The Agentic Era Arrives: How AI Is Transforming the Cyber Threat Landscape

Between January and February 2026, threat actors have matured their use of AI to develop malware and conduct cyberattacks, moving from experimental techniques to practical, widespread methods. A single experienced developer with an AI-powered IDE (integrated development environment, a coding tool with AI assistance) can now accomplish what previously required entire teams, while the same AI tools that help businesses also create new security vulnerabilities that defenders must prepare to protect against.