Most organizations today have more security technology at their disposal than ever before. Yet, incidents continue to pile up. In 2026, organizations must therefore focus on managing human behavior and AI agents to reduce the risk of a cyber incident.
Deployment of AI agents necessary, but not without frameworks
The shortage of experienced security specialists is structural, while organizations are increasingly under pressure and facing cyberattacks. Therefore, a faster and demonstrable response is essential. While Security Operations Centers were designed for years around human analysis, we are seeing autonomous AI agents increasingly taking over operational tasks. Think of triage, enrichment of reports, and initiating initial responses and measures.
In organizations with mature processes, this demonstrably leads to a 30 to 50 percent reduction in mean time to respond. This is not an optimization, but a necessary adjustment. The question is no longer whether AI agents will be deployed, but how far their autonomy extends. Security teams must explicitly determine which decisions can be automated and where human oversight remains mandatory. If these frameworks are lacking, the risks only increase. AI agents operate based on assumptions, context, and training data. Employees increasingly rely on automated decisions, sometimes without full insight into the underlying considerations. Consequently, errors arise not from a single weak link, but from unclear role divisions and a lack of governance.
Reducing the impact with a good incident response plan
The Netherlands plays a central role in Europe as a logistics and digital hub. This position also makes organizations in this country vulnerable. Cyberattacks on ports, energy supplies, and transport systems are no longer a distant concern. By 2026, these types of attacks will increasingly have a direct impact on business continuity and society.
This also changes the focus of security teams. Prevention remains important, but we must be realistic: every organization will sooner or later face the consequences of a cyberattack. A well-prepared response to the question of what steps your organization should take if it is hit by an attack is important. A well-thought-out incident response plan, regularly practiced by all relevant stakeholders, ensures that your organization can mitigate the impact of a cyberattack.
Securing digital identity is becoming crucial
While privacy concerns have so far hindered the implementation of mandatory digital identities, the use of digital IDs directly linked to citizens’ real identities is increasing. This development is being accelerated by large-scale initiatives such as the European Digital Identity Wallet, which will be available to all EU citizens in 2026. While the use of these systems is unlikely to become mandatory in the near future, access to an increasing number of digital services will depend on them.
This fundamentally changes the role of digital identity. Identity is no longer just a means of logging in, but forms the gateway to services, transactions, and trust relationships. As more processes and interactions become dependent on digital identity, the impact of misuse also increases. Identity security is becoming more critical than ever, both technically and organizationally.
The focus of cybersecurity in 2026 will shift from preventing incidents to managing their impact. Organizations that systematically incorporate risk management around human behavior and agentic AI into their security strategy will demonstrably increase their resilience.
This article was submitted by KnowBe4.