural transformation: adapted governance, renewed skills, redesigned processes, reinforced resilience. The year 2026 will not bring a miraculous AI solution that solves all security problems, but organizations able to balance technology, processes, and human factors will gain a decisive advantage.
Is your organization ready to navigate this AI-transformed landscape? Our cybersecurity governance experts support you in assessing your exposure to AI-assisted threats and building a balanced defense strategy. Contact us to conduct a cybersecurity audit specifically integrating the AI dimension, design a cybersecurity action plan tailored to 2026 threats, and turn this technological revolution into a controlled competitive advantage.
Benefit from our expertise in cybersecurity regulatory compliance and IT governance best practices to accelerate your security transformation in the AI era, while maintaining NIS2 and AI Act compliance.
