Time flies when you are having fun. Is that why some security conferences feel so long and boring?! Well, it’s time for Cyber Buzzword Bingo 2026 edition!
2026, the year AI took over all the slots? Or is it going to be the year of Quantum? Read on, dear reader!!
What is Cyber Buzzword Bingo?
Think about attending a conference. Now, visualise all the stands.
You have the:
- pop-up banners,
- posters on the back walls,
- covers for the booth tables,
- the autoplay slide decks,
- the brochures,
- the handouts.
Now think about the words on all of those gubbins … and look for the patterns in all the buzzwords that are there just because … well …
Turn your conference visit into a game!
You see, I got fed up with all the nonsense I saw on all the slide decks and handouts, and it seemed to be getting worse the more infosec and cyber conferences I went to.
So I came up with a plan. To highlight the problems with this nonsense and to hopefully encourage a conversation about how much TLA and BS we use in Cyber.
Maybe we should speak our audience’s language instead?
… Radical thought, I know!!
So when you are at a conference, and you see the buzzwords, tick them off your Buzzword Bingo Card !!
Let’s have fun playing Cyber Buzzword Bingo 2026 at your event!
So how does this work?
Click the link to open a randomised Bingo Card. walk around the conference you are at, and every time you see one of the words, then tick it off your list. If you find them all, then feel free to message me with the hashtag below!
#CyberBuzzwordBingo
The Cyber Buzzword Bingo 2026 Card:
Click Here To View
Cyber Buzzword Bingo 2026
https://shorturl.at/pkADS
The Disclaimer and Learning Point
This is not a direct pop at any one vendor or any one person. This list is just my personal musings (and those of others who helped with content for this blog). As such, no offence is meant, and indeed, minds can be changed from the original posting. If you do feel that there is an issue, contact me directly so we can discuss the issue you have.
Also, please note, this is some fun, and if you are in a marketing/comms team and you produce content, be aware of this list and think about the content you produce.
The 2026 List!
Before we start, did you read the Disclaimer?
Are you prepared for some sarcasm or snark?
Then proceed!!
| Buzzword | The Snark |
|---|---|
| Adaptive Security | It changes settings automatically and nobody knows why |
| AI-Augmented Analyst | Analyst with ChatGPT open in another tab |
| AI-Native | Built after ChatGPT launched |
| AI-Powered | An IF statement with venture capital |
| Agentic AI | We added a chatbot and removed accountability |
| Autonomous SOC | Clippy with admin rights |
| Best-of-Breed | Nothing integrates properly |
| Cyber Ecosystem | Vendor friendship circle with APIs |
| Cyber Resilience | The backups worked this time, and incident response is still on standby |
| Continuous Validation | We keep checking if the expensive thing still works, manually |
| Data-Driven Decisions | Spreadsheet with colours and confidence |
| Digital Trust | Marketing discovered the word “trust” |
| EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) | The endpoint agent that can generate alerts faster than humans can triage them |
| Exposure Management | Vulnerability scanning with a rebrand |
| Executive Visibility | Dashboard nobody reads, but looks impressive in slides |
| Future-Proof | Our next investors are funding that bit |
| Human-Centric Security | Users remain the root cause, but politely |
| Identity-First Security | Active Directory still refuses to retire |
| Machine learning detection | Anomaly detection with adjustable thresholds |
| Machine-Speed Defence | Alert fatigue, but faster |
| MDR (Managed Detection and Response) | Outsourced alert fatigue packaged as a 24/7 security capability |
| Next-gen firewall | Traditional firewall with licensing evolution |
| Next-Generation Protection | Same product, new paint job |
| Offensive security platform | AI pen testing tooling, but it swears at you |
| Outcome-Driven Security | Justifying why we’re so expensive |
| Platform Approach | Please stop buying competitors |
| Policy-as-code | Governance converted into YAML files and CI checks |
| Quantum-Safe | Fear-based marketing for a threat arriving “sometime later” |
| Risk-Based Approach | We couldn’t afford to fix everything |
| SASE | VPN, firewall and SD-WAN reassembled into a subscription bundle |
| Secure-by-Design | We thought about security, but only briefly |
| Security Transformation | More alerts, but from different places |
| Security Fabric | Things loosely connected by APIs and optimism |
| Single Pane of Glass | Seven dashboards pretending to be one |
| Threat-Led | We watched a ransomware case study once |
| XDR | SIEM-lite expanded with marketing clarity |
| Zero Trust | We don’t even trust ourselves |
Click Here To Download
#CyberBuzzwordBingo
Thoughts on Cyber Buzzword Bingo 2026
This year, it was harder to write than previously. The buzzwords are so prolific, and the booth nonsense is just horrendous. Sales don’t work by saying random words; you need to speak to your audience in their language. Unfortunately, the hype is so crazy, and AI is everywhere – even where it shouldn’t be!
I can’t just write AI 30 times, can I? Can I? Maybe I should have!
Good luck playing this year, and have fun!
See you at a conference soon, come and say hi!
Thanks
Stuart
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