In its Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026, IBM revealed that data breaches cost impacted organizations a record $4.99 million per incident, on average, between March 2025 and February 2026, up from $4.44 million in last year’s report. Organizations in the U.S. and the Middle East saw the highest average cost of a data breach at $11.50 million and $8.00 million, respectively, over the period. AI-driven attacks increased by 56% year-over-year, driven by AI-generated malware and deepfake impersonations deployed to bypass identity controls.