Phishing at AI Speed: A Mid-Year Assessment of the Threat Landscape in 2026
Phishing isn't standing still. Neither should your defense.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping phishing at every stage of the attack lifecycle, enabling threat actors to launch campaigns that are faster, more adaptive, and increasingly difficult to detect.
Based on proprietary data from the Cofense Phishing Defense Center and Cofense Intelligence, the 2026 Mid-Year Threat Report examines how phishing has evolved during the first half of the year, highlights the trends gaining momentum, and outlines the strategic actions security leaders should prioritize before the end of 2026.
Inside the report:
Mid-year phishing trends backed by real-world data
The continued rise of polymorphic phishing and AI-powered BEC
How legitimate tools and trusted infrastructure are being weaponized
A security leader checklist for improving phishing resilience