What does a data breach cost? AI is a sizable factor
Brief
The financial impact of a data breach is substantial for any modern business, regardless of industry or size. IBM’s latest Cost of a Data Breach report discovered that, from March 2025 to February 2026, the average cost of a data breach rose to $6 million, up 35% from $4. 44 million a year earlier.
The 2026 report, conducted by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM, is based on an analysis of data breaches experienced by 600 organizations globally.
According to the report, one in four malicious breaches were AI-enabled. Deepfake impersonation and AI-enabled malware made up the majority of these AI-assisted attacks.
The study found that AI and automation in security operations cut breach costs by an average of almost $2 million dollars. Despite that impact, one in four organizations have yet to adopt these tools in their security operations, the survey found.