- 01The 2026 landscape — sustained conflict zones, expanding sanctions regimes, technology export controls, persistent cyber-enabled influence operations — produces specific threats defenders should plan for.
- 02Durable patterns: critical infrastructure prepositioning by state actors, cyber-enabled financial fraud as sanctions evasion, espionage targeting export-controlled tech and research, influence operations timed to global electoral cycles, hacktivism and proxy operations along conflict fault lines.
- 03Map to your program: critical infrastructure operators plan for prepositioning detection, research institutions plan for IP exfiltration, financial firms plan for sanctions-evasion fraud patterns. Exposure is not uniform; the planning should not be either.
- 04Build relationships with CISA, FBI InfraGard, sector ISACs, and equivalent agencies in your jurisdiction before you need them. The agency view of your sector will surprise you.
Geopolitical tension translates predictably to cyber activity. The 2026 landscape — sustained conflict zones, expanding sanctions regimes, technology export controls, persistent cyber-enabled influence operations — produces several specific threats that defenders should be planning for.
Patterns that are durable
- 01Critical infrastructure prepositioning by state actors
- 02Cyber-enabled financial fraud as sanctions evasion
- 03Espionage targeting export-controlled technology and research
- 04Influence operations timed to electoral cycles globally
- 05Hacktivism and proxy operations along conflict fault lines
Mapping to your program
Identify your sector's exposure to each pattern. A critical infrastructure operator should plan for prepositioning detection. A research institution should plan for IP exfiltration. A financial firm should consider sanctions-evasion fraud patterns. The exposure is not uniform across organizations; the planning should not be either.
Working with intelligence community partners
CISA, FBI InfraGard, sector ISACs, and equivalent agencies in your jurisdiction provide briefings that are richer than any commercial intel. Build the relationships before you need them; the agency's view of your sector will surprise you.