Cyberattacks are now the top concern of leading CEOs, overtaking fears over geopolitical turmoil or inflation, the Wall Street Journal reports. A survey by the Conference Board and the Business Council found that 65% of CEOs at blue-chip companies cited cyberattacks as their top worry in the second quarter of 2026, an increase from 56% in Q1 2026.

“Data breaches, ransomware and phishing attacks are top of mind among chief executives at some of the world’s largest companies, surpassing worries over business risks posed by the war in the Middle East, global trade disruptions and inflation,” the Journal says.

Roger W. Ferguson Jr., vice chairman of the Business Council, noted, “The rise in importance of cyber risk is in part a reflection of elevated geopolitical tension and the awareness that cyberwarfare is not limited to attacks on government entities.”

The Wall Street Journal adds, “It was the first time in over a year that cyberattack fears outranked all other business threats, the survey said. The results are based on a quarterly survey of more than 100 CEOs, mostly at U.S.-based firms. The upswing comes even as the executives’ broader outlook plunged. Only 15% of CEOs said economic conditions were better than six months ago, down from 39% in the previous quarter. Close to half said conditions were worse, up from 8%.”

The Journal also cites a report from CrowdStrike that found that the growing adoption of AI among attackers is “supercharging cybercrime,” increasing threat actors’ ability to launch complex cyberattacks.

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The Wall Street Journal has the story: Cyber Threats Top CEO Business Fears