Cybersecurity today is defined by complexity. Threats evolve in real time, driven by AI-generated malware, autonomous reconnaissance, and adversaries capable of pivoting faster than ever.
In a recent survey by DarkTrace of more than 1,500 cybersecurity professionals worldwide, nearly 74% said AI-powered threats are a major challenge for their organization, and 90% expect these threats to have a significant impact over the next one to two years.
Meanwhile, many organizations are still operating with defensive models that were built for a more static world. These outdated training environments are ad hoc, compliance-driven, and poorly suited for the ever-changing nature of today’s security risks.
What’s needed now within organizations and cybersecurity teams is a transformation from occasional simulations to a daily threat-informed practice. This means changing from fragmented roles to cross-functional synergy and from a reactive defense to operational resilience.
At the heart of that transformation lies Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), a discipline — not a tool or a project — that enables organizations to evolve in step with the threats they face.
Why traditional models no longer work
Legacy training models that include annual penetration tests, semi-annual tabletop exercises, and isolated red vs. blue events are no longer sufficient. They offer limited visibility, simulate too narrow a scope of attack behavior, and often check a compliance box without building lasting and strategic capabilities.
Even worse, they assume adversaries are predictable and unchanging. But as we know, AI-generated malware and autonomous reconnaissance have raised the bar. Threat actors are now faster, more creative, and harder to detect.
Today’s attackers are capable of developing evasive malware and launching attacks that shift in real time. To meet this evolving threat environment, organizations must shift their mindset before they can shift their tactics.
Embedding CTEM into daily practice
CTEM offers a fundamentally different approach. It calls for operationalized resilience, where teams systematically test, refine, and continually evolve their defensive posture daily.
This is not done through broad-stroke simulations, but through atomic, context-aware exercises targeting individual techniques relevant to their specific threat landscape. This is also done one sub-technique at a time. Teams look at one scenario, then iterate, refine, and move to the next.
This level of precision ensures organizations are training for the threats that actually matter — attacks that target their sector, their infrastructure, and their business logic. It also creates a steady rhythm of learning that helps build enduring security reflexes.
Real-time breach simulations: training under pressure
What separates CTEM from traditional testing is not just frequency, but authenticity. Real-time breach simulations aren’t hypothetical. These simulations are designed to replicate real adversarial behavior, intensity, and tactics. If they are done right, they mirror the sneakiness and ferocity of live attacks.
We should keep in mind that authenticity doesn’t just come from tools but also from the people designing the simulations. You can only replicate real-world threats if your SOC teams are keeping current with today’s threat landscape. Without that, simulations risk becoming just another theoretical exercise.
These complex scenarios don’t just test defenses; they reveal how teams collaborate under pressure, how fast they detect threats, and whether their response protocols are aligned with actual threat behavior.
Analytics as a feedback loop
What happens after a simulation is just as important as the exercise itself. The post-simulation analytics loop offers critical insights into what worked, what didn’t, and where systemic weaknesses lie.
Granular reporting is essential, as it allows organizations to identify issues with skills, processes, or coordination. By learning the specifics and gaining meaningful metrics — including latency in detection, success of containment, and coverage gaps — they can turn simulations into actionable intelligence.
Over time, recurring exercises using similar tradecraft help measure progress with precision and determine if improvements are taking hold or if additional refinements are needed.
A blueprint for CISOs: building resilient, cross-functional teams
For CISOs and security leaders, adopting CTEM is not just about adding more tools — it’s about implementing culture, structure, and strategy.
This is a blueprint for embedding CTEM into an organization’s security protocols:
- Integrate tactical threat intelligence. Training must be based on real-world intelligence. Scenarios disconnected from the current threat landscape are at best inefficient, at worst misleading.
- Align red and blue teams through continuous collaboration. Security is a team sport. Silos between offensive and defensive teams must be broken down. Shared learnings and iterative refinement cycles are essential.
- Engage in simulation, not just instruction. Structured training is the foundation, but true readiness comes from cyber incident simulation. Teams need to move from knowing a technique to executing it under stress, in an operational context.
- Establish CTEM as a daily discipline. CTEM must be part of the organization’s DNA and a continuous process. This requires organizational maturity, dedicated feedback loops, and strong process ownership.
- Use metrics to drive learning. Evidence-based repetition depends on reliable data. Analytics from breach simulations should be mapped directly to skills development and tooling performance.
The role of AI in cybersecurity training
While attackers are already using AI to their advantage, defenders can use it too, but with care.
AI isn’t a replacement for real-world training scenarios. Relying on it alone to create best-practice content is a mistake. What AI can do well is speed up content delivery, adapt to different learners, and personalize the experience.
It can also identify each person’s weaknesses and guide them through custom learning paths that fill real skill gaps. In 2026, expect AI-driven personalization to become standard in professional development, aligning learner needs with the most relevant simulations and modules.
Beyond tools: making CTEM a culture
Ultimately, CTEM succeeds when it’s embraced not as a feature or a product but as a discipline woven into the daily practices of the organization.
It also requires careful development. Red and blue teams must be open, transparent, and aligned. It’s not enough to simulate the threat. Security teams must also simulate to match an adversary’s intensity in order to build reflexes strong enough to withstand the real thing.
The organizations that take this path won’t just respond faster to incidents — they’ll be able to anticipate and adapt and cultivate resilience that evolves as quickly as the threats do.
Dimitrios Bougioukas is vice president of training at Hack The Box, where he leads the development of advanced training initiatives and certifications that equip cybersecurity professionals worldwide with mission-ready skills.
The post Red, Blue, and Now AI: Rethinking Cybersecurity Training for the 2026 Threat Landscape appeared first on CyberScoop.
Cybersecurity today is defined by complexity. Threats evolve in real time, driven by AI-generated malware, autonomous reconnaissance, and adversaries capable of pivoting faster than ever. In a recent survey by DarkTrace of more than 1,500 cybersecurity professionals worldwide, nearly 74% said AI-powered threats are a major challenge for their organization, and 90% expect these threats
The post Red, Blue, and Now AI: Rethinking Cybersecurity Training for the 2026 Threat Landscape appeared first on CyberScoop. Read MoreCyberScoop
