Arthur Fuentes

The AI-fication of Cyberthreats, Trend Micro

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Cybercrime is set to evolve into a fully automated “industry” in 2026 as artificial intelligence reshapes the global threat landscape, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro said.In its latest annual predictions report titled &quot;The AI-fication of Cyberthreats&quot;, Trend Micro said AI-driven systems are now capable of autonomously running entire criminal operations.  This ranges from scanning for vulnerabilities to breaching networks and extorting victims. The company said this signals a shift away from traditional, human-driven cybercrime models.Ryan Flores, Lead of Forward-Looking Threat Research at Trend, said: “2026 will be remembered as the year cybercrime stopped being a service industry and became a fully automated one. We are entering an era where AI agents will discover, exploit, and monetize weaknesses without human input.”The report describes an ecosystem where generative AI, agentic systems, and automation produce polymorphic malware, deepfake-powered scams, and continuous intrusion campaigns that adapt in real time. Hybrid cloud infrastructure, AI supply chains, and over-privileged digital identities are expected to be among the most aggressively targeted environments.Trend Micro also warned that emerging development techniques such as vibe coding — which uses AI to rapidly generate functional modules — will accelerate risk. “Vibe coding is a double-edged sword… deploying vibe-coded modules into production software or daily business processes carries significant risk,” said Senior Threat Researcher Numaan Huq.Agentic AI, now widely embedded in enterprise operations, also introduces new dangers. When such autonomous systems malfunction or are compromised, they could disrupt supply chains or drain financial accounts without immediate detection, the report said.Legacy systems remain another critical weak point. “Legacy systems and outdated products remain one of the biggest ticking time bombs heading into 2026,” said researcher Sarah Pearl Camiling.Ransomware, meanwhile, is expected to morph into a self-managing, AI-powered ecosystem capable even of automated negotiation via “extortion bots.” Senior engineer Janus Agcaoili warned: “The proliferation of AI-powered RaaS platforms will further democratize cybercrime.”Trend Micro urged organizations to strengthen resilience by embedding security into AI deployments, cloud operations, and software supply chains, stressing that the defining battle of 2026 will be against intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous threats.

In its latest annual predictions report titled "The AI-fication of Cyberthreats", Trend Micro said AI-driven systems are now capable of autonomously running entire criminal operations.

In its latest annual predictions report titled "The AI-fication of Cyberthreats", Trend Micro said AI-driven systems are now capable of autonomously running entire criminal operations.

Cybercrime seen becoming ‘industry’ in 2026 with vibecoding, agentic AI, ransomware 'extortion bots'

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Cybercrime seen becoming ‘industry’ in 2026 with vibecoding, agentic AI, ransomware 'extortion bots'

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 01, 2025 03:07 PM PHT

Read More:

cybercrime

ransomware

agentic AI

vibecoding

artificial intelligence

cybersecurity

Trend Micro

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