If the last few years were about seeing the threat, 2026 will be about fighting it with speed. As we look ahead, the Operational Technology (OT) landscape is shifting from passive monitoring to active defense. The air gap is gone, the perimeter is porous, and the adversaries are no longer just human—they are autonomous agents.
At Viakoo, we believe that you cannot secure what you cannot manage, and you cannot manage what you cannot automate. Based on the trends we are seeing in the field and the evolving threat landscape, here are our top 10 predictions for OT security in 2026.
1. The Rise of “Agentic” AI Attacks
We are moving beyond simple attack vectors and into the era of fully autonomous “Agentic AI.” These aren’t just tools used by hackers; they are self-directed entities capable of launching complex attacks on OT infrastructure without human oversight. In 2026, we expect to see the first major public breach driven by AI that self-discovers vulnerabilities and executes an exploit chain faster than any human SOC team can react.
2. Humans Deciding, AI Acting
While the attacks may be fully autonomous, the defense will be a hybrid that rely on autonomous remediation based on human approval. We predict a shift toward “AI-Hardened Controls.” We won’t be handing over the keys to the kingdom to AI entirely; instead, AI will serve up the options, and human operators will make the critical “kill switch” decisions. The goal isn’t “AI in control,” but “AI-enabled precision and speed” for human decision-makers.
3. Asset Coverage Becomes the Critical Metric
For years, the industry settled for “good enough” visibility. That ends in 2026. Network-based asset discovery tools often have blind spots—they can’t see behind nested firewalls or deeply embedded OT devices that don’t chat on the network often. We predict that “True Asset Coverage” (approaching 100%) will become a board-level metric. You cannot secure the devices you don’t know exist, but threat actors will likely find them.
4. High Fidelity Data for Forensics is Non-Negotiable
When an OT incident occurs, “something weird happened” is no longer an acceptable answer. Security teams will demand higher fidelity data and deep contextual logs (such as digital twins) to perform forensics and containment. The days of treating OT devices as “black boxes” are over; we need the same level of granular telemetry from a security camera or HVAC controller that we expect from a server.
5. The Death of the “Walled Garden” Ecosystem
The era of isolated, proprietary security tools is ending. In 2026, an OT solution without robust APIs is a dead end. We predict a push towards composable workflows – where best-in-breed solutions (including Viakoo for remediation) seamlessly interoperate. If your tools can’t talk to each other to create an automated playbook, they are just creating more noise.
6. The “Sleeper Cell” Threat: OT Bots
We have long ignored the millions of compromised OT and IoT devices because they were “just” used for DDoS attacks, which we know how to mitigate. But what happens when those 20 million active “zombie” devices are repurposed by AI for internal lateral movement? In 2026, we predict that these botnets will turn inward, using their foothold to launch devastating attacks on the very networks they inhabit. Autonomous device hygiene (firmware and passwords) is the only cure.
7. Ransomware Gets Physical
Cyber criminals have realized that companies are getting better at backing up data and refusing to pay ransoms. The pivot? Operational Disruption. The new ransomware threat isn’t “we encrypted your files,” it’s “we turned off your cooling system.” In 2026, the ransom will be demanded to prevent physical damage or operational downtime, making the stakes—and the urgency—infinitely higher.
8. The Quantum Countdown & Certificate Agility
We are barreling toward a post-quantum world where today’s TLS standards will be obsolete. 2026 will be the year organizations get serious about Certificate Management. It’s no longer about just renewing a cert before it expires; it’s about “crypto-agility”—the ability to swap out encryption standards across thousands of devices instantly. If you are still managing certificates manually on spreadsheets, you are already behind.
9. Globalization of Cyber Regulation
The patchwork of local regulations (NIS2 and CRA in Europe, various executive orders in the US) is coalescing. We predict a de facto globalization of cyber standards, where multinational corporations will adopt the strictest regulations (likely the EU’s) as their global baseline. This is similar to how organizations aim for SOC2 or ISO 27001 certification regardless of whether they are required to or not. Compliance will no longer be a regional headache; it will be a global requirement to operate.
10. The SBOM Imperative
Operational Technology is the ultimate “mix-and-match” environment—lighting systems from Vendor A, HVAC from Vendor B, all talking to a BMS from Vendor C. This complexity makes Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) critical. In 2026, we predict that SBOM integration will move from a “nice to have” to a procurement requirement. You need to know exactly what software libraries are running in your building management system to know if you are vulnerable to the next Log4j.
The Viakoo Takeaway
Looking at these OT security predictions, one theme stands out: Complexity. The threats are faster, the devices are more numerous, and the stakes are more physical.
Manual processes cannot scale to meet the challenges of 2026. You cannot manually patch 10,000 cameras. You cannot manually rotate certificates on 5,000 sensors. Reduced organizational risk and being cyber resilient belongs to those who can automate the remediation of these risks—ensuring that when the AI-driven attack comes, your doors are locked, your firmware is patched, and your certificates are valid.
Are you ready for 2026?
