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Agentic AI-driven ransomware is poised to become a major force in the cyber threat landscape, with state-backed crews already experimenting with autonomous tools. Experts warn of a major leap for the cybercrime ecosystem as this technology becomes more prevalent.
The cybersecurity landscape is expected to shift drastically due to agentic AI-driven ransomware by 2026.Agentic AI gives AI-powered systems autonomy, making them attractive for cybercriminals.State-sponsored groups are likely to adopt this technology first, followed by cybercriminals.The rise of agentic AI poses a significant threat due to its ability to automate complex tasks and disrupt industries.The technology's democratization of offensive capability will expand the threat landscape, allowing inexperienced operators to conduct complex attacks.Defenders must assign AI agents minimal privileges, apply access management controls, and remain vigilant in protecting systems from agentic AI-driven threats.
The cybersecurity landscape is about to take a drastic turn, thanks to the emergence of agentic AI-driven ransomware. According to Trend Micro, a leading cybersecurity firm, 2026 will mark a pivotal year for this type of cyber threat, with state-backed crews already experimenting with autonomous tools. The prediction comes hot on the heels of Anthropic publishing a report claiming it saw the first example of agentic AI being used to orchestrate a cyberattack by a Chinese state-sponsored team.
At the heart of this new era of cyber threats lies agentic AI, a technology that gives AI-powered systems the freedom and autonomy to perform actions on behalf of an organization. This is in contrast to generative AI, which requires human input to function. Agentic AI, however, can take action without human oversight, making it an attractive tool for cybercriminals.
Ryan Flores, Trend's lead for data and technology research, warns that the rise of agentic AI is "something we are very wary about." According to Flores, state-sponsored groups will be the first to adopt this technology, with the potential to disrupt entire industries. Cybercriminals, however, will not be far behind.
Flores explains that agentic AI is a technology that will appeal to cybercriminals' lazy approach to attacks. With the ability to automate complex tasks, cybercriminals can reap maximum rewards without expending much effort. One example Flores offered was in an HR scenario, where an agentic AI system could fully automate the entire process of introducing a new employee to a company.
However, not everyone is convinced that this technology poses a significant threat. David Sancho, senior threat researcher at Trend Micro Europe, suggests that the initial adoption of agentic AI will be slow, with only one or a few elements of attacks being powered by this technology in the short term.
As the technology continues to evolve, however, it's likely that we'll see a shift towards more sophisticated cybercriminals offering these agentic services to others. This could lead to the creation of a new underground market for these capabilities, driving agentic AI-driven attacks into the mainstream.
The same principles of traditional cyber threats still apply, but with one key difference: attackers will no longer be limited by their own technical abilities. With the help of agentic AI, even inexperienced operators can conduct complex attacks with minimal skill.
Trend Micro notes that this democratization of offensive capability will greatly expand the threat landscape. The report states: "The continued rise of AI-powered ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) will allow even inexperienced operators to conduct complex attacks with minimal skill, reducing reliance on traditional RaaS affiliates and making independent ransomware operations increasingly more common."
As ever in the attacker-defender dynamic, the initial advantage will always go to the cybercriminal. Defenders will be tasked with keeping up with the crooks' tradecraft, protecting their systems and networks from these new and sophisticated threats.
Assigning AI agents minimal privileges and applying access management controls is key to mitigating this risk. However, attackers may also exploit trusted AI agents to cause harm. They can manipulate the surrounding infrastructure, inject poisoned modules, or exploit shared orchestration layers to subvert the agent's behavior.
The emergence of agentic AI-driven ransomware marks a major leap for the cybercrime ecosystem. As we move into 2026, it's essential that defenders remain vigilant and proactive in protecting their systems from these new threats.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Rise-of-Agentic-AI-Driven-Ransomware-A-New-Era-of-Cyber-Threats-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/11/25/trend_micro_agentic_ai_assisted_ransomware/
https://informatics.systems/cyber-threat-intelligence-services/future-of-ransomware-intelligence-2026/
https://reliaquest.com/blog/the-next-wave-predictions-for-the-2026-cyber-threat-landscape/
Published: Tue Nov 25 11:10:47 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
