Cybersecurity 2026: Cookie Heists, AI Criminals, Hardware Sabotage, and the Coming Battle for Quantum-Safe Trust

By 2026, cybersecurity no longer resembles a contest between attackers and defenders operating on the same playing field. The threat landscape is fragmenting in several directions at once: identity is dissolving into tokens and cookies, criminal groups are beginning to rely on AI agents that never sleep, physical device attacks are getting cheaper than a night out, and organizations are being forced to reckon with the quantum future now, not a decade from now.

HP’s global security experts say the shifts coming in 2026 are not incremental—they’re foundational. The assumptions holding enterprise security together are about to be rewritten, from endpoint hardware all the way down to the cryptographic roots of trust.

Here’s what they say is coming, and why the future of work is about to become a lot more hostile.

1. The Cookie Wars Begin

Passwords have been losing relevance for years, but 2026 is the year enterprises finally confront the uncomfortable replacement reality: cookies and tokens now function as the keys to the kingdom—and attackers have noticed.

Ian Pratt, HP’s Global Head of Personal Systems Security, says the shift is already underway as MFA becomes ubiquitous. The predictable result: attackers will sprint toward session hijacking.

“Generalized MFA deployment will accelerate threat actors’ switch to stealing cookies and tokens instead of passwords. This means threat actors will need to act swiftly from time of theft, utilizing the stolen cookie before it expires to insert backdoors that then grant them persistent access. Online marketplaces will expand to enable this with rapid trading and exploitation.”

The problem? Defenses aren’t ready. Most organizations still rely on browsers for admin access to high-value targets—cloud consoles, identity providers, device-management portals. A stolen sysadmin cookie is a breach with a countdown timer attached.

“Defenses against cookie and token theft are not mature and are inconvenient for users. This means that we will see attacks involving such theft becoming increasingly commonplace… where cookie theft creates an easy path to a catastrophic enterprise breach.”

The recommended fix—a Privileged Access Workstation—isn’t widely implemented. And even when it is, PAWs have been compromised before.

Pratt’s conclusion is blunt: the industry must move past the idea that the browser is safe enough for privileged access.

“For critical applications, enterprises are going to need to look toward additional layers of defense, such as strong isolation and application security posture attestation.”

In other words: 2026 is the year enterprises learn that their most dangerous insider may be… their own browser.

2. AI Agents Join the Criminal Workforce

If 2023–2025 were the era of AI-generated phishing, 2026 is the year AI joins the kill chain as a full-fledged collaborator.

Alex Holland, Principal Threat Researcher at HP Security Lab, says organized cybercriminal groups are about to scale in ways that previously required nation-state resources.

“In 2026, we expect to see organized crime groups automate workflows and outsource more tasks using AI agents in their attacks, especially preparatory tasks like researching victims to target… Threat actors will no longer limit their AI use to basic automation or phishing content creation. They will also start using AI to assist with complex tasks like vulnerability discovery.”

The impact is profound: AI becomes a force multiplier that slashes the cost and skill required to operate large-scale, multi-step intrusions.

“AI assistance will help threat actors to scale their operations, making campaigns more efficient by reducing the resources and skills attackers need to breach targets.”

Even the best detection stacks will start missing things—not because they’re flawed, but because attackers can now launch vastly more attempts.

“Against a barrage of AI-assisted attacks, even the best detection tools will miss some threats. Instead, organizations need to ensure threats can be contained, isolated and remediated…”

The AI-powered SOC may yet become reality—but so will the AI-powered cybercrime cartel.

3. Physical Attacks Go Mainstream

For years, physical cyberattacks—hardware tampering, malicious peripherals, supply-chain manipulation—were the realm of espionage shops and high-budget APTs. That’s about to change.

Boris Balacheff, Chief Technologist for Security Research at HP, says hybrid work is turning physical compromise into an everyday criminal tactic.

“Hybrid work is accelerating the commoditization of attacks enabled by physical access to devices… employees today work in cafés, bars, hotels, and conference centers… giving threat actors ample opportunity to tamper with a device when its owner steps away.”

Exploitation kits are getting cheaper. Tools once reserved for labs are becoming available—and dangerously simple to use.

“Next year, IT leaders should anticipate this will continue, with easy-to-use exploitation kits and investment by threat actors into new physical attack techniques.”

