Global Cybersecurity Outlook

Key Chapter Title List

1. Executive Summary
2. Understanding the Complexity of Cyberspace
3. Decoding Complexity: Threat Landscape, Security in the Intelligent Age, and Ecosystem Interdependencies
4. The Evolution of the Cyber Threat Landscape
5. AI as a Catalyst for Cybercrime
6. Beyond Cybercrime: Emerging Threats to Critical Infrastructure and Human Security
7. Security in the Intelligent Age
8. Growing Ecosystem Interdependencies and Risks
9. The State of Cyber Resilience
10. Navigating Complex Cyberspace: An Introduction to the Economics of Cybersecurity
11. Conclusion
12. Appendix: Methodology

Document Introduction

This report, jointly released by the World Economic Forum and Accenture, aims to provide global leaders with an authoritative guide to navigating the increasingly complex cyber risk landscape in 2025 and beyond. The report indicates that cyberspace is entering an era of unprecedented complexity, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions, rapid adoption of emerging technologies, deepening supply chain interdependencies, the proliferation of global regulations, and a widening cyber skills gap. This complexity is exacerbating cyber inequality, creating significant resilience gaps between large and small organizations, developed and emerging economies, and across different industry sectors.

The core analysis of the report revolves around "Decoding Complexity," delving into the evolution of the current cyber threat landscape. Ransomware, cyber fraud, and identity theft remain top organizational risks, while the misuse of Generative AI (GenAI) is significantly enhancing the capabilities of cybercriminals, making social engineering attacks more precise and scalable. The report warns that the convergence of cybercrime with traditional organized crime groups, and the spread of cyber threats to critical infrastructure (such as water facilities, biosecurity, communications, and energy systems), are expanding cybersecurity issues from the traditional realms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a level posing direct, tangible risks to human security.

In the "Security in the Intelligent Age" section, the report explores the "cyber paradox" brought by artificial intelligence: although 66% of organizations expect AI to have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the coming year, only 37% have processes in place to assess the security of AI tools before deployment. This gap between awareness and action particularly exposes resource-constrained smaller organizations to greater risks. Simultaneously, the report examines the transformative potential of AI in cyber defense and the forward-looking preparations needed to address the threat posed by quantum computing.

The report further analyzes the growing risks associated with ecosystem interdependencies, where supply chain vulnerabilities are seen by 54% of large organizations as the biggest obstacle to achieving cyber resilience. Geopolitical tensions directly influence the cybersecurity strategies of nearly 60% of organizations, while the fragmentation of global regulations presents significant compliance challenges. The prominence of cyber inequality as a driver of ecosystem risk is increasingly evident, with 35% of small organizations considering their cyber resilience insufficient, and the public sector showing particular vulnerability in this regard.

Finally, the report assesses the current state of cyber resilience, noting that 72% of organizations believe their cyber risk has increased over the past year. The solution lies not only in technological investment but also in fostering a security culture that encourages incident reporting, improving incident response processes, and addressing the unevenness of cyber insurance coverage. The report introduces the concept of the "Economics of Cybersecurity," emphasizing that leaders need to quantify cyber risk from an economic perspective, view cybersecurity as a strategic investment rather than a pure cost, and collaborate across sectors and regions to collectively build a more resilient digital ecosystem.

The conclusions of this report are based on a survey of 409 participants across 57 countries, 43 one-on-one executive interviews, and qualitative and quantitative data collected from multiple workshops, including the 2024 Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity. It provides policymakers, business leaders, and security experts with evidence-based insights and an actionable framework.