Unmanaged assets, PII exposure, and misconfigured cloud services to become the biggest drivers of enterprise cyber risk
CyCognito, a leader in external attack surface management (ASM), has released five key security forecasts for 2026, signaling a major shift in how large enterprises will manage external risk. The predictions are based on an analysis of Global 2000 internet-facing assets, revealing increased targeting of data-collection pages, outdated applications, and misconfigured cloud environments—largely exploited through AI-driven automation.
The insights highlight that most organizations lack a complete attacker’s view of their exposure, resulting in unidentified, unmanaged assets becoming major breach enablers. As enterprises expand their digital footprint across subsidiaries, SaaS, and multi-cloud ecosystems, shadow assets and misconfigurations are expected to become the leading cause of data loss, compliance penalties, and reputational damage by 2026.
Five Key ASM Trends Defining Enterprise Security in 2026
1. Regulatory Complexity Will Drive External Risk Programs
Global regulations such as DORA, NIS 2, and SEC disclosure mandates are expanding expectations for continuous monitoring, resilience proof, and board-level cyber risk visibility.
“Organizations that connect ASM practices directly to business outcomes will be the ones that survive potentially devastating cyberattacks.”
– Rob Gurzeev, CEO & Co-Founder, CyCognito
2. Full-Scope External Visibility Becomes Mandatory
Attackers view enterprise ecosystems holistically—across cloud, SaaS, subsidiaries, and third parties. In 2026, attack-surface visibility must mirror this breadth, replacing incomplete, point-in-time audits.
3. Platformization Will Accelerate—But Integration Wins
As enterprises consolidate security tools, flexible ASM platforms that integrate seamlessly with SIEM, SOAR, and GRC systems will take precedence over isolated solutions.
4. AI, Automation, and Continuous Validation Take Over
AI-powered simulation and continuous risk validation will replace manual penetration testing as enterprises seek to proactively identify and rank vulnerabilities based on business impact.
5. External Risk Management Becomes a Boardroom Priority
With rising geopolitical tension and economic pressure, boards now expect cybersecurity investments to deliver measurable business outcomes, including resilience, cost optimization, and brand protection.
These converging trends will evolve ASM from a technical function to a strategic business capability, aligning external-risk visibility with enterprise resilience, performance, and trust.