Introduction The collision between technological acceleration and human adaptability will define the cybersecurity landscape in 2026. Identity and trust will sit at the centre of this struggle — as the proliferation of machine and AI identities exposes the fragility of traditional controls and the limits of human oversight.  As organisations race to deploy autonomous agents and machine-led systems to drive efficiency, they are also inadvertently multiplying their attack surface. In this environment, where a single credential or expired certificate can bring critical operations to a halt, identity becomes not just a security layer, but the ultimate control point.  Below are three predictions shaping the year...