IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Study found the global average cost of a data breach reached 4.99 million dollars, a 12 percent increase from the prior year. The United States recorded the highest regional average at 11.5 million dollars per breach, more than double the global figure. Healthcare breaches remained the costliest by sector, averaging 6.64 million dollars per incident despite a year over year decline.

The report singled out artificial intelligence as a growing cost driver. AI-driven attacks increased 56 percent year over year, and breaches involving AI-driven techniques carried an average cost near 6.0 million dollars, roughly 1 million dollars above the global baseline. Deepfake and impersonation attempts accounted for 45 percent of AI-driven attacks, while AI-generated malware made up 19 percent and AI-generated phishing content made up 17 percent.

So-called shadow AI, meaning AI tools employees use without formal approval, factored into 43 percent of security incidents this year, more than double the 20 percent share recorded in 2025. Breaches tied to shadow AI carried an average cost of 5.39 million dollars, and about one in five resulted in a regulatory fine.

IBM reported that 85 percent of organizations aware of newer frontier AI models said they were increasing security spending specifically to address risks those models introduce, and the study noted only about a third of organizations require formal approval before employees deploy AI tools internally.

Source: The HIPAA Journal - https://www.hipaajournal.com/2026-cost-data-breach-study-ibm/