Convergent evolution is the independent development of similar traits in unrelated species. In biology, it explains why different lineages can end up with comparable shapes, behaviors, or capabilities when they face similar pressures. The key idea is that similarity does not always mean shared ancestry; sometimes it is the result of solving the same problem in different ways.
In cyber security, the term is useful as an analogy for attacks and defenses that arrive at similar designs independently. Different threat groups may build phishing kits, malware loaders, or command-and-control patterns that look alike because those methods are effective, not because the code was copied. Defenders see the same pattern in security controls: separate teams may independently adopt multifactor authentication, zero-trust segmentation, or sandboxing because the threat landscape pushes them toward the same solutions. Recognizing convergent evolution helps analysts avoid false assumptions about attribution and focus on function, not just appearance.