3.7 Future threat vectors are emerging in silence While AI continues to dominate the cybersecurity landscape, several other technologies and threat vectors are quietly gaining traction in the background and are expected to affect cybersecurity by 2030. Drawing on a focus group session with members of the Global Future Councils – including Artificial General Intelligence, Clean Air, Cybersecurity, Data Frontiers, Decentralized Finance, Energy Technology Frontiers, Generative Biology, Geopolitics, Information Integrity, and Next-Generation Computing – it is possible to integrate their forward-looking perspectives with data from the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 survey to reveal the emerging risks likely to define cybersecurity in the coming years. Autonomous systems and robotics Some 26% of survey respondents indicated that autonomous systems and robotics will affect cybersecurity in 2026, and according to experts in the Global Future Councils, this proportion is expected to rise by 2030. By the end of the decade, autonomous systems will be a near-term factor, from AI assisting analysis to directing physical actions in factories, logistics, healthcare and public spaces. This evolution could create a new cyber -physical risk profile, where machine-executed decisions can alter safety and service quality within seconds, compressing detection and response windows. Interdependencies are likely to deepen as autonomous workflows lean on shared cloud platforms, models and data, meaning disruptions or errors could propagate rapidly across operations and supply chains. Physical AI is becoming a security concern, as intelligent robots – such as those now used for order- picking in warehouses or moving containers in ports – evolve from simple machines to adaptive systems, making their behaviour less predictable and more vulnerable to compromised learning processes or control software. Securing these systems requires embedded cybersecurity by design, strong access controls for human–robot interaction and continuous monitoring to maintain operational integrity. Digital currencies By 2030, digital currencies are expected to play a growing role in daily economic activity, with broader adoption across retail payments, payroll systems and selected public and cross- border services.51 This ubiquity makes them both foundational and fragile. Cyberattacks targeting exchanges, wallets and smart-contract infrastructure have already caused multibillion- dollar losses, and by 2030 such incidents could have systemic consequences, triggering potential liquidity shocks or eroding confidence in national and corporate digital assets.52 In 2025, for instance, a major crypto-exchange breach attributed to a state-linked threat group resulted in losses exceeding $1.5 billion, with investigators estimating that nearly a fifth of the stolen funds were rapidly converted into unrecoverable assets – a stark reminder of how quickly digital liquidity can vanish in emerging regulatory contexts.53 As synthetic identities and AI-driven fraud evolve, real-time verification and resilience of settlement networks will define trust in the financial system. Interdependencies among decentralized finance, central-bank digital currencies and autonomous payment agents mean that disruption in one layer can quickly ripple through others. In this environment, digital currencies have become critical infrastructure whose security underpins economic and societal stability. Space technologies and undersea cables Space and seabed infrastructure remain comparatively overlooked in cyber risk planning, despite enabling core functions of critical infrastructure. In 2026, 9% of respondents indicated that space technologies will most significantly impact cybersecurity. Looking ahead to 2030, satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing will be even more essential for aviation, maritime activities, power-grid coordination and financial transactions. At the same time, satellite communications and undersea cables will form the backbone for emergency services, cloud infrastructure and international data exchange.54 Our digital world runs through cables lying deep beneath the ocean’s surface. With 99% of international data traffic flowing through them, these undersea systems are the unseen lifelines of our global economy – and they are also uniquely vulnerable. A single break can disrupt essential services and daily life for billions. Building true resilience means moving from awareness to action: faster repairs, more diverse routes, and international cooperation that matches the critical nature of these assets. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 54