IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025

web

Relevant to AI governance discussions as it quantifies risks of deploying ungoverned AI systems; primarily a cybersecurity industry report rather than an AI safety research paper, but highlights real-world cost implications of AI oversight gaps.

Metadata

Importance: 35/100homepagereference

Summary

IBM's annual Cost of a Data Breach Report, produced with the Ponemon Institute, provides global research on data breach costs, trends, and contributing factors. The 2025 edition highlights an 'AI oversight gap' where rapid AI adoption is outpacing security governance, with ungoverned AI systems facing higher breach likelihood and costs. The global average breach cost reached $4.4M USD.

Key Points

•Global average cost of a data breach is $4.4M USD in 2025, a 9% decrease over last year due to faster identification and containment.
•Key finding: ungoverned AI systems are more likely to be breached and incur higher costs when breached.
•97% of organizations surveyed show AI adoption outpacing security and governance controls.
•Report produced jointly by IBM and Ponemon Institute, representing broad global industry research.
•Covers threat detection, response capabilities, and risk factors including ransomware and insider threats.

Cited by 1 page

Page	Type	Quality
AI Risk Activation Timeline Model	Analysis	66.0

Cached Content Preview

HTTP 200Fetched Mar 20, 202612 KB

[Skip to content](https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach#main-content)[IBM logo](https://www.ibm.com/)

Software

Infrastructure

[Consulting](https://www.ibm.com/consulting?lnk=L0G)Support

[Overview](https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/?language=en_US&lnk=flathl)[Community](https://community.ibm.com/community/user/community?lnk=flathl)[Developer](https://developer.ibm.com/?lnk=flathl)[Documentation](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en?lnk=flathl)[IBM Cloud platform](https://www.ibm.com/products/cloud/support?lnk=flathl)[Implementation](https://www.ibm.com/products/expertlabs?lnk=flatitem)[Training](https://www.ibm.com/training/?lnk=flathl)[Technology Lifecycle Services](https://www.ibm.com/services/technology-lifecycle-services?lnk=flathl)[Think 2026](https://www.ibm.com/events/think)

[Cart](https://www.ibm.com/store/en/us/checkout)

My IBM
Log in


[IBM Security](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/security)

- Products






## Data security



  - [Guardium](https://www.ibm.com/products/guardium)
  - [Guardium Data Security Center](https://www.ibm.com/products/guardium-data-security-center)

## Identity & access management

  - [MaaS360](https://www.ibm.com/products/maas360)
  - [Trusteer](https://www.ibm.com/products/trusteer)
  - [Verify](https://www.ibm.com/products/verify)

## Threat detection & response

  - [QRadar EDR](https://www.ibm.com/products/qradar-edr)
  - [QRadar SIEM](https://www.ibm.com/products/qradar-siem)
  - [QRadar SOAR](https://www.ibm.com/products/qradar-soar)

- Capabilities






## Security capabilities



  - [Cloud security](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/cloud-security)
  - [Data security](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/data-security)
  - [Fraud prevention](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/fraud-prevention)
  - [Insider threat](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/insider-threat)
  - [Mainframe security](https://www.ibm.com/products/z/security)
  - [Ransomware](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/ransomware)
  - [Threat detection and response](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/threat-detection-response)

## Differentiators

Explore the IBM services and solutions that can help you build and manage an integrated security program

  - [AI for cybersecurityAccelerate your security defenses with AI-powered solutions](https://www.ibm.com/ai-cybersecurity)
  - [X-ForceCounter attacks with hacker-driven offense, research-driven defense and intel-driven protection](https://www.ibm.com/x-force)

[Explore all cybersecurity services](https://www.ibm.com/services/security)

- Resources






  - [Blogs](https://www.ibm.com/think/security)
  - [Case studies](https://www.ibm.com/case-studies?field_hierarchy_01[0][0]=Security)
  - [Documentation](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/products)
  - [Webinars](https://www.ibm.com/products/guardium/webinars)
  - [Newsletter](https://www.ibm.com/us-en/forms/news-mkt-52954)
  - [Careers](https://www.ibm.com/careers/security)

- Partners






  - [AWS](https://www.ibm.com/solutions/security/partners/aws)
  - [ISV](https://www.ibm

... (truncated, 12 KB total)

Resource ID: 49990480779d6486 | Stable ID: MWNhYjUxMj