Cyber Fraud Overtakes Ransomware as Top CEO Concern: WEF

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), cyber-enabled fraud has overtaken ransomware as the primary concern for CEOs in the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, marking a major shift in how business leaders view digital risk. The report notes that ransomware did not make the top three in 2026, with cyber fraud ahead of AI vulnerabilities and the exploitation of software flaws.

The survey found that 73% of CEOs were personally affected, or knew a business leader affected, by cyber-enabled fraud in 2025, and 77% believe cyber fraud has increased over the past year. While CEOs’ concerns have shifted, ransomware remains the top fear for CISOs, followed by supply chain disruption.

The analysis also highlights evolving AI-related worries, with 34% citing unintended data exposure as the top AI-related concern in 2026, and 29% citing adversarial capabilities, alongside rising adoption of AI security tools. 13 January 2026.