AI does the reconnaissance now. Convergence has to keep up. - Cybersecurity Insiders

Convergence is no longer a theoretical concept for security organizations; it is the operational reality. A June 2026 survey of 300 U.S. security and wealth professionals commissioned by 360 Privacy found that 84% of CISOs and CSOs and 87% of senior security and privacy executives believe it is now impossible to separate physical security from cybersecurity.

The survey also revealed that 64% of CISOs and CSOs have already merged the two functions or are in the process of doing so, with another 25% planning a merger. This structural change is a direct response to a new, more dangerous adversary.

AI removes the tedium of targeting

Building a detailed profile of an executive used to be a slow, tedious process involving manual cross-referencing of property records, social accounts, and family connections. AI has removed most of this tedium, allowing models to stitch scattered records into a usable profile in minutes.

The raw material for these automated attacks is already abundant. 360 Privacy’s monitoring records show that the median person had personal information on 121 distinct sources and a home address on 112. Nearly 60% of those exposure records also named a family member, providing an easy starting kit for an AI-assisted attacker.

People are falling behind the technology

The human element remains the weakest link in this new equation. 87% of CISOs and CSOs and 88% of security and privacy executives said it is difficult to keep the people they protect technologically literate enough to stay safe from AI-driven threats, compared with 68% of wealth professionals.

The speed of the threat evolution is a primary factor. In early 2024, a finance employee at the engineering firm Arup sent about $25.6 million after a video call with what turned out to be deepfakes of the company’s CFO and colleagues. A few years earlier, that attack was not practical.

The threat has also expanded into the physical realm. 60% of CISOs and CSOs are spending more time on physical threats to the people they protect than they were a year ago, as an AI-built dossier can easily turn a digital exposure into a car parked outside someone’s house.

Merged teams must change their tactics

Merging teams on an org chart is the easy part; the challenge is making the merged team work effectively against an adversary that moves at machine speed. The survey suggests a shift in how these converged programs should operate.

Security leaders recommend giving exposure a single owner, so that when a principal’s address appears on a new data broker site, there is no debate over whether it is a cyber or physical issue. They also advise running AI-assisted reconnaissance on executives and their households with their consent to see what an attacker would find.

85% of CISOs and CSOs plan to put more emphasis on the behavior of family members, as automated searches often find what executives were careful never to post. Finally, organizations are urged to rehearse cross-domain scenarios where a leaked credential, a harassment campaign, and an unfamiliar car near the residence all appear within days.