CIOs put AI on security top‑of‑mind
A recent CIO survey finds executives now rank securing AI alongside malware, ransomware and phishing as a top cyber risk, and many report blind spots from 'shadow AI' in their organisations. That concern sits alongside data pointing to concentration in attackers—three ransomware gangs were responsible for about 40% of March attacks—suggesting defenders face both new tool‑risk and persistent organised threats. (prnewswire.com, digit.fyi)
Chief information officers now rank securing artificial intelligence with malware, ransomware and phishing as a top cyber risk. (logicalis.com) Logicalis said its 2026 Global Chief Information Officer Report surveyed more than 1,000 chief information officers worldwide, and 28% named artificial intelligence a significant risk. Malware led at 33%, ransomware was 33%, and phishing was 30%. (logicalis.com) The same survey found 77% of organisations had a cybersecurity incident in the past year, 57% said employees put data at risk through artificial intelligence use, and 34% said artificial intelligence created new security blind spots. Nearly half said they sometimes wish artificial intelligence had never been invented. (prnewswire.co.uk) Those blind spots often come from “shadow artificial intelligence,” the workplace version of shadow information technology: staff use chatbots, coding assistants or file tools outside approved systems, leaving security teams without logs, controls or clear data rules. Auvik said on March 25 that governance gaps and fragmented visibility are slowing artificial intelligence adoption inside information technology teams. (prnewswire.co.uk, auvik.com) The older threats have not dispersed while companies sort out artificial intelligence policy. Check Point said 672 ransomware incidents were reported in March 2026, and three groups accounted for 40% of them. (infosecurity-magazine.com) Digit.fyi, citing Check Point research, said Qilin alone was responsible for 20% of March’s published attacks, with Akira and DragonForce making up much of the rest. The same report said 47 different ransomware groups were active during the month. (digit.fyi) That leaves security chiefs dealing with two different problems at once: employees adopting new tools faster than policy can catch up, and organised extortion crews still operating at industrial scale. Info-Tech Research Group said in February that chief information officers entering 2026 were being pushed toward stricter risk management even as artificial intelligence stayed central to enterprise plans. (prnewswire.com) Logicalis framed artificial intelligence as both a defence tool and part of the attack surface, a shift from earlier corporate messaging that treated it mainly as a productivity gain. The survey’s numbers suggest many technology leaders now see artificial intelligence less as a pilot project and more as another system that can leak data, widen access and fail under pressure. (logicalis.com)
