The average cost of a data breach in India rose to a record ₹25.5 crore in 2026, marking a 15.9 per cent increase from ₹22 crore last year, according to IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report released on Monday.
The report said the average scale of a data breach also increased, with nearly 39,500 records compromised per incident in 2026 compared to 38,200 records in 2025.
According to the findings, 26 per cent of malicious data breaches in India were AI-generated, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in making cyberattacks faster, more sophisticated and scalable.
Commenting on the findings, Gaurav Agarwal, Vice President, Technology, IBM India & South Asia, said, "India's accelerating AI adoption is creating immense opportunities for innovation, but it is also enabling cyber threats to evolve rapidly. The findings underscore that organisations using AI and strong governance, were significantly better positioned to fend off cyberattacks."
He added, "Today, most organisations apply AI in limited ways, often focused on detection. To keep pace, AI with agentic capabilities must be embedded across the full security lifecycle--from detection and analysis to prioritisation and remediation. That should be the strategic imperative for businesses to build resilience and a competitive advantage."
