AI-Driven Cyber Risks and Fraud Dominate Global Cybersecurity Outlook for 2026

Cyber-enabled fraud has overtaken ransomware as the primary concern for CEOs, with AI-related vulnerabilities and geopolitical risks reshaping global cybersecurity priorities, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report on January 12, 2026, highlighting a shift in cyber risk priorities among global business leaders. The report states that cyber-enabled fraud has become the most pervasive threat, surpassing ransomware as the top concern for CEOs.

The report, developed in collaboration with Accenture, is based on a survey of 804 global business leaders from 92 countries, including 105 CEOs and 316 chief information security officers. The findings indicate that 73% of respondents were directly affected by cyber-enabled fraud or knew someone who was in 2025. CEOs now rank fraud and phishing as greater concerns than ransomware.

AI-related vulnerabilities have increased, with 87% of respondents reporting more such incidents in the past year. Data leaks linked to generative AI were cited by 34% of respondents, while 29% identified advancing adversarial AI capabilities as leading concerns for 2026. The report notes that 94% of leaders expect AI to be the most significant factor shaping cybersecurity in 2026. Organizations have responded by nearly doubling the proportion assessing AI security, from 37% to 64%.

Geopolitical volatility is also affecting cybersecurity strategies. The report finds that 64% of organizations now consider geopolitically motivated attacks in their risk planning, and 91% of the largest enterprises have adjusted their cybersecurity posture accordingly. Confidence in national cyber preparedness varies: only 31% of respondents are highly confident in their country’s ability to respond to attacks on critical infrastructure. Regional differences are pronounced, with confidence levels at 84% in the Middle East and North Africa compared to 13% in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Supply chain vulnerabilities remain a significant issue. Among large companies, 65% cite third-party and supply chain risks as the greatest barrier to cyber resilience, up from 54% in the previous year. The report highlights that concentration risk is intensifying, with incidents at major cloud and internet service providers demonstrating the potential for widespread downstream impacts.

The report also identifies widening disparities in cyber resilience across regions and sectors. Smaller organizations are twice as likely as large firms to report insufficient resilience. The shortage of cybersecurity talent is most acute in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 65% of organizations report insufficient skills to meet security objectives, and in sub-Saharan Africa, where 63% face similar constraints.

The WEF report calls for increased collaboration across sectors, including intelligence sharing, standard alignment, and investment in cybersecurity capabilities, to address the evolving threat landscape and reduce disparities in cyber resilience.

Download the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report.