Cyber Fraud Overtakes Ransomware as Top CEO Concern: WEF

Cyber-enabled fraud has overtaken ransomware as the primary concern for CEOs, marking a major shift in how business leaders perceive digital risk, according to the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday.

Ransomware has been a top concern for executives for many years. The data collected by the WEF for its previous report showed that the top cyber risk named by CEOs was ransomware attacks, followed by cyber-enabled fraud and phishing, and supply chain disruptions.

For the 2026 report, written in collaboration with Accenture, ransomware did not make the top three list. Cyber fraud has become the top concern, followed by AI vulnerabilities, and the exploitation of software flaws.

A survey conducted for the WEF analysis found that 73% of CEOs were personally affected, or they knew a business leader affected, by cyber-enabled fraud in 2025.

In addition, 77% of respondents believe cyber ...