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IBM Threat Index Report: AI is Speeding Up Cyberattacks, IBM Cautions Canadian Organizations
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today released the 2026 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, showing that AI-accelerated cyberattacks are reshaping the North American threat landscape and increasing pressure on Canadian organizations. North America is now the most attacked region globally, accounting for nearly a third of all incidents X-Force responded to last year — a trend with direct implications for Canada.
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[{"type":"text","content":"TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today released the 2026 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, showing that AI-accelerated cyberattacks are reshaping the North American threat landscape and increasing pressure on Canadian organizations. North America is now the most attacked region globally, accounting for nearly a third of all incidents X-Force responded to last year — a trend with direct implications for Canada.","length":436,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Inside the uOttawa–IBM Cyber Range, teams practice defending against the same AI-accelerated attacks identified as top risks to Canadian organizations in IBM’s 2026 X Force Threat Intelligence Index.","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Inside the uOttawa–IBM Cyber Range, teams practice defending against the same AI-accelerated attacks identified as top risks to Canadian organizations in IBM’s 2026 X Force Threat Intelligence Index.","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":225,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnwgroup.com/77c3f21cbde42bc3804a0821b3209d38"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w9H9_BcIUJ7YuIIJgx9l6Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTM5NztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnwgroup.com/77c3f21cbde42bc3804a0821b3209d38","width":400,"height":225}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2919628/uOttawa_IBM_Cyber_Range_Photo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"North American patterns offer a clear view of the risks facing Canadian enterprises, given shared cloud infrastructure, interconnected supply chains, and similar attacker behaviours across the region.","length":200,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The report highlights a 44% surge in attacks that begin by exploiting public-facing applications, driven by missing authentication controls and AI-enabled vulnerability discovery. Globally, vulnerability exploitation became the leading cause of cyberattacks in 2025, reflecting persistent challenges for Canadian organizations grappling with aging systems, patching delays, and rapidly expanding SaaS environments.","length":419,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Credentials are still highly sought after by cybercriminals. In North America, credential harvesting was the most common impact, underscorin...
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