Serious cyberattacks surge 71% in early 2026
Serious cyber incidents worldwide reached a record high in the first half of 2026, rising 71% from a year earlier, as researchers warned that artificial intelligence could enable larger, faster and increasingly automated attacks.
Italy’s national cybersecurity association, Clusit, recorded 4,911 serious incidents globally between January and June, averaging 819 per month, according to a report presented in Verona.
The figure represents a 105% increase from the previous six months and equals 93% of all serious incidents recorded throughout 2025.
AI could transform cyberattacks
Researchers identified early signs of what they described as “agentic hacking,” in which artificial intelligence programs perform attack-related tasks with increasing independence.
They warned that coordinated networks of AI agents could eventually launch fully automated cyberattacks, adapting their tactics in real time and combining different methods to exploit vulnerabilities in corporate systems.
To address the emerging threat, Clusit called for clearer lines of responsibility, flexible governance frameworks and cybersecurity defenses capable of responding rapidly and automatically to AI-driven attacks.
Manufacturing emerges as Italy’s hardest-hit sector
Italy recorded 245 known serious cyber incidents in the first half of 2026, down from 280 during the same period last year. The country accounted for approximately 5% of the global total.
However, the proportion of Italian incidents classified as high severity rose by nearly 20 percentage points to 57%, indicating that fewer recorded attacks were associated with a greater share of serious incidents.
Manufacturing was the hardest-hit sector, as financially motivated attacks targeting businesses increased.
Malware accounted for 43% of incidents recorded in Italy, up sharply from 22.7% a year earlier.
Meanwhile, hacktivism, which involves cyberattacks motivated by political, social or ideological causes, declined. Researchers suggested that stronger protections introduced under Italy’s cybersecurity legislation and the European Union’s NIS2 directive could partly explain the decrease.
Cybersecurity becomes a business priority
Clusit President Anna Vaccarelli said the findings reflected a changing risk landscape and highlighted the need for organizations to strengthen their defenses.
“The data tells us that the nature of risk is changing,” Vaccarelli said.
She urged businesses to treat cybersecurity as essential to operational continuity and as a shared responsibility supporting national resilience.
The findings underline growing concerns that the combination of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and advances in artificial intelligence could place additional pressure on businesses and public institutions to strengthen their security systems.
Source:AA
