Why 2026 Could Be the Year About Cybersecurity

Imagine this: It's a crisp morning in 2026. Your manufacturing plant in Germany suddenly goes dark. Machines freeze. Production lines halt. Within hours, a ransomware note appears on every screen, demanding millions or your customer data will be posted to the dark web. Sound dramatic? It's not fiction. In 2025 alone, Europe saw hundreds of major ransomware incidents, with groups like Qilin dominating headlines and supply chain attacks surging dramatically. The real twist? Many of these companies were caught completely unprepared, even though the rules to prevent exactly this scenario have been on the books for years.

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The NIS2 Wake-Up Call

Welcome to the era of NIS2! The EU's game-changing cybersecurity directive is no longer a distant future obligation. As of early 2026, it's live, enforceable, and coming for thousands of organizations across the continent. As of January 2026, with transposition finally complete (or nearly complete) in all 27 EU member states, the era of excuses is over: NIS2 applies automatically to all medium-sized and large companies operating in 18 defined sectors. That means: no more waiting for national authorities to hand-pick "operators of essential services" like under the old NIS1.

The rule is simple and ruthless: if your organization has at least 50 employees AND €10 million annual turnover (or €10 million balance sheet), and you operate in one of the listed sectors (or provide services inside the EU), you are in scope: automatically classified as either an essential entity (strictest supervision, proactive audits) or important entity (still serious, but mostly reactive checks).

From "Nice-to-Have" to Boardroom Nightmare

The original NIS Directive (2016) was a gentle nudge toward better cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. And what is NIS2? It's a full-on shove.

Adopted in January 2023 and fully applicable since October 2024, NIS2 dramatically expands the scope from a handful of "essential" operators to around 18 sectors,  and thousands of medium-to-large companies in the following sectors:

Essential entities (Annex I: high criticality sectors):

• Energy (electricity, gas, oil, hydrogen, district heating)
• Transport (airlines, airports, railways, ports, road traffic operators)
• Banking & financial market infrastructures (note: many now primarily under DORA)
• Health (hospitals, labs, pharma manufacturers)
• Drinking water supply
• Wastewater
• Digital infrastructure (internet exchange points, DNS/TLD registries, cloud providers, data centres, telcos)
• ICT managed services (B2B managed service providers & managed security providers)
• Public administration (central governments, and in many countries regional / public sector too)
• Space (ground infrastructure operators)

Important entities (Annex II: other critical sectors):

• Postal and courier services
• Waste management
• Chemicals manufacturing & distribution
• Food production, processing & distribution (supermarkets, food manufacturers, distributors)
• Manufacturing of critical products (medical devices, electronics, computers, machinery, motor vehicles)
• Digital providers (online marketplaces, search engines, social networks)
• Research organisations (in some national implementations)

Many organizations that thought "this doesn't apply to us" are discovering registration deadlines approaching fast, in some countries as early as April 2026.

And the personal twist? Management can now be held personally liable. Yes, fines, bans, and reputational damage can land directly on executives who fail to approve and oversee cybersecurity measures.

Crucially,  certain ultra-critical services fall under NIS2 regardless of company size:  think DNS providers, trust service providers, or top-level domain registries. And if you're a non-EU company (US, UK, Asian, etc.) providing cloud, managed services, or any in-scope digital service to customers inside the EU? You're caught, too! You must appoint an EU representative and comply fully.

In short: if you keep society's lights on, wheels turning, people healthy, or data flowing, and you're not a micro-company, NIS2 is now your personal responsibility in 2026. The national registries are being finalised right now, and the first registration / self-identification deadlines are hitting as early as spring. Ignore it at your peril: the fines are real, the audits are coming, and for the first time, CEOs and board members can be held personally liable. This is not a drill.

The Real-World Threat Landscape: Why You Can't Wait Any Longer

Europe isn't just talking about cyber risks. It's living them.

Some examples that happened in 2025:

• Ransomware attacks exploded, with groups like Qilin, Akira, and SafePay claiming hundreds of victims across the continent.
• Supply chain compromises doubled or tripled in many months, turning trusted software vendors into attack vectors.
• Major incidents disrupted everything from breweries (Asahi) to critical infrastructure, with recovery dragging into 2026.

The cost? Billions in downtime, data leaks, and lost trust. And NIS2 was designed exactly for this moment, forcing companies to manage supply chain risks, implement 10 minimum security measures, and report incidents lightning-fast:

• Early warning → ≤24 hours
• Full notification → ≤72 hours
• Final report → ≤1 month

Miss these? Expect audits, fines up to €10 million (or 2% of global turnover, whichever hurts more), and for essential entities, even stricter proactive supervision.

The 10 Must-Have Measures: Your NIS2 Compliance Checklist 

No more vague "best practices." NIS2 spells them out clearly:

1. Risk analysis & security policies
2. Incident handling
3. Business continuity (backups and disaster recovery)
4. Supply chain security (vet your vendors!)
5. Secure development and vulnerability handling
6. Access control and asset management
7. Encryption and cryptography
8. HR security, awareness training
9. Multi-factor authentication
10. Secure communication systems

Implementing these isn't optional in 2026; it's survival.

The Good News: This Is Your Chance to Build Real Resilience 

Here's the silver lining: NIS2 isn't just red tape. Organizations that embrace it are emerging stronger.

• Better supply chain visibility = fewer cascading failures
• Trained leadership = faster decision-making during crises
• Structured risk management = real competitive advantage

Many forward-thinking companies are already aligning with ISO 27001 or NIST frameworks, covering 80% of NIS2 requirements, and turning compliance into a selling point for customers who demand secure partners.

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2026: The Year of Reckoning. Are You Ready?

Transposition is uneven (some countries, like Finland and Italy, are ahead, others are still catching up), but enforcement is ramping up fast. Audits are starting. Registration windows are closing. And the next big attack is always just one unpatched vulnerability away.

The question isn't "Will NIS2 affect my business?", it's "How fast can we turn this obligation into an opportunity?"

Don't wait for the knock on the door from your national authority. Start your gap analysis today. Train your board. Map your supply chain. Test your backups.  Because in the digital age, cybersecurity isn't a cost center. It's the foundation of trust, continuity, and survival.  The NIS2 era has begun. The question is: Will your organization lead it or be left behind?  Stay vigilant. Stay resilient. The future is digital, and it's counting on us.

Want to know more about AI? Watch our YouTube video,  Testing AI Systems, to learn more about NIS2.

Pictures / Logos from pixabay.com and NUCIDA Group
Article written and published by Torsten Zimmermann