Artificial intelligence, geopolitical fragmentation and a surge in cyber-enabled fraud are behind the changing global cyber risk landscape at unprecedented speed, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026.
The report, developed with the consulting firm Accenture, suggests that cyber-enabled fraud has become a pervasive threat. Supply chains remain a major systemic vulnerability. Among large companies, most, 65pc cite third-party and supply chain risks as their greatest cyber resilience barrier, up from 54pc last year. This shift underscores the growing societal and economic impact of fraud as it spreads across regions and sectors, according to the report. It shows how AI is supercharging both offensive and defensive capabilities. Geopolitical fragmentation further compounds these risks, reshaping cybersecurity strategies and widening preparedness gaps across regions.
This year marks the fifth edition of the Global Cybersecurity Outlook series, which has traced from pandemic-driven digitalization to an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. The new findings point to a cyber landscape undergoing profound structural shifts, where cyber resilience can no longer be approached as a technical function alone but as a strategic requirement that underpins economic stability, national resilience and public trust. Cyber inequity is widening across regions and sectors. Smaller businesses are twice as likely to report insufficient resilience compared to large firms.
What they say
Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director isWorld Economic Forum (WEF), the Swiss gathering of the rich and powerful each January in the resort of Davos. He said: “As cyber risks become more interconnected and consequential, cyber-enabled fraud has emerged as one of the most disruptive forces in the digital economy, undermining trust, distorting markets and directly affecting people’s lives. The challenge for leaders is no longer just understanding the threat but acting collectively to stay ahead of it. Building meaningful cyber resilience will require coordinated action across governments, businesses and technology providers to protect trust and stability in an increasingly AI-driven world.”
And Paolo Dal Cin, global lead, Accenture Cybersecurity said: “The weaponization of AI, persistent geopolitical friction and systemic supply chain risks are upending traditional cyber defences. For C-suite leaders, the imperative is clear; they must pivot from traditional cyber protection to cyber defence powered by advanced and agentic AI to be resilient against AI-driven threat actors. True business resilience is built by fusing cyber strategy, operational continuity and foundational trust—enabling organizations to swiftly adapt to the dynamic threat landscape.”
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