IBM Security report India: Data Breach Cost Hits Rs. 25.5 Crore

India's cybersecurity landscape is becoming more expensive and more complex. The IBM Security report for India shows that the average organisational cost of a data breach reached a record INR 255 million (INR 25.5 crore) in 2026, marking a 15.9% increase over the previous year. At the same time, AI-generated cyberattacks are becoming more common, forcing organisations to rethink how they protect their digital assets.

According to the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026, artificial intelligence is changing both sides of cybersecurity. While attackers are using AI to launch faster and more sophisticated attacks, businesses investing in AI-powered security automation are reporting lower breach costs and quicker incident response.

IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 Highlights AI Risks

The latest IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 reveals that nearly 26% of malicious breaches in India were AI-generated, showing how quickly the threat landscape is evolving. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report also found that organisations using extensive AI and security automation were better positioned to detect, investigate, and contain cyber incidents than those relying on traditional security operations.

IBM believes enterprises need to move beyond using AI only for detection and instead embed intelligent automation across the entire security lifecycle, from analysis and prioritisation to remediation.

Cost of a Data Breach in India 2026 Reaches New High

The Cost of a data breach in India 2026 reached an unprecedented level, with the average Data breach cost INR 25.5 crore across organisations. This represents the Record data breach cost India has reported so far, with financial services recording the highest average losses, followed by the technology and communications sectors.

The IBM Security report India also found that organisations with no AI or security automation paid significantly more per breach than those with mature automation strategies. Shadow AI, regulatory non-compliance, and cloud migration further increased breach costs.

Cybersecurity Statistics India Show Automation Gap

The latest Cybersecurity statistics India reveal that AI adoption remains uneven. Only 32% of organisations reported extensive use of AI and security automation, while many continue to rely on limited or no automation.

According to IBM 2026 data breach statistics, organisations without AI automation took longer to identify and contain breaches, while businesses with extensive automation experienced lower financial impact and improved operational resilience.

The IBM Security report India also shows that incident response planning, threat detection technologies, identity and access management, AI governance tools, and employee awareness remain the top priorities for future cybersecurity investments.

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