Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jun 23, 2025

IBM: Cost of data breaches hit 17-year high

IBM: Cost of data breaches hit 17-year high

The US experienced the most expensive breaches at more than $9 million per incident
Data breaches cost companies an estimated $4.24 million per incident on average - a 17-year high, according to a Wednesday report from IBM.

The global figure represents the highest cost-per-data-breach incident in the 17-year history of IBM's annual "Cost of a Data Breach" report.

"Higher data breach costs are yet another added expense for businesses in the wake of rapid technology shifts during the pandemic," Chris McCurdy, vice president and general manager of IBM Security, said in a Wednesday statement.

He added, however, that "while data breach costs reached a record high over the past year, the report also showed positive signs about the impact of modern security tactics, such as AI, automation and the adoption of a zero trust approach – which may pay off in reducing the cost of these incidents further down the line."

A jarring series of cyberattacks in recent months on private and federal entities - including the 2020 SolarWinds hack, which put hundreds of agencies and companies at risk - and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that led to a temporary gas shortage along the East Coast in May have shed new light on the monetary impacts of cyberattacks and the importance of cybersecurity.

The U.S. experienced the most expensive breaches at more than $9 million per incident, followed by the entire Middle East at $6.9 million and Canada at $5.4 million.

The cost of data breaches also saw a 10% increase compared to last year's report as companies adapted to an increasingly digital workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the survey of 500 organizations.

Data breaches cost more than $1 million more on average when remote work was included as a factor in the cyberattack incidents reported, according to IBM.

The health care, retail, hospitality and consumer manufacturing/distribution industries saw the most significant increase in costs related to data breaches. Health care, specifically, recorded an average $9.23 million cost per incident, representing a $2 million increase year-over-year.

Stolen user credentials (such as usernames and passwords) were the most common cause behind data breaches, and customer data (such as names, emails and passwords) was the most common data to be exposed in breaches.

Cyberattack mitigation technology including artificial intelligence (AI), security analytics and encryption helped save companies between $1.25 million and $1.49 million compared to those that did not use those tools.

It also took companies longer on average to detect and contain breaches. Organizations, on average, took 212 days to detect breaches and 75 to contain them.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
×