3 SOC Challenges You Need to Solve Before 2026

In 2026, cyber security will have a massive transformation as malicious actors move from testing with AI to implementing it as their weapon of choice. Threat actors will leverage AI as a means of scaling attacks and performing automated reconnaissance. They will be able to create ultra-competitive campaigns for social engineering by utilizing hyper-realistic videos, audio, text, and photos produced with massive computer power.

The Storm on the Horizon

Because of the global political and economic instability caused by rapid tech advancements, cyber security teams must not only update their defensive technologies but also rethink the way they interact with their entire workforce. On average, Security Operations Centers (SOCs) receive approximately 11,000 alerts per day. With the increased volume and sophistication of threats, SOCs will be overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be handled day-to-day.

For company leadership, the quick adaptation of cyber security teams to the changing world is critical. Failure to adapt will mean the company will lose revenue from a lack of business continuity, be out of compliance with regulations, and lose money due to operational inefficiencies.

SOCs that cannot adapt will not only struggle but will eventually fail miserably. Begin addressing the following three common problems now or face the consequences:

1. What's the Deal With Evading Threats?

Evasive threats have become highly capable of hiding their activity. They use ClickFix campaigns to manipulate users into copying and pasting PowerShell commands directly. LOLBins are being adapted into malicious impacts. Phishing schemes such as Multi-Stage Phishing use different types of QR codes, CAPTCHAs, modified URLS, and fake installation files as protective measures against traditional sandboxes that do not allow them to click on buttons or address human interaction frequently. As a result, many low rates of detection exist for threats that will be on fire in 2025 and beyond.

Interactive analysis of malware through the use of an interactive malware analysis tool

Using machine learning, ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox with Automated Interaction automatically interacts with samples of malware by skipping CAPTCHAs on phishing websites and performing the actions necessary to trigger execution of the malware. Rather than merely viewing an error, this system actively interacts with the threat in real-time, similar to how a human analyst would do, except it performs these interactions at a machine-speed.

As a result of the Smart Content Analysis feature, you can run your malware automatically. Each key component within the attack chain has already been identified and detonated for you. The sandbox extracts URLs from QR codes, removes the security rewrite from modified links, traverses through multi-stage redirects, processes email attachments, and executes payloads buried within compressed archive files.

The impact on business is immediate, with the ability of ANY.RUN to provide real-time visibility into the entire attack chain, allowing SOC teams to view the entire sequence of attacks, obtain IOCs and refine detection rules in seconds instead of taking hours.

2. Tier 1 analysts in SOCs are being overwhelmed by alert avalanches

SOC teams are overwhelmed by thousands of alerts per day that more than 80% are false positives. The 2024 SANS SOC Survey found that the average SOC processes over 11 of these daily alerts, with only 19% being actionable. As a result, Tier 1 analysts become inundated with the volume of alerts, resulting in them escalating all alerts due to lack of context for the alert when it was received. Each alert has to be investigated, resulting in Tier 1 analysts continuously doing research, and every time they have to investigate an alert it starts at ground zero. The stress of continuously investigating alerts leads to analyst burnout.

As a result, SOC analyst turnover is expected to double from 2023 levels, and SOC morale is expected to be at an all-time low. Meanwhile, the backlogged, real threats will be increasing at the same time. AI-driven attacks will fill systems faster and create a crisis of alert fatigue by 2026.

Eliminate the disarray with the use of actionable threat intelligence

ANY.RUN technology uses Threat Intelligence Lookup and TI Feeds to completely change the alert triage function of SOCs. By providing SOCs with 24× more IOCs per alert from over 15,000 SOCs from real-world investigations, analysts can quickly obtain and analyze the full range of information associated with the new or impending threat, allowing them to identify, confirm, and contain attacks in minutes rather than hours.

Instead of having to start from scratch each time an analyst receives an alert, analysts are able to quickly obtain a complete picture of the associated intelligence by querying a single artifact. This includes intelligence such as the verdict for that indicator, the geographical target and urgency of the threat, potential campaigns associated with that threat, patterns of attacks, other indicators associated with that threat, and a full mapping of that threat to the MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques.

The sandbox integration is particularly helpful for junior analysts who may lack the skills and experience required for advanced malware analysis.

3. Demonstrating ROI: The Business Case for Cyber Defense

Security expenditure appears to be a “black Hole” to the financial leaders of an organisation where funds are expended and it is difficult to determine how much risk is mitigated. Financial leaders provide no rational for Security Operation Centers (SOCs) to make the case for funding or validate their expenses since SOC expenses are typically borne by security departments or cost centres that do not directly contribute value or income to an organisation.

ANY.RUN proves that by providing Threat Intelligence (TI) through the use of TI Feeds, an organisation has the opportunity to save money and realise the business value associated with using TI.

Here is the business value associated with using TI:

• Preventing Breaches: Threat Intelligence Feeds provide organisation with real-time Indicators Of Compromise (IOCs) that have been obtained through extensive use of Live Sandbox Investigations on 15,000+ organisations. Therefore, Threat Intelligence Feeds provide Security Analysts with the ability to mitigate potential attacks before they occur.
• Reduction of False Positives: Threat Intelligence Feeds filter out low-quality alerts and present only high-quality Indicators Of Compromise; therefore, Security Operations Centre analysts are provided with less noise to chase (false positives) and more time to devote to high-quality Indicators Of Compromise.
• Automated Triage: Threat Intelligence Feeds enable Security Analysts to automatically enrich Indicators Of Compromise with contextual Intelligence through the use of APIs and SDKs. This reduction of Tier 1 load can mitigate Overtime and Turnover expenses incurred by SOCs.
• Faster Response Time: Threat Intelligence (TI) lookups allow each Indicator Of Compromise to be associated with a sandbox report. This provides Security Analysts complete visibility to the behaviour of malware and enables them to contain malware faster and more effectively.
• Continuous Transformation of Threat Intelligence Feeds: Threat Intelligence Feeds provide an organisation with continuous and unique-quality highly-validated Indicators Of Compromise to enable their SOC to proactively review for potential emerging Threats without the need to conduct their own manual Threat Intelligence research.
  

The impact of cyber risk on financial performance is more significant than ever. Organizations must prove how their security investments will lower their risk, save them money, and make them more operationally efficient. No longer will Security Operations Centers (SOCs) be viewed as cost centers, rather value-creating assets through advanced threat intelligence provided by ANY.RUN.

Take Control Before 2026 Hits

As we look toward 2026, now is the time to take control of the evolving cybersecurity landscape using AI. The current issues facing organizations, such as evasive threats, high volumes of alerts, and increased budget scrutiny, are only going to continue into the future. Utilize interactive analysis and real-time intelligence to combat these threats and create a future-proof SOC that protects your organization, keeps your existing team mentally healthy, and turns security into a business asset.