Cybercrime is shifting into a fully industrialized enterprise powered by artificial intelligence, automation and a maturing underground economy, according to FortiGuard Labs’ Cyberthreat Predictions Report for 2026.

The report warns that the coming year will mark a historic inflection point in global cybersecurity, not because attackers have become more inventive, but because they have become faster.

Fortinet researchers say the defining factor of cyber risk in 2026 will be throughput — how quickly intelligence can be weaponized.

As AI systems begin managing reconnaissance, intrusion and ransom negotiations, the distinction between human and automated threat activity will blur.

“Cybercrime is no longer an opportunistic activity, it is an industrialized system operating at machine speed,” Jonas Walker, director of threat intelligence for APAC and the Middle East at FortiGuard Labs, said.

FortiGuard Labs predicts that cybercriminals will increasingly rely on specialized AI agents capable of automating critical stages of attacks, including credential theft and lateral movement.

The report says these agents will not yet operate independently, but their ability to parse stolen data, identify valuable assets and generate tailored extortion messages will accelerate the monetization of data.

Once attackers breach a database, AI tools will instantly score victims based on potential financial return, compressing the time from compromise to extortion from days to minutes.

Underground markets are also expected to evolve. Where today’s marketplaces sell generic access to compromised systems, next year’s platforms will offer industry-specific, region-specific and system-specific bundles.

Botnet and credential-rental schemes will be structured like legitimate service providers, complete with tiered pricing, reputation scoring and automated escrow.

FortiGuard Labs describes this development as cybercrime’s shift from cottage industry to full industrialization.

The acceleration is expected to overwhelm unprepared organizations. With autonomous attack chains becoming more common, defenders will need to operate at what Fortinet calls “machine-speed defense” — a continuous cycle of intelligence, validation and containment.

Traditional approaches such as periodic perimeter reviews will not suffice in an environment where attackers can breach, escalate privileges and encrypt data in under an hour.

Identity verification — once a human-facing concern — will extend to automated agents, AI systems and machine-to-machine interactions. FortiGuard Labs warns that mismanaging these non-human identities could lead to catastrophic privilege escalation and data exposure.

Industrialized cybercrime will demand a coordinated response. Fortinet cites initiatives like INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 and its Cybercrime Bounty program with Crime Stoppers International as early examples of intelligence-driven deterrence.

Education and intervention programs targeting young offenders will also be essential, it says, to prevent the criminal ecosystem from replenishing its labor force.

Bambi Escalante, Fortinet Philippines country manager, said organizations must rethink their posture.

“Static configurations and periodic assessments can’t keep pace with an environment where attackers automate reconnaissance, privilege escalation and extortion in minutes,” Escalante said.

“What organizations need is a unified, adaptive security posture, one that brings together threat intelligence, exposure management and incident response into a continuous, AI-enabled workflow.”

By 2027, FortiGuard Labs predicts cybercrime will rival legitimate global industries in scale, powered by swarm-based AI agents capable of coordinating tasks and adapting to defender behavior.

The next phase of cybersecurity, it says, will be won not by individuals, but by systems — where velocity, automation and intelligence determine survival.