With the final rule for CMMC now in place and the phased rollout underway, organizations that handle FCI or CUI are entering a period where preparation has moved from the theoretical to a practical necessity.
This article breaks down what preparation looks like in 2026: the decisions organizations are making, the challenges they face, the timelines that matter, and the strategic opportunities available for those who treat CMMC as more than a compliance checkbox.
We’re reaching the end of 2025, and looking ahead to 2026, most experts are discussing the latest threats that will shape the year ahead. This year, we’re seeing a new, but not unexpected, shift to autonomous threats driven by state-sponsored actors and AI.
With that in mind, a new generation of threats, broadly known as autonomous malware, is beginning to reshape how organizations think about cyber risk, detection, and response. These threats don’t behave like the malware that defenders have spent decades learning to identify, and that’s got experts preparing for the new threat landscape.
This article explains what autonomous malware is, why it matters now, and what experts should watch as these threats evolve.
In mid-October 2025, the CISA issued one of its most urgent orders yet: Emergency Directive 26-01. The directive calls on all Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to immediately mitigate vulnerabilities in devices from F5 Networks following a state-sponsored breach of F5’s systems and access to portions of BIG-IP source code and vulnerability data.
The event underscores a dangerous reality: our most trusted network appliances have become primary targets. This isn’t just a government issue. Every enterprise using F5 technology or comparable edge-device infrastructure faces the same risks.