Signal Moody's warns AI-native malware to dominate 2026; Leonidas defeats fiber-optic drones

Summary

Moody's 'Cyber Risk – Global: 2026 Outlook' report identifies adaptive, AI-native malware as the defining cyber threat of 2026, citing 'PromptLock' ransomware as an example that integrates large language models directly into its core logic to scan a target's defenses, identify tools like EDR systems, and rewrite its own code in real time to bypass detection signatures. Moody's also flagged growing use of agentic AI in attacks, describing systems capable of running multi-channel social-engineering campaigns that target executives with deepfake video calls while simultaneously phishing IT administrators. Notably, Moody's tempered the alarm by stating it does not expect fully autonomous, real-time-adapting malware to appear for another three to five years, and cautioned that AI-powered defenses are 'not a silver bullet' and can themselves introduce unpredictable behavior and error accumulation. Separately, Epirus's Leonidas high-power microwave system successfully downed a fiber-optic-controlled drone during testing — notable because such drones use a physical control cable rather than radio signals, making them resistant to conventional jamming. An Epirus representative described Leonidas as a complementary, non-kinetic layer in defense rather than a standalone solution, positioning it as scalable protection against a drone category that has become common in recent conflicts specifically because it evades electronic warfare.