Comcast Business analyzed 79.3 billion security events, revealing how AI and stolen credentials are complicating corporate cybersecurity.
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Artificial intelligence is helping cybercriminals launch more sophisticated attacks with less effort, while businesses’ own adoption of AI tools is creating additional security risks, according to a new Comcast Business report.
The company’s 2026 Cybersecurity Threat Report analyzed 79.3 billion cybersecurity events recorded across its security customers from March 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2026.
Among the findings were 25.4 billion events associated with phishing, which uses deceptive messages to trick people into sharing sensitive information or opening malicious links. Comcast Business also detected 288.9 million instances of scanning for potential network weaknesses and 5.8 million attempts to take control of browsers.
The totals represent recorded activity, rather than a count of successful attacks or individual hackers. They include automated scanning, routine security checks and other activity monitored by the company’s systems.
The report said attackers continue to rely on familiar methods, including stolen passwords, deceptive messages and outdated software. AI and automation are making those tactics cheaper, faster and easier to deploy, while helping criminals produce more convincing attempts to deceive employees.
Businesses also face risks as workers adopt AI applications, including tools their employers have not approved. Those applications can create opportunities for sensitive information to escape company controls or introduce compromised software, the report said.
Stolen login credentials present another challenge because intruders can use legitimate accounts and cloud services to make their activity appear routine.
Comcast Business said it also mitigated 57,000 distributed denial-of-service attacks, which seek to disrupt access to networks or services by overwhelming them with traffic.
The company recommended that employers train workers to recognize deceptive messages, promptly update exposed systems, strengthen login protections and track which AI tools employees use. It also urged businesses to prepare to detect intrusions and restore operations when preventive measures fail.
The number of events analyzed more than doubled from the previous report. Comcast attributed that increase to a growing customer base and expanded monitoring, rather than direct evidence that threats had suddenly surged.
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