In an interview with Help Net Security, Akshay Joshi, head of the World Economic Forum's Centre for Cybersecurity, discussed findings from the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026. The report shows that cyber-enabled fraud has overtaken ransomware as CEOs' top concern, with 73% of respondents saying they or someone in their network were personally affected by fraud in 2025 and 77% reporting an increase in fraud and phishing.
AI is accelerating both attack and defense, shifting cyber operations toward machine speed. According to the research, 87% of respondents see AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing risk, and Joshi warns of AI agents potentially acting as independent threat actors. He argues that security must be built into AI design and that humans should remain accountable for high-impact decisions.
Geopolitical tensions are now a defining factor in cyber strategy: 91% of large organizations have changed their approach in response to geopolitical volatility, while confidence in national preparedness varies sharply by region—84% in the Middle East and North Africa versus 13% in Latin America and the Caribbean. The resilience gap between large and small firms is also widening, driven largely by skills shortages and limited institutional capacity.