Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 Regional Analysis North America FEBRUARY 2026 Introduction Cybersecurity risk in 2026 is accelerating, fuelled by advances in AI, deepening geopolitical fragmentation and the complexity of supply chains. This analysis builds on the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 (GCO 2026) to examine how these global trends are playing out in North America, providing a focused view of the region’s evolving cybersecurity landscape. Key takeaways on North America –95% of respondents from North America reported that risks related to AI vulnerabilities have increased in the past year (globally 87%). –78% of organizations reported they have processes in place to assess the security of AI tools before deployment, exceeding the overall average across all regions (64%) and representing the strongest level observed. –Cyber-enabled fraud is the number one concern in the region. Some 79% of respondents indicate they themselves or someone in their network has been affected by cyber-enabled fraud, compared with an average across all regions of 73%. –62% of organizations reported their cybersecurity strategies have evolved because of geopolitical volatility (globally 64%). –67% of organizations stated that they actively consider geopolitically motivated cyberattacks in their cyber risk mitigation strategy, compared with an overall average across all regions of 64%. –62% of respondents declared their cyber resilience meets minimum requirements, compared with an overall average across all regions of 64%, and 38% of respondents from this region reported some level of confidence in the national ability to respond to a major cyber incident affecting critical infrastructure (globally 38%).AI security AI risk perception –According to the GCO 2026 survey, 95% of organizations in the region believe AI and machine learning will have the greatest impact on cybersecurity in the next 12 months (globally 94%), and 92% report that AI-related cyber risks have increased (globally 87%). –Furthermore, advancement of adversarial capabilities is considered the most pressing cybersecurity issue linked to generative AI in this region, cited by 35% of respondents. Data leaks rank second, highlighted by 30% of respondents. –This heightened concern is not limited to North America but the region is taking additional measures to address it. According to the GCO 2026 survey, compared with other regions, 78% of organizations in this region report they have processes in place to assess the security of AI tools before deployment (globally 64%) – the highest level reported across regions. Does your organization have a process in place to assess the security of AI tools before deploying them? Yes, we review periodically Yes, we review once I don’t know NoEast Asia and Paciﬁc 48% 27% 5% 19% 40% 21% 13% 26%South Asia 36% 27% 10% 26%Europe and Central Asia56% 13% 7% 24%Middle East and North Africa 29% 18% 8% 45%Sub-Saharan Africa 19% 24% 6% 51%Latin America and the Caribbean56% 22% 4% 18%North America