Artificial intelligence accelerates cyber risks while geopolitical fractures and rampant fraud reshape global defenses, warns the World Economic Forum‘s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026.
Developed with Accenture, the fifth-edition report reveals AI vulnerabilities exploding—87% reported increases—as fraud personally impacts 73% and supply chain weaknesses cripple 65% of large organizations. Cyber resilience emerges as strategic imperative amid widening gaps.
AI Supercharges Attack and Defense Race
AI-related threats outpaced all categories in 2025, with 34% citing generative data leaks and 29% adversarial advances. Yet 94% of leaders view AI as 2026’s dominant force, nearly doubling organizations assessing AI security from 37% to 64%. Accenture’s Paolo Dal Cin urges C-suites to pivot: “Fuse cyber strategy with agentic AI against AI-driven actors.”
Jeremy Jurgens emphasizes collective action: “Fraud undermines trust, distorts markets—leaders must coordinate across borders.”
Geopolitics Drives State-Sponsored Threats
Geopolitical attacks factor into 64% of risk strategies; 91% of largest enterprises adjusted postures. Confidence in national incident response varies wildly—84% in MENA versus 13% Latin America. Singapore’s Josephine Teo calls for collaborative AI governance to harness detection gains while curbing cross-border risks.
Fraud Overtakes Ransomware as Top CEO Fear
CEOs now rank fraud/phishing above ransomware, with 73% directly affected or knowing victims. This pervasive societal threat spans regions, eroding economic stability and public confidence.
Supply chains amplify systemic failures—65% of big firms cite third-parties as primary barriers, up from 54%.
Cyber Inequity Widens Dangerously
Smaller organizations report insufficient resilience at double large firms’ rates. Talent shortages hit hardest in Latin America/Caribbean (65%) and sub-Saharan Africa (63%), leaving emerging economies exposed as AI concentration risks grow.
Key Questions Answered
Top 2026 threat? AI shapes cybersecurity per 94% leaders.
Fraud impact? 73% personally affected; CEOs prioritize over ransomware.
Geopolitical confidence? 13% Latin America vs 84% MENA.
Q&A: Cyber Landscape Shifts
Q: Survey scope?
A: 804 leaders across 92 countries—105 CEOs, 316 CISOs.
Q: Supply chain trend?
A: 65% barrier for large firms, up 11 points yearly.
Q: AI security progress?
A: 64% now assess, doubled from 37%.
FAQ
Report edition?
Fifth—tracks evolution from pandemic digitalization.
Small firm vulnerability?
Twice as likely report insufficient resilience.
Policy calls?
Intelligence sharing, standards alignment, capability investments.
Cloud concentration risk?
Major provider failures cascade downstream.