Threat hunting is no longer a reactive activity that focuses on pursuing signals after trouble has been done. The role of the threat hunter is changing as attackers become more persistent and repurpose tried-and-true methods. Proactive threat hunting is not only possible but also necessary for contemporary security systems, according to Saeed Abbasi from Qualys.
Effective threat hunting in 2026 will be based on knowing how attackers act, how they repurpose techniques and how their actions leave long-lasting evidence inside surroundings rather than searching for the unknown.
Proactive Hunting Is About Patterns, Not Surprises
It’s a prevalent misperception that proactive threat hunting involves recognizing previously unseen threats. Attackers rarely innovate that way in practice. They repeat themselves. Once a vulnerability is discovered, whether in a product or an advanced technology, attackers repeatedly take advantage of that entire category of software until it becomes a liability for the entire industry.
When teams concentrate on adversary-centric context rather than generic risk ratings, proactive threat hunting increases. Better prioritization leads to better hunting. This involves looking at attacker telemetry and posing useful queries: Has the threat been turned into a weapon? Does it have anything to do with ransomware? How frequently has it been observed in the wild? Is there any activity or conversation about it on the dark web? Is this a target that keeps happening?
Threat hunters can prevent exploitation cycles rather than only responding to them by concentrating on how attackers truly function.
Also read: Reaction isn’t defence: Why proactive threat hunting matters
Automation and AI Change the Role of the Threat Hunter
Threat hunting now requires automation. The scope and velocity of contemporary dangers render manual analysis insufficient on its own. AI is essential because it manages the high-volume, high-speed tasks that humans are unable to complete.
The modern threat hunting process is powered by AI agents. They automatically identify and indicate those that are genuinely catastrophic as they sort through a large number of possible risks. Crucially, people are still involved in the process. Rather, it keeps them informed.
Human threat hunters can concentrate on higher-level thinking, such as comprehending systemic danger, developing long-term strategy, and determining how to respond, as AI takes care of the time-sensitive and routine tasks. To put it simply, AI locates the needle in the haystack and humans make decisions about the needle, the haystack and the farm as a whole.
In the future, threat hunting will neither be entirely automated nor entirely manual. Each will have a specific and essential role in the collaboration.
Hunting for What Comes After the Attack
The emphasis on identifying past adversary presence is another crucial development in threat hunting. Attackers don’t always stay. An adversary may frequently take advantage of a weakness, accomplish their goal (such deploying an infostealer) and then go. That does not imply that the threat has passed.
The concept of Marathon CVEs – vulnerabilities like Log4Shell that are never completely fixed – is based on this reality. Attackers’ artifacts and exploitation efforts persist even after patches are implemented.
Because of this, assuming a breach is a fundamental component of contemporary threat hunting. Identification of post-exploitation behaviour, such as web shells, backdoors, credential modifications and other signs that continue long after the initial intrusion, must be the foundation of detection strategies.
Finding these long-burn hazards requires ongoing cleanup efforts. It is an ongoing security feature that is integrated into regular business processes. Even when attackers come and go, organizations that handle it as such are better positioned to lower long-term risk.
Also read: What is Threat Hunting?
Looking Ahead
The goal of threat hunting is becoming more apparent as 2026 approaches. Thinking more deeply is now more important than responding more quickly. Organizations can develop a more robust and practical defence posture by concentrating on attacker behaviour, embracing automation without sacrificing human judgment, and persistently searching for persistent threats. Proactive threat hunting is the cornerstone of this concept, not only an enhancement.