Companies worldwide are confronting a faster and more sophisticated wave of cyberattacks that executives say AI is accelerating. Nearly 37,000 software and computer-system vulnerabilities were reported in the third quarter of 2026, three times the level a year earlier, according to the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures registry. Recent incidents included attacks that raised refrigerator and freezer temperatures at European supermarkets, a $6.3 billion cryptocurrency theft at Binance and exploitation risks involving PHP, which underpins many websites. Researchers at Claroty reproduced refrigeration-controller flaws using widely available AI tools for $6 and 28 minutes, while Cloudflare said attempts to exploit newly disclosed PHP flaws rose from thousands to millions within hours. The pressure is driving companies including Binance, Ionos, Ahold Delhaize, the Port of Rotterdam and Siemens to increase or test AI-based defensive tools. McKinsey projects the market for externally provided cybersecurity products and services will grow from $223 billion in 2025 to $346 billion by 2029.