European cyber threat landscape — what we expect to see in 2026

Annual threat-landscape reports from large vendors are useful but tend to track the past. This is a field-led view from WPROIT analysts working active engagements across DACH, Benelux, CEE and the Nordics in the months leading into 2026.

Identity is the new perimeter — and most organisations still do not act like it

Across our 2025 incident response work, identity compromise — usually of a privileged or service account — was the initial access vector in nearly two thirds of cases. Yet conditional access, privileged access management and continuous identity verification remain underfunded relative to the network controls of a previous generation.

Ransomware-as-a-service has stratified

The crude double-extortion model has matured. We now routinely see specialised affiliates operating distinct "tradecraft tiers" — some focused on initial access, others on data theft, others on encryption. The defensive implication: classic indicators of compromise are far less useful than behavioural detection of the underlying tradecraft.

Operational technology is the next regulator focus

NIS2 has put OT firmly inside the perimeter for many organisations that previously treated it as someone else's problem. Expect 2026 to see significant attention to ICS/SCADA segmentation, OT-aware monitoring, and the converged IT/OT incident response capability that most organisations still lack.

Agentic AI introduces a new attack surface

The deployment of LLM-driven agents inside enterprise workflows creates a class of risk that traditional appsec was not designed to address: prompt injection, tool abuse, agent-to-agent privilege escalation. Defenders should begin treating LLM endpoints as first-class production systems requiring threat modelling, monitoring and incident response coverage.

Geographic patterns we observe

DACH — sustained focus on industrial espionage; sophisticated, slow-moving threats targeting manufacturing IP

Benelux — ransomware groups continue to favour logistics, healthcare and SME finance

CEE — heightened state-aligned activity targeting energy, public sector and journalism

Nordics — aggressive credential-harvesting campaigns against managed service providers as a route into customer estates

Where we recommend focus

Identity hardening, OT-aware detection coverage, supply-chain security, and a credible 24/7 monitoring capability — whether in-house or partnered — are the four areas where 2026 investment will most measurably reduce risk. Specific tactics matter, but those four programmes are the foundation everything else is built on.