Check Point Forecasts AI-Quantum Collision to Reshape Cybersecurity by 2026
The convergence of artificial intelligence and quantum computing will dominate cybersecurity strategies in 2026, according to a Check Point Software Technologies report released on November 25, 2025. This “tech tsunami” predicts hyper-automation will amplify threats, with AI agents executing attacks at speeds unattainable by human adversaries. Organizations must adopt cryptographic agility to counter quantum-enabled decryption of harvested data, as traditional encryption standards face obsolescence. The analysis draws from global incident data spanning 2024-2025, highlighting a 62 percent rise in supply-chain compromises.
Check Point’s executive insights outline three interlocking forces: next-generation computing, agentic AI proliferation, and Web 4.0 foundations. Quantum systems, leveraging post-quantum cryptography algorithms finalized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2025, will enable real-time code-breaking for finance and defense sectors. AI autonomy, lacking governance, ranks among the top three enterprise risks per the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Cybersecurity Outlook. Web 4.0, integrating spatial computing and digital twins, demands zero-trust architectures to mitigate 30 percent faster breach propagation.
The report quantifies urgency through metrics from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity’s 2025 Supply-Chain Report. Sixty-two percent of large organizations reported third-party breaches in the prior year, with AI tools accelerating lateral movement by 45 percent in simulations. Quantum threats manifest as “harvest now, decrypt later” campaigns, where adversaries collect encrypted traffic for future exploitation using scalable qubits. Check Point recommends immediate PQC migration, projecting a 50 percent reduction in decryption vulnerability for compliant systems by 2027.
Nataly Kremer, Check Point’s chief product and technology officer, emphasized proactive defenses in the document. “Quantum risk targets today’s data, not tomorrow’s machines,” Kremer stated, advocating hybrid models blending classical and quantum-resistant protocols. The firm’s Quantum Safe Center, launched in Q2 2025, has tested over 1,200 enterprise environments, identifying 78 percent non-compliance with NIST’s four PQC algorithms: CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+. Deployment timelines vary by sector, with defense mandates requiring full transition by 2028.
Broader implications extend to regulatory alignment. The U.S. Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, updated in September 2025, enforces PQC audits for federal contractors, with penalties up to 4 percent of annual revenue for delays. Europe’s NIS2 Directive, effective January 2026, mandates quantum risk disclosures, affecting 70 percent of multinational firms. Check Point’s simulations show AI-quantum hybrids could evade detection in 92 percent of legacy firewalls, necessitating machine learning-based anomaly engines.
Investment in resilient infrastructure surges accordingly. Global spending on quantum-safe tech reached $2.8 billion in 2025, up 35 percent from 2024, per IDC forecasts. Startups like Quantinuum and PsiQuantum secured $1.5 billion combined, focusing on error-corrected qubits for commercial viability by 2028. Enterprises integrating Check Point’s Infinity Platform report 65 percent faster threat response, leveraging AI for predictive modeling of quantum vectors.
Challenges persist in talent and interoperability. A 2025 Deloitte survey found 55 percent of cybersecurity leaders cite skills gaps in PQC implementation, with training programs lagging by 18 months. Interoperability standards, led by the Internet Engineering Task Force’s 2025 quantum working group, aim to unify protocols across 80 percent of cloud providers by mid-2026.
This forecast positions 2026 as a pivot year, where inaction amplifies losses estimated at $15 trillion annually from cyber incidents. Check Point urges board-level oversight, with quarterly quantum readiness assessments. As AI agents evolve to handle 40 percent of security operations, per Gartner’s 2025 predictions, their dual-use potential underscores the need for ethical guardrails. The report’s data-driven models, validated against 500,000 incidents, offer a roadmap for resilience amid exponential compute growth.
