From March 23 to 26, San Francisco welcomed people from all over the world for the traditional RSAC Conference. Now in its 35th edition, the event brings together top leaders in cybersecurity, government, and business to learn, explore current and future trends, and develop strategies on best practices to address today’s and tomorrow’s threats—while working toward building a safer society.
In this edition, RSAC 2026 gathered around 43,500 attendees, more than 700 speakers, 600 exhibitors, and 400 members of the media from across the globe. With the theme “The Power of Community,” the event highlighted highly relevant topics, as we face a scenario where threats are growing in scale, speed, and sophistication. Collaboration between companies, governments, and security professionals has become not just desirable, but essential.
Our team attended RSAC 2026 and brought back the key trends, insights, and takeaways that will shape cybersecurity, and the universe of compliance and protection in messaging channels such as WhatsApp—over the coming years.
1. Agentic AI: The New Frontier of Threats and Defense
If there was one topic that dominated RSAC 2026 from start to finish, it was Agentic AI.
Autonomous AI agents capable of executing complex tasks without human intervention are being rapidly adopted by companies—completely reshaping the security landscape.
In messaging applications, AI agents are already being used, such as in WhatsApp Business for automating customer service, sales, and internal processes. However, companies must pay close attention to who governs what these agents do with the data being exchanged.
Identity management and compliance policies must evolve just as quickly.
2. Automated Attack Chains: 80% Driven by AI
One of the most impactful revelations at RSAC 2026 came from new risk alerts presented during the event: up to 80% of reconnaissance, discovery, and exploitation stages in modern cyberattacks are already conducted by AI.
This represents a structural shift in the threat landscape. Attackers no longer need large teams or deep technical expertise—just access to poorly regulated AI tools.
Additionally, Sandra Joyce, Vice President of Google Threat Intelligence, shared that the escalation time of attacks dropped from 8 hours in 2022 to just 22 seconds in 2025.
This shows that the speed of threats has made human response insufficient—and automated defense is now mandatory.
3. From Phishing to the Human Factor: We Are Still the Weakest Link
In contrast to the discussions around AI, one of the most talked-about sessions at RSAC 2026 brought a surprisingly human perspective: why does phishing still work in 2026?
In the talk “Mental Malware: Why the Human OS Keeps Getting Hacked,” Randy Rose, VP of Security Operations at the Center for Internet Security, explained that the answer lies in neuroscience.
Based on the work of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, Rose explained that we operate mostly in System 1—the brain’s fast, automatic, and emotional decision-making mode. And this is exactly what attackers exploit.
In messaging channels like WhatsApp, where interactions are fast and informal, this risk is amplified. Effective protection must be proactive and transparent to the user—it cannot rely on people simply “remembering to be careful.”
4. Resilience Over Perfection: The New Strategic Mindset
Perhaps the most important takeaway from RSAC 2026 for executives is this: breaches will happen—the question is what you do when they do.
The industry focus is shifting from absolute prevention to operational resilience: detecting quickly, responding precisely, and recovering with minimal impact.
This shift has direct implications for how organizations structure their teams, tools, and processes.
For companies operating in corporate messaging channels, this means having:
- Auditable logs
- Clear data retention and access policies
- Incident response capabilities
These are fundamental pillars executives should look for when evaluating compliance solutions.
5. What RSAC 2026 Reveals About the Future of Corporate WhatsApp
Connecting RSAC 2026 insights to the world of business messaging, organizations should pay attention to:
- Agentic AI + Messaging: Every bot, automation, or integration in WhatsApp is a non-human identity that requires governance
- Threat Speed: Incidents in messaging channels spread in seconds. Real-time auditability is a requirement, not a differentiator
- Human Factor: Social engineering and phishing via WhatsApp continue to grow year after year. Protection must be systemic
- Resilience: More than preventing everything, the goal is full visibility and fast response capability
Conclusion
For our team, RSAC 2026 confirmed that we are at a turning point.
The same AI that accelerates business also accelerates threats. The channels that connect teams, clients, and partners—such as WhatsApp—have become the new battleground for corporate security.
At Tuvis, we left RSAC 2026 even more convinced that compliance, security, and productivity in messaging channels are not separate choices. They are different sides of the same strategic challenge—and opportunity.
Want to learn how Tuvis can help your company operate securely and compliantly on WhatsApp? Get in touch and schedule a demo.
Quer saber como a Tuvis pode ajudar sua empresa a operar com segurança e compliance no WhatsApp? fale com a gente e agende uma demonstração .
Want to learn how Tuvis can help your company operate securely and compliantly on WhatsApp? get in touch and schedule a demo .
¿Quieres saber cómo Tuvis puede ayudar a tu empresa a operar de forma segura y en cumplimiento en WhatsApp? contáctanos y agenda una demostración .
