Companies worldwide are confronting an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks after attackers began using artificial intelligence (AI) to scale and accelerate intrusion methods. Incidents in 2026 range from remote manipulation of supermarket refrigeration systems to record-sized cryptocurrency thefts, forcing IT teams to reorganize operations and push firms toward AI-driven defenses.
Notable incidents and figures
- Within three weeks, European supermarkets were hit by a second attack in which criminals remotely raised the temperature of refrigerated and frozen storage, leading retailers to discard spoiled food worth millions of dollars.
- The Dutch food retailer Ahold Delhaize experienced two intrusions within a month. The first incident forced the company to shut down its websites and apps for a week, causing a revenue loss of more than 200 million euros; the later refrigeration-focused attack affected stores in Belgium and Luxembourg among others.
- Cybersecurity firm Claroty had warned in August about vulnerabilities in cooling controllers. After the first wave of attacks in France, its researchers said they were able to replicate the attack method using widely available AI tools in 28 minutes and at a cost of six US dollars.
- International registries reported nearly 37,000 vulnerabilities in software and computer systems in the third quarter of 2026, roughly three times the total from the same period a year earlier.
- Two recently discovered vulnerabilities in the widely used PHP programming language, found with AI assistance, led governments and large companies from Tokyo to Helsinki to temporarily take websites offline; Swiss building materials maker Holcim was among the organizations that did so as a precaution. According to Cloudflare, exploitation attempts numbered in the millions within hours after the vulnerabilities were disclosed.
- The cryptocurrency exchange Binance reportedly lost assets valued at 6.3 billion US dollars in a theft.
Response pace: AI-based defenses and organizational shifts
Traditional security teams can no longer keep pace with the increased tempo of attacks, which used to unfold over months but now recur weekly or daily. As a result, several major organizations have restructured or adopted new technologies:
- Web hosting provider Ionos, serving seven million customers, overhauled operations in July and deployed AI-based systems for around-the-clock threat monitoring and automated patch deployment.
- Booking.com has hundreds of engineers developing AI-driven defensive tools to keep pace with attackers.
- Binance and other large entities are increasing investment in AI-supported detection and response; the Port of Rotterdam is developing its own cyber shield; Siemens is testing advanced models for defense.
Consultancy McKinsey projects that the global market for cybersecurity products and services sold by external providers will grow from $223 billion in 2025 to $346 billion by 2029.
Why this shift matters
The speed at which vulnerabilities are discovered and weaponized has altered the risk landscape: severe flaws that once required months to exploit can now spread and be abused in days or hours. This has changed how organizations prioritize security spending, structure operational processes, and manage supply chains.
Places that previously relied on manual patching and human-led incident response now need automated, AI-driven detection and remediation to respond rapidly to emerging threats and reduce the window of exposure.
Sources and editorial note
This article draws on reporting by Reuters. An AI assistant contributed to the preparation of the piece; the final text was edited and verified by a journalist.
Note on the AI & Digital Transformation conference mentioned in the source: the event on AI business use and digital transformation was scheduled for 26 November 2026 and was referenced in the source material.
Tags: cybersecurity, software, retail, IT security, cyberattack, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency
