As cybercrime continues to rise in scale and sophistication, identity has emerged as one of the most contested frontiers in global cybersecurity. Attackers are increasingly bypassing traditional defences by exploiting credentials, trusted access paths and automated systems, turning identity—rather than infrastructure—into the primary gateway for breaches. In a world shaped by cloud computing, artificial intelligence and now quantum innovation, managing who or what can access digital systems has become a strategic imperative.
This evolving threat landscape is central to World Identity Security Management Day 2026, which draws attention to the growing risks surrounding human and non‑human identities alike. Security leaders warn that organisations are facing an inflection point, as identity frameworks designed for a human‑centric digital world struggle to keep pace with autonomous systems, AI agents and machine accounts operating continuously at scale.
Morey Haber, Chief Security Advisor at BeyondTrust, said identity security has fundamentally changed with the rise of AI-driven systems. “Identity Security Management Day is no longer solely about humans and the accounts that represent our digital personas,” he said. “It has evolved into managing identities that do not sleep, have no morals, ethics, or understand risk.” Haber warned that AI agents tied to privileged accounts represent “an emerging risk surface that can be operated and compromised at machine speed” if not governed properly.
That governance challenge is becoming increasingly visible as enterprises rapidly expand their use of AI. Mortada Ayad, VP – META at Delinea, described the situation as an identity paradox. “Today’s enterprise environments are awash with AI agents and other non‑human identities,” Ayad said, noting that these systems are “always on, highly capable, and deeply embedded in critical workflows,” yet are still often treated as tools rather than privileged identities. He cautioned that static access models are no longer fit for purpose in environments where machines vastly outnumber human users.
At the same time, attackers are focusing more directly on identity as a means of scale. Vibin Shaju, Vice President for EMEA Solutions Engineering at Trellix, said cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting trust rather than weaknesses in technology. “Identity has become the defining control point of the cloud era,” he said, adding that attackers are targeting credentials and access pathways because “identity‑based incidents can scale massively from a single user compromise.” According to Shaju, the misuse of legitimate access has become one of the hardest threats for organisations to detect and contain.
Clockwise from top left: Vibin Shaju, Morey Haber, Santiago Pontiroli, Bilal Baig, Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, Mortada Ayad and Fady Richmany.
Threat intelligence researchers say these patterns are already well established. Santiago Pontiroli, Lead TRU Researcher at Acronis, said identity is now the easiest entry point for attackers. “Instead of breaking systems, attackers are increasingly logging in using stolen or bought access,” he said, pointing to phishing‑led campaigns and an underground economy built on reselling corporate credentials. As a result, identity compromise is no longer just an early stage of an attack but “the core of the attack itself”.
Looking further ahead, emerging technologies are adding new urgency to identity security conversations at the executive level. Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, CEO of Magna AI, said quantum computing is moving rapidly from theory into strategy. “Quantum computing is no longer a horizon conversation but is becoming a boardroom one,” he said, describing it as a force that will “push the boundaries of what’s computationally possible” across industries. Bin Ali warned that organisations must begin preparing now by stress‑testing data security and understanding where quantum‑driven risks will hit first, as the convergence of AI and quantum computing reshapes the competitive landscape.
Closer to the region, security leaders say the complexity of identity management is growing rapidly across the UAE. Bilal Baig, Vice President of Solution Engineering for AMEA at TrendAI, said organisations are grappling with an expanding web of digital identities. “Across the UAE, organisations are managing employees, contractors, cloud services, automated processes and increasingly agentic AI agents,” he said. “Each represents a potential entry point.” Baig stressed that the challenge has shifted from simple authentication to maintaining continuous, contextual awareness of every identity before attackers exploit the gaps.
As identity becomes central to both operations and risk, recovery is also moving up the agenda. Fady Richmany, Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Emerging Markets at Commvault, said boardroom discussions are increasingly focused on resilience rather than protection alone. “Once identity is breached, attackers can move freely across systems, from infrastructure and applications to the AI pipelines organisations depend on,” he said. Richmany argued that restoring data without restoring identity leaves organisations exposed at their most vulnerable moment.
Taken together, the perspectives shared around World Identity Security Management Day 2026 underscore a clear shift in cybersecurity thinking: identity is no longer just an access issue, but the foundation of trust, resilience and continuity in an increasingly automated and high‑risk digital world.
