DNSFilter 2026 Predictions: AI Underpinning New Opportunities and New Threats

Companies face a historic wave of DNS exploitation, AI-driven threats and opportunities, and other challenges in the new year

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DNSFilter today announced its cybersecurity predictions for 2026 based on insights from its team of experts. The forecast reveals how AI, new attack vectors and market shifts will force changes in security strategy.

DNSFilter's predictions underscore the need for a proactive security strategy that can pivot to address fast-moving generative AI and its impact on the threat landscape. Organizations must be willing to adopt new methods and tools as needed. Knowing what lies ahead in terms of cybercrime will enable organizations to stay on top of emerging threats and secure their future.

Given the current landscape and the data the company has gathered from its network and customers, DNSFilter's team of experts has compiled several predictions for the coming year. This year's prognostications include:

Seeing ≠ believing as authenticity becomes the new pillar of security – Deepfakes are about to detonate trust itself. As AI blurs the line between truth and fabrication, attackers will weaponize human psychology (including urgency, authority, and social proof) through flawless fake voices and faces. The classic CIA triad of "Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability" can no longer hold the line. In 2026, authenticity will emerge as cybersecurity's fourth pillar, defining the next era of digital trust.

For MSPs, selling AI services will no longer be optional – AI is no longer a trend on the edge of tech and security; today, it has become the backbone of how businesses operate, secure, and scale. In fact, AI traffic on the DNSFilter network has grown 69% over the past 12 months.

For managed service providers (MSPs), that means survival and success will hinge on offering AI-powered services. Those who fail to adapt will be outpaced and out-innovated. AI is being used in countless ways to make workflows more efficient, and MSPs need to be creating these AI automations. There is a huge opportunity for them to provide education on how to use AI and build AI automations for their clients, but the challenge is that they must do this in addition to everything else they're offering. However, the upside for MSPs that pull this off is high revenue potential, a stronger reputation, and greater differentiation of their companies.

Identifying and removing Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) and other harmful content will grow more challenging – Over the last year, DNSFilter blocked over 44% more CSAM. This kind of content is growing at an alarming rate, largely driven by AI. As AI models become more sophisticated, unmoderated AI image generation will make identifying vectors of direct harm more challenging. Additionally, while age regulation and photo identification laws for certain websites, even adult sites and forums, are meant to help protect minors, the reality is that these crackdowns may actually make it harder to track, find and remove victims' content. That's because those rules are likely to push users away from more standard "open forums" into more private and shared servers.

For more on these predictions and others, read our blog.

TK Keanini, chief technology officer, DNSFilter, said: "From AI to CSAM, from malicious domains to shifts in business strategy and standards, organizations are facing a raft of challenges that must be addressed head-on. Forewarned is forearmed, so we're sharing our insights to help companies overcome them by making whatever adjustments are necessary to keep their businesses secure."

About the company:
DNSFilter is a cybersecurity company that protects every click, leveraging AI-driven content filtering and threat protection to block threats 10 days earlier than competitors. DNSFilter's solution secures workers anywhere they are, helping to boost productivity, minimize compliance risk, and protect corporate brands on public Wi-Fi networks. Unlike traditional filtering solutions, DNSFilter deploys in minutes instead of days and is trusted by more than 43,000 organizations worldwide. Learn more about how DNSFilter is the first and last line of defense for corporate and hybrid networks at dnsfilter.com.

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SOURCE DNSFilter