IBM and the Ponemon Institute’s 21st annual Cost of a Data Breach Report found the global average breach cost hit $4.99 million this year, up 12%. AI-driven attacks rose 56% year over year and now add roughly $1 million to the average breach on their own, the same technology boards are racing to deploy with the least governance around it.
Source: IBM & Ponemon Institute: Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 →