The World Economic Forum has released its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026.
Published in January 2026 by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Accenture, the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 argues that cybersecurity has moved decisively from the IT department to the boardroom. The report warns that artificial intelligence, geopolitics, and widening digital inequality are reshaping cyber risk in ways that affect economies, public services, and democratic institutions worldwide.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, released in January 2026, provides a snapshot of how global cyber risks are evolving and why they are becoming harder to manage. Based on surveys of more than 100 chief executives and security leaders, the report examines how technological change, political fragmentation, and economic disparities are converging to create a more volatile digital environment.
At its core, the report makes a simple point. Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office technical function. It is now a strategic concern that shapes business continuity, national security, and public trust. Decisions about artificial intelligence, supply chains, and international cooperation increasingly have direct cybersecurity consequences.
A central finding of the report is the growing role of artificial intelligence in cyber risk. AI is strengthening defensive capabilities, such as faster threat detection and automated response. At the same time, it is enabling more sophisticated attacks, including large-scale fraud, phishing, and exploitation of software vulnerabilities. Nearly all surveyed leaders expect AI to be the most significant driver of change in cybersecurity in the near term, and a growing number of organisations are now assessing the security of AI tools before deploying them. Even so, AI-related vulnerabilities are widely seen as the fastest-growing source of cyber risk.
The report also highlights how geopolitics has become a defining factor in cybersecurity. Fragmentation between states, concerns about technological sovereignty, and reduced trust across borders are complicating cooperation on cyber threats. Cyber operations are increasingly intertwined with political tensions, trade disputes, and conflicts, making coordinated responses more difficult even as attacks move rapidly across jurisdictions.
Another recurring theme is inequality. The report warns of a widening “cyber resilience gap” between organisations and countries that can invest in advanced security capabilities and those that cannot. Smaller organisations and less-resourced states face growing exposure to cybercrime, supply-chain disruptions, and systemic failures, while lacking the tools to respond effectively. This imbalance, the report argues, is not only a technical problem but also an economic and social one.
Supply chains emerge as a particular area of concern. As digital services rely on complex, often opaque networks of providers, vulnerabilities in one part of the chain can cascade across entire sectors. Concentration of critical infrastructure and limited visibility into third-party risks make it harder to anticipate and contain incidents.
Despite its stark assessment, the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 does not frame the situation as inevitable. Instead, it emphasises that collective action remains possible. The report calls for stronger collaboration between governments, businesses, and technical communities, alongside investment in skills, governance, and long-term resilience. In a fragmented world, it concludes, cybersecurity is one of the few areas where cooperation is not only necessary but still achievable.
By positioning cybersecurity as a shared societal challenge rather than a purely technical one, the report underscores why cyber risk now sits alongside economic stability and public safety as a defining issue for 2026 and beyond.
