Top 5 Cyber Security Risks for Businesses in 2026

Cyber security is moving fast, and 2026 is already shaping up to be a tougher year for businesses. Recent industry forecasts suggest global cybercrime costs will cost the world £12.2 trillion by 2031, driven by more advanced attacks and a growing reliance on cloud services. 

Attackers are using AI to speed up and personalise their methods, suppliers remain a weak link, and people are still the easiest route into a network. At the same time, ransomware groups are becoming more strategic, and cloud environments create

new risks that teams are still learning to manage.

This guide breaks down the top five cyber risks that matter most for 2026, and how a penetration test can help businesses stay ahead.

1. AI-Powered Threats

By 2026, AI is giving threat actors the tools they need to make cyber attacks faster, smarter, and harder to detect. This isn't a theory anymore, it’s already happening. Attackers are using artificial intelligence to automate tasks that once needed time and skill, so the risk of it happening to your organisation will increase as we move into 2026.

AI Phishing

AI-driven phishing is the biggest shift. Tools can generate emails that match a company’s tone and professionalise language used by foreign threat actors. This results in staff being far more likely to trust them.

Deepfakes

Deepfakes are another growing risk, as attackers can clone anyone’s voice from a few seconds of audio, then use it to request payments or password resets. Video deepfakes are improving too, making these scams even more convincing, especially for more susceptible staff members, who may have a hard time visually detecting AI.

Vulnerability discovery

AI can speed up vulnerability discovery. Automated tooling used in combination with AI can scan networks, find weak spots, chain vulnerabilities together and test ways to bypass security without much human effort needed.

The real danger is how attackers combine these methods. A realistic phishing email, followed by a cloned voice call, and then automated scanning of your systems is a pattern we’re already seeing.

Solution: For businesses, the fix starts with stronger identity checks, regular staff training, and security tools that look for unusual behaviour rather than relying on humans to catch every threat.

2. Supply Chain Exploits

   
   

Supply chain attacks are rising fast, and by 2026 they could be one of the most damaging threats for UK businesses. You can secure your own systems, but you can’t always control the security of every third-party tool you rely on.

A common scenario is a trusted piece of software being compromised. Attackers can slip in a backdoor during an update, and every organisation using that product unknowingly installs the threat. Once they gain that initial foothold, attackers can work their way through connected systems and push the incident far beyond the original entry point.

Also, any partner with network access, such as IT providers, cloud services, payment processors, can become an entry point if their defences fail. Threat actors prefer these indirect routes because they let them bypass stronger controls and hit multiple targets at once.

Solution: Businesses need a clearer view of which partners can reach their systems and stronger controls around those connections, supported by ongoing monitoring of third-party activity. Taking the time to check these links regularly and tighten permissions where needed makes it far easier to contain the fallout if a supplier is compromised.

3. Social Engineering

   
   

 Social engineering is often considered one of the most effective ways attackers bypass technical controls. Instead of breaking through firewalls, the threat actors focus on people. Through phishing emails, insider manipulation, and believable pretexts used together to gather information about a company or push someone to take an action that opens the door for a wider attack.

What makes this so dangerous in 2026 is how convincing these attempts have become. Phishing messages have become harder to spot because they mimic internal communication and tie in real company activity. To make them convincing, attackers gather whatever details they can find online or in leaked data to tailor the message to the person they’re targeting. A single response or misplaced click can give an attacker everything they need to move further into the infrastructure.

Solution: Reducing this risk comes down to awareness and verification. Staff need to know what modern phishing looks like, managers need to reinforce a culture of checking before acting, and sensitive requests should always be verified through a second channel. 

An EASM Platform like GARi by RMI, supports this by running realistic phishing simulations that show teams how these attacks work in practice. When people feel confident slowing down and confirming a request, most social engineering attempts fall apart.

4. Ransomware Evolution

Ransomware isn’t just about encrypting files anymore. By 2026, most attacks follow a double or even triple-extortion model, where criminals steal data, lock systems, and then apply pressure in other ways to force payment. The goal is to make the disruption painful enough that a business feels it has no choice but to comply.

Attackers now spend more time inside a network before triggering the ransomware itself. They look for sensitive data, map out critical systems, and identify the points that will cause the most operational impact. When the attack finally hits, organisations can be pushed offline and left dealing with both operational disruption and the risk of stolen data being released.

Solution: This shift means backups alone aren’t enough. Defences need to focus on spotting unusual behaviour early, limiting how far an attacker can move if they get in, and rehearsing how the organisation will respond if systems are taken offline. A well-planned response can hold the line even when the pressure is high.

5. Cloud Threats

As more businesses have moved toward hybrid or fully cloud-based infrastructure, the attack surface has continued to widen. Although cloud systems have been around for a while, teams are still learning how to manage these environments, and gaps often appear where settings aren’t applied correctly or where access controls aren’t as tight as they should be. These small weaknesses can give attackers a foothold that’s difficult to spot until damage is already underway.

A growing issue is the rise of unofficial or lightly monitored cloud services used by staff. These tools make day-to-day work easier but can sit outside the organisation’s security standards, creating blind spots where data is stored or shared without proper oversight. When attackers find these areas, they often face less resistance and more opportunity to move further into the environment.

Solution: To stay ahead, businesses need a clear view of which cloud services are in use, who can reach sensitive systems, and how those permissions change over time. Regular checks help, but cloud penetration testing gives a clearer picture of real risk. 

One Compliance reviews major platforms like AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle, along with container setups such as Kubernetes and Docker, to spot weak configurations and risky access paths before they turn into serious problems.

Learn more: What Is a Penetration Test: A Simple Guide

Book a Penetration Test Service with One Compliance

If you’re unsure where your weak spots are, a penetration test is one of the quickest ways to get clarity. We show you how attackers would approach your systems, where they’d push, and what you can fix right now to lower your risk.

If you want a clearer picture of your security posture, book a penetration test with One Compliance. We’ll guide you through the process and give you findings you can act on straight away!