"With reports showing an 87% surge in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cyberattacks in 2025 and one in six breaches involving methods where AI was used to automate and amplify attacks, 2026 will be a make‑or‑break year for governments. Organizations must generationally evolve their defenses and plan for destructive AI-based attacks, particularly by foreign adversaries. Understanding the AI threat landscape AI-driven attacks are extremely difficult to defend against due to their velocity, frequency and unpredictability."
"State‑linked groups like Salt Typhoon exemplify this shift by focusing on long‑term, covert access rather than quick, noisy wins. During these hacks, as we saw with the Anthropic hack in September 2025, AI agents blend in with normal traffic, automate reconnaissance and identify the weakest links across government environments. As a result, it's easier for adversaries to stay hidden for months or years."
An 87% surge in AI-driven cyberattacks occurred in 2025, with one in six breaches using AI to automate and amplify attacks. 2026 represents a make-or-break year for governments facing this escalation. AI-driven attacks are difficult to defend against because of their velocity, frequency and unpredictability, and attackers can shape outcomes and undermine trust before overt disruption. Attackers are compromising datasets that support government decision-making and infrastructure. State-linked groups are prioritizing long-term covert access; AI agents blend into traffic, automate reconnaissance and can remain hidden for months or years. Targeting critical infrastructure risks corrupted information, delayed responses and disrupted services. Incremental improvements in defenses will be insufficient; a major, continuously updatable leap in capabilities, acquisition and program execution is required.
Read at Nextgov.com
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