The **2026 Cybersecurity Assises**, held from October 7 to 9 in Monaco, addressed the rising concern of data breaches and the importance of transparency in how governments manage information. The event gathered thousands of cybersecurity professionals, including experts in risk and security strategies and companies that provide security solutions. Vincent Strubel, the director general of France’s National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI), raised questions about the industry’s focus on trendy terms rather than foundational security practices. He emphasized the conference’s goal of confronting real, current threats instead of hypothetical dangers from the future. Strubel outlined the new cybersecurity landscape of 2026, which includes attacks from less organized groups and even young French individuals motivated by issues of reputation and online influence. He confirmed that his warnings from the 2025 conference about an upcoming "winter" in cybersecurity—meaning a period of increased threats and vulnerabilities—were accurate. In 2026, France faced a record number of data breaches, including incidents involving several government agencies such as ANTS, Ficoba, Bloctel, and DGFiP. Strubel admitted that ANSSI’s systems failed to detect a breach in the DGFiP, which affected 678,000 individuals. He called for honest evaluation of the weaknesses in current cybersecurity capabilities and a more open discussion about these limitations. Patrick Touak, general director of the Interior Ministry's Cyber Command, expressed concern about the growing frequency of data breaches and the way hackers are increasingly joining traditional criminal organizations. He noted that leaked information is being used to target high-value individuals, sometimes resulting in physical threats such as kidnapping. Touak referenced a case where a person and their family were kidnapped after their data was compromised. He highlighted the dangers in the cryptocurrency sector, where such attacks are particularly common. Strubel also criticized the tendency of artificial intelligence (AI) companies to make exaggerated claims about their technologies. He urged for a more independent approach to AI security and called for greater accountability from vendors who create AI models with basic security flaws. His comments reflected a broader push for stronger, more realistic strategies in the field of cybersecurity.