Cybersecurity threats are accelerating at a global scale, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, geopolitical volatility, and a sharp rise in cyber-enabled fraud, according to the World Economic Forum’s “Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026” report. The annual survey of CEOs, CISOs, and cybersecurity leaders finds that emerging technologies are expanding both attack surfaces and defensive capabilities, producing what analysts describe as a “cyber arms race.”
The report warns that AI has become the most significant force shaping cyber risk, with 94% of surveyed organizations identifying it as the leading driver of change in 2026. Adoption cuts both ways: organizations are deploying AI to automate detection and response, yet attackers are using the same tools to enhance phishing, reconnaissance, and social engineering. At the same time, 87% of respondents reported that AI-related vulnerabilities grew faster in 2025 than any other cyber risk, underscoring rising concerns over data exposure and adversarial capabilities.
Geopolitics has also emerged as a defining factor in cyber readiness. 64% of organizations now incorporate geopolitical threats into cyber risk strategies, reflecting heightened fears of nation-state targeting of critical infrastructure. Confidence in national preparedness is weakening: 31% of respondents expressed low confidence in their country’s ability to respond to major cyber incidents, up from 26% the previous year. Regional disparities are stark, with respondents in the Middle East expressing high confidence and respondents in Latin America reporting the lowest.
Meanwhile, cyber-enabled fraud has overtaken ransomware as the top concern for CEOs, marking a shift from operational disruptions to financial and societal impacts. 73% of survey participants said they or someone in their network experienced cyber fraud within the past year, with phishing, payment fraud, and identity theft leading the trend.
Despite escalating risks, most organizations view cyber resilience as attainable. 64% reported meeting minimum resilience requirements, though skills shortages, supply chain dependencies, and rapid technological change remain persistent barriers to improvement.
The report concludes that cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical issue but a strategic imperative that intersects with economic stability, public safety, and global power dynamics—where collaboration, intelligence sharing, and AI governance will increasingly determine who remains secure in a volatile digital world.
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