India Cyber Threat Report 2026 flags AI-powered, human-mimicking attacks as the next major security challenge for enterprises
Seqrite, the enterprise security arm of Quick Heal Technologies, has warned that 2026 will mark the rise of cognitive cyber threats—a new class of AI-augmented attacks capable of mimicking human behavior with unprecedented accuracy and autonomy. According to the company’s newly released India Cyber Threat Report 2026, attackers are rapidly evolving beyond automated malware to intelligence-driven intrusions that can think, adapt, and deceive at scale.
Researchers at Seqrite Labs, India’s largest malware analysis facility, note that threat actors are increasingly using generative AI to automate reconnaissance, craft hyper-personalized social engineering campaigns, and deploy adaptive persistence techniques that evade traditional detection. Unlike the largely malware-centric threat landscape of 2025, cognitive attacks in 2026 are expected to operate at the intersection of automation and human-like intelligence, fundamentally altering enterprise risk profiles.
“Cyberattacks are no longer just automated—they are becoming cognitive, adaptive, and human-like.”
One of the most alarming trends highlighted in the report is the rise of AI-powered hyper-personalized phishing. Attackers are expected to use generative AI to create digital twins of trusted contacts—replicating writing styles, speech patterns, and even video presence—to deceive victims and bypass both human skepticism and automated security controls. These deceptive techniques are being combined with AI-enhanced mobile banking malware that can autonomously fill credentials, bypass biometric authentication, and execute fraud without human involvement.
Beyond social engineering, Seqrite forecasts that state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) groups and organized cybercrime syndicates will embed AI across the entire attack lifecycle. This includes autonomous vulnerability discovery, real-time mutation of malware payloads, and adaptive tactics that evolve in response to defensive measures. The report notes that such campaigns may also spoof the behavioral signatures of rival threat groups, creating false attribution trails and complicating incident response.
Seqrite also cautions that AI itself is becoming a prime attack surface. As enterprises adopt AI for critical functions such as healthcare diagnostics, credit scoring, industrial control, and fraud detection, adversaries are targeting AI lifecycles directly. Techniques such as training data poisoning, logic-based backdoors, and runtime manipulation can distort model behavior, while legitimate enterprise AI tools risk being exploited for lateral movement and data exfiltration.
To counter this shift, Seqrite Labs emphasizes the need for a transition from reactive security to cognitive resilience. The company recommends an intelligence-led approach that assumes compromise, prioritizes rapid containment, hardens AI systems, reinforces identity through Zero Trust, and leverages predictive, AI-driven threat intelligence.
As cyber adversaries evolve into cognitive actors capable of mimicking users and weaponizing AI platforms, Seqrite warns that enterprises must outthink—not just detect—the next generation of threats.