Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 Regional Analysis Middle East and North Africa

Geopolitics –76% of organizations in the Middle East and North Africa report adjusting their cybersecurity strategies due to geopolitical volatility – which is higher than all other regions (globally 66%). Additionally, 69% report incorporating geopolitically motivated cyberattacks into risk mitigation plans – the highest proportion among other regions (globally 64%). –The Middle East and North Africa region shows by far the highest trust in national capabilities to respond to cyber incidents targeting critical infrastructure, with nearly 84% of organizations expressing confidence (globally 37%). Cybercrime –The GCO 2026 survey reveals that exploitation of software vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks are the top two perceived cyber risks in the region.Has your organization’s cybersecurity strategy evolved because of geopolitical volatility? East Asia and PacificSouth Asia Europe and Central Asia Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America and the CaribbeanNorth America Yes No64%74% 26%24% 70% 30%Middle East and North Africa 76% 71% 29% 59% 41%62% 38%36% –62% of respondents from the Middle East and North Africa report that they or someone in their professional/personal network has been affected by cyber-enabled fraud in the past 12 months (globally 73%). Nearly 50% indicate that these were phishing, vishing or smishing attacks. Resilience –The Middle East and North Africa region is showing the strongest confidence in cyber resilience compared to other regions: –40% of organizations in the region rated their cyber resilience as exceeding requirements ((globally 19%) –47% assessed their cyber resilience as meeting minum requirements (globally 64%) –13% assessed it as insufficient (17% globally) –The top three challenges to achieving cyber resilience in this region are: 1. Rapidly evolving threat landscape and emerging technologies (64%) 2. Cybersecurity skills and expertise shortage (58%) 3. Third-party and supply chain vulnerabilities (56%) Rank Which cyber risks concern you most for your organization? Exploitation of software vulnerabilities Ransomware attack Supply chain disruption1 2 3How would you rate your organization’s cyber resilience? Our cyber resilience is insufficientOur cyber resilience meets minimum requirementsOur cyber resilience exceeds our requirements13% 47%40%