Average Data Breach Cost Hits Record High of Rs 25.5 Crore in India: IBM Report
IBM said organizations using extensive AI and security automation paid far less per breach, while 26% of malicious incidents were AI-generated.
- On Monday, IBM released its 2026 Data Breach Report, revealing India's average data breach cost reached a record Rs 25.5 crore, marking a 15.9% increase from Rs 22 crore last year.
- Breach scale grew to 39,500 records on average, up from 38,200, while unauthorized Shadow use increased costs by Rs 1.79 crore and Phishing accounted for 19% of incidents.
- Among industries, financial services recorded the highest breach costs at Rs 40.9 crore, while Organizations without Technology and security automation took 236 days to identify breaches versus 175 days with extensive deployment.
- Offensive security testing reduced breach costs by an average of Rs 2.47 crore, prompting 67% of Organizations to prioritize incident response planning and 51% to invest in threat detection technologies.
- Gaurav Agarwal, Vice President, Technology, IBM India and South Asia, emphasized that embedding Technology with agentic capabilities across the security lifecycle is a strategic imperative to build resilience and competitive advantage.
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15 Articles
What does a data breach cost? AI is a sizable factor
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 global…
The Economic Times
Times of IndiaAverage data breach cost hits record high of Rs 25.5 crore in India: IBM report
By 2026, the financial impact of data breaches in India surged to Rs 25.5 crore, marking a notable increase of sixteen percent from the previous year. The scope of these breaches also widened, with more records being compromised. Companies that did not implement AI in their security operations endured higher costs, emphasizing the necessity for organizations to adopt AI as a cornerstone of their security frameworks.
India’s average data breach cost hits record ₹25.5 crore in 2026 as AI-powered attacks rise: IBM
India’s average data breach cost surged to a record ₹25.5 crore in 2026 as AI-powered cyberattacks rise, IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report reveals. Learn how uneven AI adoption, shadow AI risks, and lack of automation are driving higher breach costs—and which proactive security measures can cut losses.
India's Average Data Breach Cost Rises to Record Rs 25.5 Crore in 2026: IBM Report
Get latest articles and stories on Business at LatestLY. The average cost of a data breach in India rose to a record Rs 25.5 crore in 2026, marking a 15.9 per cent increase from Rs 22 crore last year, according to IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report released on Monday. Business News | India's Average Data Breach Cost Rises to Record Rs 25.5 Crore in 2026: IBM Report.
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