Nearly two-thirds of CEOs at major companies now say cyberattacks are their single biggest business concern. This isn’t just one survey — every major global risk report is concluding the same thing.

• The specific threats keeping CEOs up at night have shifted — and AI is driving that shift. In 2025, ransomware topped the CEO concern list. In 2026, cyber-enabled fraud and phishing have taken the top spot, with AI vulnerabilities ranking second.

• Concern is rising fastest among executives who are being honest about their exposure. PwC’s 2026 Global CEO Survey found that about 1/3 of CEOs now describe their organizations as highly or extremely exposed to significant financial loss from cyber threats

• When cybersecurity moves from the CISO’s agenda to the CEO’s top concern, it changes how organizations invest, train, and hold employees accountable. Protiviti’s 2026 Executive Perspectives report found that nearly half of execs say cybersecurity ranks ahead of business process improvements and infrastructure modernization as an investment priority in 2027.