The global average cost of a data breach reached a record $4.99 million in 2026, a 12% increase over the prior year, according to IBM's annual Cost of a Data Breach Report. In the United States the average reached $11.5 million, more than double the global figure.

One in four malicious breaches were AI enabled, a 56% increase over the previous year. Those AI enabled breaches averaged $6 million, roughly $1 million more than the overall average. IBM attributed the gap to attackers using AI to automate intrusion steps and widen the blast radius of a single compromise.

Shadow AI, meaning employee use of AI tools outside sanctioned channels, appeared in 43% of breached organizations, up from 20% a year earlier. Organizations with shadow AI present recorded higher average breach costs, greater operational disruption, and larger volumes of lost data. Close to seven in ten breached organizations reported no governance policy for managing AI or for detecting unapproved use.

Detection and escalation expenses, combined with lost business from operational disruption and customer churn, accounted for nearly two thirds of total breach costs. IBM noted that organizations are deploying AI on both sides of the equation, using it to speed detection and response while attackers use it to scale attacks. The report draws on breach data from organizations across multiple regions and industry sectors.

Source: IBM - https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-07-29-ibm-study-one-in-four-malicious-breaches-are-ai-enabled,-costing-companies-6-million-on-average