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IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report

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Tangentially relevant to AI safety in the context of AI-enabled cyberattacks, critical infrastructure protection, and the governance of AI systems that handle sensitive data; primarily a cybersecurity industry benchmarking report.

Metadata

Importance: 35/100organizational reportreference

Summary

IBM's annual report quantifies the financial and operational costs of data breaches globally, drawing on real-world incidents across industries. It provides benchmarks for breach detection, response times, and cost drivers including AI adoption, cloud vulnerabilities, and regulatory impacts. The report serves as a key industry reference for cybersecurity risk assessment and investment decisions.

Key Points

  • Tracks average cost of data breaches globally, broken down by industry, region, and breach type.
  • Highlights how AI and automation tools are reducing breach detection and containment times.
  • Examines cost drivers including stolen credentials, phishing, and cloud misconfigurations.
  • Provides data on regulatory fines, reputational damage, and customer loss as components of breach costs.
  • Used widely by security professionals and policymakers to justify cybersecurity investment and governance frameworks.

Cited by 2 pages

PageTypeQuality
AI Cyber Damage EstimatesAnalysis--
Cyberweapons RiskRisk91.0

Cached Content Preview

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Cost of a data breach 2025 | IBM 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 



 

 
 
 



 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 


 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 










 
 
 






 



 




 
 






 

 

 

 
 
 
 


 
 

 






 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Download report 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Watch the webinar 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 The AI oversight gap 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 New global research from IBM and Ponemon Institute reveals how AI is greatly outpacing security and governance in favor of do-it-now adoption. The findings show that ungoverned AI systems are more likely to be breached and more costly when they are.



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 4.4M
 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 The global average cost of a data breach, in USD, a 9% decrease over last year—driven by faster identification and containment.



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 97% 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 Share of organizations that reported an AI-related security incident and lacked proper AI access controls.



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 63% 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 Share of organizations that lacked AI governance policies to manage AI or prevent the proliferation of shadow AI.



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 1.9M
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 Cost savings, in USD, from extensive use of AI in security, compared to organizations that didn’t use these solutions.



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 Key takeaways 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Join IBM cybersecurity expert Jeff Crume as he unpacks this year’s key findings, strategic takeaways and recommendations for how you can limit risk and safeguard your AI, data, people and infrastructure.



 
 
 


 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Watch video (15:26) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 Take action 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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