The Forbes contributor argues Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 should focus on resilience as AI speeds vulnerability discovery and connected systems and supply chains widen exposure. Quantum risks to encryption are longer term; basic cyber hygiene still matters.
The article cites Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, which says ransomware appeared in 48% of breaches and software vulnerability exploitation was responsible for 31%; third-party involvement also rose. It also notes that Microsoft’s agentic security-scanning system found vulnerabilities in Windows networking and authentication components, including critical remote-code-execution flaws. The writer says fully autonomous cyberattacks remain a developing capability, not a common occurrence.
The article describes quantum computing as a longer-term encryption risk: adversaries could collect encrypted data now in hopes of decrypting it later. It says NIST has urged organizations to prepare for a shift to post-quantum cryptography, a transition that may take years for large companies and government organizations with legacy systems.
