Fortinet Cybersecurity Threat Predictions for 2026: Key Lessons for New Zealand Businesses
Industrialized Cybercrime and the Acceleration of the Attack Life Cycle
Fortinet’s Threat Predictions for 2026 outline a rapidly shifting cyber landscape shaped by AI, cloud adoption, identity‑driven attacks, and the growing overlap between IT and OT environments. For New Zealand businesses , critical infrastructure operators, transport networks, and multi‑site enterprises, these trends highlight where security teams must focus over the next 12 months.
Attackers are gaining speed and scale through automation, while defenders face rising complexity across distributed networks. For organisations responsible for public services, essential assets, and high‑availability operations, these trends offer clear guidance on where to strengthen controls.
AI‑Enhanced Attacks Increase in Scale
Fortinet predicts attackers will increasingly use AI for reconnaissance, vulnerability discovery, and adaptive malware. This compresses attack timelines and reduces the early‑warning window for defenders, particularly in environments with legacy systems or geographically distributed assets.
Hybrid Work Expands the Attack Surface
Remote and hybrid work continue to expose organisations to attacks targeting home networks, personal devices, and cloud identity platforms. Fortinet highlights the rise of identity‑driven attacks such as MFA fatigue and session hijacking, an ongoing challenge for New Zealand’s mobile and multi‑site workforce.
Ransomware Evolves into Multi‑Vector Campaigns
Modern ransomware groups now combine encryption, data theft, service outages, and supply chain compromise. For New Zealand critical infrastructure, retail, logistics, and transport sectors, where continuity and reputation are critical, the impact of these multi‑vector attacks can be severe.
OT and IT Convergence Introduces New Risks
As operational technology becomes more connected, attackers can move laterally between IT and OT networks. Fortinet highlights this as a growing threat for water, energy, transport, and airport environments, sectors essential to New Zealand’s daily operations.
Cloud Misconfiguration Remains a Major Weakness
Despite maturing cloud security tools, misconfiguration remains one of the most common breach causes. Challenges include API exposure, excessive permissions, and inconsistent governance across hybrid and multi‑cloud platforms.
AI‑Powered Defence Matures
Defenders are also benefiting from AI. Fortinet expects broader adoption of behaviour‑based detection, automated investigations, and AI‑driven containment workflows. For lean New Zealand security teams, this helps scale capability without increasing headcount.
What New Zealand Businesses Should Do Next
Based on Fortinet’s 2026 outlook and Nextro’s own analysis, organisations should focus on:
• Strengthening identity security with phishing-resistant MFA.
• Deploying unified security across cloud, network, and endpoint.
• Increasing visibility across IT and OT environments.
• Adopting AI‑assisted SOC workflows to manage alert volume.
• Reducing attack surface through segmentation and zero trust.
• Hardening remote work and mobile workforce security.
Cybersecurity in 2026 will be defined by speed, automation, and the ability to operate securely across distributed networks. With an evolving threat landscape and attackers leveraging AI at scale, New Zealand organisations need modern, integrated cybersecurity platforms that deliver both resilience and operational efficiency.
Nextro supports customers across New Zealand and Australia to build secure, scalable, and integrated cybersecurity environments using leading Fortinet technologies and proven architectural frameworks. To understand how these technologies may secure your business, contact Nextro today.