KPMG's 2026 U.S. CEO Outlook, based on a survey of 400 chief executives at large U.S. companies, found that 85% now name cybercrime and cyber insecurity as the top risk to their company's prosperity over the next three years, ahead of every other threat measured. Nearly half, 48%, said they plan to increase cyber spending over that span, and 56% flagged cybersecurity as their biggest challenge in rolling out AI tools company wide.
AI itself is driving much of that worry. 78% of CEOs pointed to AI powered social engineering as a threat, 76% cited AI assisted malware and phishing, and 73% flagged data and privacy risks tied to AI agents operating inside their systems. A newer concern, quantum computing, has not caught up in awareness or budget: 62% of CEOs said they know encryption could eventually be broken by quantum attacks but are not prioritizing it, and just 4% currently have a plan to address the risk, even though 34% report increasing spending specifically because of it.