A tampered laptop isn’t just a stolen device; it’s a foothold.

“Threat actors can seek to exfiltrate data, grasp control of compromised devices to gain broader access to enterprise networks, and even mount destructive attacks to brick devices that are not designed with self-healing built in from the ground up.”

Balacheff’s message is clear: device security is now a frontline discipline. Hardware must become part of zero trust—not an afterthought.

4. Printers, IoT, and Edge Devices Finally Become Impossible to Ignore

For a decade, printers and edge devices were the punchline of cybersecurity memes. In 2026, they become the headline.

Steve Inch, HP’s Global Senior Print Security Strategist, says a wave of high-profile compromises will finally force enterprises to treat these devices as the endpoints they really are.

“After a year of high-profile attacks against connected devices, organizations will finally prioritize security for devices at the network edge… security vulnerabilities allowed for remote takeovers of printers, highlighting the risks of leaving printers unprotected.”

The problem is sprawling, structural, and deeply entrenched.

“For too long, printers have been the lowest priority on every security team’s list… This creates security blind spots – from exploitation attempts to insider threats, outdated firmware, malicious updates and misconfigurations…”

Attackers love blind spots. Printers and IoT devices offer both a treasure trove of sensitive data and a quiet pivot point deeper into the network.

“These security gaps give threat actors a potential launchpad… In the year ahead, organizations and governments will demand that endpoint devices like printers come with continuous and active system monitoring throughout their lifecycle.”

In 2026, print security won’t be a niche concern—it will be a compliance expectation.

5. Quantum Resistance Becomes a Procurement Requirement

The quantum threat has hovered for years as a theoretical risk. In 2026, it becomes a procurement checkbox.

Thalia Laing, Principal Cryptographer at HP, says that planning for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is about to move from “someday” to “must-start-now.”

“A year on from the introduction of new NIST standards for quantum-resistant asymmetric cryptography, public sector and critical infrastructure companies are going to accelerate planning and vendor engagements to chart a path towards migration.”

The looming reality: RSA-2048 is marked for deprecation by 2030, ECC by 2035. Many organizations will leapfrog straight to quantum-safe algorithms—especially where hardware and long-life systems are involved.

“With ongoing advances in quantum computing, the prospect of a quantum computer capable of breaking asymmetric cryptography within a decade is becoming increasingly plausible.”

Devices bought in 2026 may still be in service when a cryptographically relevant quantum computer arrives.

“From 2026 onwards, quantum resilience will increasingly influence hardware procurement decisions… By embedding quantum resilience now, organizations can maintain trust in the technologies shaping the Future of Work.”

2026 is not the year quantum computers break encryption—but it is the year enterprises must assume they eventually will.

6. Identity, Provenance, and Data Custody Take Center Stage

Identity was once about login screens. In 2026, HP predicts it becomes about everything: provenance, data lineage, continuous permissions, and persistent control.

Peter Blanchard, Document Workflow Security Strategy Principal at HP, says current zero-trust models are buckling under fragmentation.

“Today’s zero-trust implementations often create complexity and fatigue, with identity scattered across users, apps, and devices… The next phase will prioritize consolidation: centralized identity orchestration that simplifies access, strengthens governance, and reduces operational risk.”

Security will move beyond “who are you?” toward “where did this data come from, and who should control it across its entire life?”

“We’ll see security move from focusing on point of entry, to managing the custody of data throughout its lifecycle… Identity and policy will travel with the data, embedded through persistent controls, telemetry, and rich metadata.”

In the AI era—where content provenance and trustworthiness are existential issues—this becomes foundational.

“Provenance and lifecycle control will become critical in the age of AI, where transparency and trust are non-negotiable.”

Identity becomes less of a gate and more of a gravitational field—something that shapes the movement of data everywhere, not just at login.

The Future of Work Is Becoming the Future of Security

Across HP’s predictions, a consistent theme emerges: the attack surface is no longer just digital. It’s physical, behavioral, cryptographic, and increasingly autonomous. Cookies become credentials. AI becomes an adversary. Devices become battlegrounds. Identity becomes continuous. Hardware becomes a trust anchor. And quantum computing becomes a countdown.

2026 won’t be defined by any single breakthrough or breach. It will be defined by the realization that the perimeter is everywhere—and so is the attacker.