Three Things Every Australian Business Leader Needs to Know About Cyber Threats in 2026

Last week, I had the privilege of co-presenting with Andrew Aston from Google Cloud Security and Mandiant Intelligence on the cyber threat outlook for Australian businesses. After more than 25 years in this industry, events like this still energise me. Not because of the presentations, but because of the conversations that followed.

The discussions we had afterwards were particularly impactful. IT leaders, security professionals, and business owners sharing what keeps them up at night. The challenges they face. The questions they are grappling with as they plan for 2026.

Three themes emerged that I believe every Australian business leader needs to understand. These are not abstract concerns. They reflect a fundamental shift in the threat environment that demands attention.

1. AI Is Reshaping the Battlefield for Everyone

Both attackers and defenders are now using AI. This is not a future scenario. It is happening right now.

On the attacker side, AI is making phishing emails more convincing, malware more adaptable, and attacks faster to execute. Criminals who once needed technical expertise can now use AI tools to generate malicious code, craft targeted social engineering campaigns and identify vulnerabilities at scale.

On the defender side, AI offers real benefits for threat detection, anomaly identification, and incident response. Security teams can process more data, spot patterns faster, and respond to threats more quickly than ever before.

The critical question for every organisation is: which side is moving faster in your environment? If attackers are using AI to target your business and your defences have not adapted, the gap will only widen.

This does not mean you need to deploy AI across your entire security stack tomorrow. But it does mean you need to understand how the threat is evolving and ensure your security partners and tools are keeping pace.

2. Australian SMBs Are Primary Targets, Not Secondary Ones

There is a persistent myth that cybercriminals only go after large enterprises. That small and medium businesses are too small to be worth targeting. The data tells a very different story.

This year, 72% of Australian organisations listed on data leak sites were small to medium businesses. Let that sink in. Nearly three quarters of the victims were not major corporations with dedicated security teams. They were businesses like yours.

Why are SMBs such attractive targets? Several reasons. They often hold valuable data but have fewer resources to protect it. They may lack dedicated security personnel or rely on basic tools that are easily bypassed. And they frequently serve as entry points into larger supply chains.

The criminals know this. They have shifted their focus accordingly. If you are running a small or medium business and assuming you are too small to attract attention, that assumption is putting you at risk.

The good news is that you do not need an enterprise-sized budget to protect your organisation. What you need is the right foundations, the right priorities, and often the right partner to help you get there.

3. Reactive Security Is No Longer Sufficient

A new cybercrime is reported in Australia every six minutes. Every six minutes. That pace is relentless, and it shows no sign of slowing down.

If your security strategy relies primarily on responding after incidents occur, you are already at a disadvantage. By the time you detect a breach, investigate it, and respond, the damage is often done. Data has been stolen. Systems have been compromised. Trust has been broken.

The shift we need to make is from reactive security to genuine resilience. That means having visibility across your environment so you can spot threats early. It means having controls in place to prevent attacks, not just detect them. It means having tested plans for when things go wrong, because eventually something will.

At StickmanCyber, we talk about this in terms of continuous improvement. Our methodology follows a cycle: Assess, Plan, Execute, Monitor, Report. It is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing commitment to staying ahead of the threat.

The organisations that will thrive in 2026 are those that treat security as a business priority, not a technical afterthought.

The Threat Environment Has Fundamentally Changed

What struck me most from our event with Google Cloud Security and Mandiant was the consensus in the room. The threat environment has fundamentally changed. The old assumptions no longer hold. The old approaches no longer work.

AI is accelerating the arms race. SMBs are firmly in the crosshairs. And waiting to respond is no longer a viable strategy.

But here is what gives me hope. At the event, I saw business leaders taking this seriously. Asking hard questions. Wanting to understand what resilience actually looks like for their organisation.

Building that resilience is not about fear. It is about being prepared. It is about making informed decisions. And it is about recognising that cybersecurity is no longer something you can afford to ignore or defer.

Ready to Build Your Resilience?

If you would like to discuss what this changing threat environment means for your organisation, we would welcome a conversation. At StickmanCyber, we work with businesses across Australia to help them understand their risks, build their defences, and develop genuine resilience.

Our approach is pragmatic, collaborative, and focused on what works for you. Whether you need a cybersecurity assessment to understand where you stand, help with compliance and certification, or 24/7 monitoring through our Security Operations Centre, we are here to help.

Speak to an expert today: 1800 785 626 or visit www.stickmancyber.com