40% 20% 80% 60% 100%AI/machine learning technologies (generative AI, agentic AI, malicious use of AI, AI-driven detection and response) Cloud technologies (growing reliance on cloud infrastructure) Quantum technologies (computing, encryption) Autonomous systems/robotics Decentralized technologies (secure multi-party computation, blockchain) Space technologies (satellite communication, GPS, internet) Other disruptive technologies Responses (%)0%94% 61% 37% 26% 20% 3%9%In your view, which of the following technologies will most signiﬁcantly affect cybersecurity in the next 12 months? (select up to three)Technologies that organizations expect to most significantly affect cybersecurity in the next 12 monthsFIGURE 39 Cloud providers have become critical enablers of modern ecosystems, yet they also represent concentrated points of dependency across organizations’ ecosystems. As digital supply chains rely more on an interconnected cloud environment, the boundaries become increasingly complex, creating governance and resilience challenges. While these platforms strengthen efficiency and connectivity, a single disruption or misconfiguration can cascade through the entire organization ecosystem, exposing how cloud and IoT Integration increase overall exposure.In October 2025, a disruption occurred due to a misconfiguration in a Domain Name System (DNS) operated by Amazon Web Services (AWS), affecting thousands of organizations worldwide. Microsoft Azure cloud platform also experienced a global outage during the same month.44 Shortly after, in November 2025, Cloudflare also experienced an outage, disrupting many online services.45 While not cybersecurity issues, these events illustrate how provider-level incidents can generate broad downstream impacts across interconnected digital ecosystems.46 3.6 Drivers of cyber inequity in 2026 Cyber capacity across the global ecosystem remains uneven across industries and regions, influenced by differences in skills, resources and available digital infrastructure and governance frameworks. While certain organizations continue to invest in security, many others face challenges in sustaining even a baseline level of cybersecurity. This imbalance – described as cyber inequity – creates vulnerabilities that extend beyond individual entities, exposing entire interconnected supply chains to risk. The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 examined this inequity through three key dimensions: small versus large organizations; developed versus emerging economies; and disparities across sectors.The 2026 survey data reveals that perceptions of resilience levels still vary across regions. High degrees of confidence in resilience levels are expressed by respondents based in the Middle East and North Africa, while lower levels of resilience are expressed in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Despite rising confidence in cyber resilience overall, inequities persist between smaller and larger organizations.47 Survey data indicates that small organizations (by revenue) are twice as likely to experience insufficient resilience levels as large organizations. Similarly, across sectors, survey data reveals that the divide remains: NGOs report 37% insufficient resilience, and the public sector 23%, compared with just 11% in the private sector. Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 48