Cyber-Enabled Fraud Now One of the Most Pervasive Global Threats, Says New Report

The latest World Economic Forum report, the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, developed in collaboration with Accenture, reveals that cyber-enabled fraud has emerged as one of the most pervasive global threats, surpassing ransomware as the primary concern among CEOs.

According to the findings, 87% of respondents reported an increase in AI-related vulnerabilities during 2025, while 94% of leaders anticipate that artificial intelligence will represent the most significant force shaping cybersecurity throughout 2026.

Geopolitical volatility is eroding confidence in national cyber preparedness, with 31% of those surveyed expressing low confidence in their country’s capacity to respond effectively to attacks on critical infrastructure.

The report, marking the fifth edition in the series, traces the progression from pandemic-driven digital acceleration to the current highly complex threat environment.

It emphasises that artificial intelligence, geopolitical fragmentation, and the rapid rise in cyber-enabled fraud are transforming the global cyber risk landscape at an extraordinary pace.

Cyber-enabled fraud now stands out as a widespread challenge with profound societal and economic consequences, affecting diverse regions and sectors alike.

As cyber risks grow increasingly interconnected and impactful, cyber-enabled fraud has become one of the most disruptive elements in the digital economy, eroding trust, distorting markets, and directly affecting individuals’ lives, noted Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum. He stressed that the task for leaders extends beyond merely recognising the threat to taking collective action to anticipate and counter it, building robust cyber resilience through cooperation among governments, businesses, and technology providers to safeguard trust and stability in an AI-driven world.

A clear divide persists between highly resilient organisations and those lagging behind, exacerbated by skills shortages and limited resources, which heighten systemic risks.

Global supply chains, increasingly interconnected yet opaque, have turned third-party dependencies into major vulnerabilities, whilst inequalities in cyber capabilities continue to widen, leaving smaller organisations and emerging economies particularly vulnerable.

Paolo Dal Cin, global lead for Accenture Cybersecurity, highlighted that the weaponisation of AI, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and systemic supply chain risks are overturning conventional cyber defences. He urged C-suite leaders to shift towards advanced, agentic AI-powered cyber defence strategies to counter AI-driven adversaries, noting that genuine business resilience arises from integrating cyber strategy, operational continuity, and foundational trust to enable rapid adaptation to evolving threats.

Key factors defining the 2026 cyber landscape include the unprecedented acceleration of cybersecurity risks by AI, with AI-related vulnerabilities rising faster than any other category in 2025. Leading worries for the coming year encompass data leaks tied to generative AI (34%) and advancing adversarial techniques (29%).

Meanwhile, organisations have nearly doubled the proportion assessing AI security, rising from 37% to 64%.

Geopolitics continues to reshape the threat environment, as 64% of organisations now incorporate geopolitically motivated attacks into their risk strategies, and 91% of the largest enterprises have adjusted their cybersecurity approaches in response.

Confidence in national incident management varies considerably, with regional differences starkly apparent.

Cyber-enabled fraud has attained pervasive status globally, with a notable 73% of respondents either personally affected or knowing someone who was in 2025, prompting CEOs to prioritise fraud and phishing above ransomware.

Supply chains represent a persistent systemic weakness, with 65% of large companies identifying third-party and supply chain risks as their greatest barrier to cyber resilience, an increase from 54% the previous year.

Concentration risks are intensifying, as demonstrated by incidents at major cloud and internet service providers that can cascade into broad downstream disruptions.

Cyber inequity is growing across regions and sectors, with smaller organisations twice as likely to report inadequate resilience compared to larger firms. Skills shortages are especially acute in areas such as Latin America and the Caribbean (65%) and sub-Saharan Africa (63%), where many organisations struggle to meet their security objectives.

Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity & Smart Nation Group in Singapore, observed that developments in AI are reshaping cybersecurity profoundly. When used responsibly, these technologies can bolster defences through faster detection and response, yet misuse or inadequate governance can introduce severe risks, including data leaks and sophisticated attacks. She called for forward-thinking, collaborative governmental approaches to ensure AI strengthens cyber resilience while mitigating cross-border risks.

The report urges leaders across all sectors to move beyond isolated measures, advocating for collective efforts to elevate baseline security through intelligence sharing, standard alignment, and investment in capabilities that enable every organisation to thrive in a more secure digital environment.

The insights are drawn from a survey of 804 global business leaders across 92 countries, including 105 CEOs, 316 chief information security officers, and 123 other C-suite executives such as chief technology officers and chief risk officers.