Press releases

According to the assessment of the security experts at G DATA CyberDefense, 2026 will be shaped by the misuse of artificial intelligence, a shortage of skilled professionals, and growing pressure for digital sovereignty. The current IT Security Outlook shows that AI is rewriting malicious code and that the number of attacks on companies by their own employees is rising. The good news: the share of ransom payments is declining because companies are becoming more resilient and have functioning backups.

More and more cyber criminals are using ransomware to delete data instead of encrypting it. This puts companies at a rapidly increasing risk of losing important information. Security experts at G DATA CyberDefense AG expect criminals to use AI more and more in their attacks for social engineering and to create fake voice messages, images and videos. IT security is increasingly becoming a matter of trust. The good news is that the number of aborted attacks is growing, because the effort required by cyber criminals increases as companies take IT security more seriously.

Many consumers are in the starting blocks as Black Week and Black Friday are just around the corner. They use discounts and favourable prices to fulfil their Christmas wishes for family and friends. As a representative survey by G DATA CyberDefense AG shows, a third of online shoppers run the risk of falling victim to fraud: When comparing prices for a gift, they prefer a cheaper offer even if the retailer is previously unknown. These could be fake shops. G DATA advises caution in the pre-Christmas rush and provides tips for safe gift shopping.

What cyber risks will companies be facing in the coming year? According to G DATA CyberDefense, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more of a serious threat to IT security. This is because cyber criminals are increasingly exploiting the great potential of artificial intelligence and jeopardising IT security with fakes. Other challenges such as increasing regulatory requirements and high ransom demands are making IT security even more of a Sisyphean task.