The Investor
25 Feb 2026, 22:54
CrowdStrike warns AI is accelerating cyberattacks in 2026 Global Threat Report
CrowdStrike released its 2026 Global Threat Report, highlighting how artificial intelligence is reshaping the threat landscape and compressing response times for defenders. The company said AI-enabled adversaries increased operations by 89% year over year, with the average eCrime breakout time falling to 29 minutes in 2025. The fastest observed breakout occurred in just 27 seconds.
The report found that attackers are exploiting generative AI tools by injecting malicious prompts at more than 90 organizations and targeting AI development platforms to deploy ransomware and establish persistence. Nation-state and eCrime groups are increasingly leveraging AI for reconnaissance, credential theft and evasion. China-linked activity rose 38%, while DPRK-linked incidents increased more than 130%, including a reported $1.46 billion cryptocurrency theft.
CrowdStrike also noted a 42% rate of vulnerabilities exploited before public disclosure and a 37% rise in cloud-focused intrusions, underscoring the growing speed and sophistication of AI-driven attacks.
Source: Business Wire
CrowdStrike released its 2026 Global Threat Report, highlighting how artificial intelligence is reshaping the threat landscape and compressing response times for defenders. The company said AI-enabled adversaries increased operations by 89% year over year, with the average eCrime breakout time falling to 29 minutes in 2025. The fastest observed breakout occurred in just 27 seconds.
The report found that attackers are exploiting generative AI tools by injecting malicious prompts at more than 90 organizations and targeting AI development platforms to deploy ransomware and establish persistence. Nation-state and eCrime groups are increasingly leveraging AI for reconnaissance, credential theft and evasion. China-linked activity rose 38%, while DPRK-linked incidents increased more than 130%, including a reported $1.46 billion cryptocurrency theft.
CrowdStrike also noted a 42% rate of vulnerabilities exploited before public disclosure and a 37% rise in cloud-focused intrusions, underscoring the growing speed and sophistication of AI-driven attacks.
Source: Business Wire