IBM COST OF A DATA BREACH REPORT 2025

The $4.44 Million Question:

Can Your Organization Afford a Data Breach?

Dive deep into IBM's latest findings on breach costs, AI threats, and the growing shadow AI crisis. Discover why US breach costs hit a record $10.22M and how DataFence can protect your organization.

$4.44M
Global Average
↓ 9% from 2024
$10.22M
US Average
↑ 9% Record High
97%
AI Breaches
Lacked access controls
+$670K
Shadow AI
Added breach cost

IBM Critical Findings from the 2025 Report

20 years of breach data reveals alarming trends in AI security, supply chain vulnerabilities, and recovery times

Global Breach Cost Trends

After 5 years of increases, global costs finally declined in 2025, driven by faster AI-powered detection and response.

Regional Cost Comparison

The US continues to lead with the highest breach costs, now exceeding $10M for the first time.

241 Days

Average Breach Lifecycle

9-year low for identification and containment time

63%

Ransomware Refusal Rate

More organizations refusing to pay ransom demands

$1.9M

AI Security Savings

Organizations using AI extensively save nearly $2M

Top Cost Amplifiers

Supply Chain Breaches +$227,244
Security System Complexity +$207,914
Shadow AI +$200,321
Skills Shortage +$173,400
Compliance Failures +$173,692

Top Cost Mitigators

DevSecOps Approach -$227,192
AI/ML Insights -$223,503
Security Analytics/SIEM -$212,061
Threat Intelligence -$211,906
Encryption -$208,087

The AI Security Crisis

AI adoption is outpacing security, creating unprecedented vulnerabilities

16%

Breaches involved AI-driven attacks

20%

Breaches due to Shadow AI

63%

Lack AI governance policies

37%

AI phishing attacks

Shadow AI: The Hidden Threat

  • Adds $670,000 to average breach costs
  • 65% compromise customer PII (vs 53% overall)
  • 40% result in intellectual property theft
  • 247 days average lifecycle (6 days longer)
97%

of AI-related breaches

lacked proper access controls

Industry Impact Analysis

Healthcare remains the costliest sector for 14 consecutive years

$7.42M

Healthcare

14 years at #1

$5.56M

Financial Services

High-value targets

$5.00M

Industrial

Supply chain risks

How DataFence Addresses These Critical Threats

Our comprehensive platform directly tackles the top cost drivers identified in IBM's report

Universal File Upload Protection

Stop data breaches before they happen - monitor and block every file upload from the browser.

  • Works on ANY website - no integration needed
  • Blocks uploads to ChatGPT, Claude, cloud storage
  • Real-time prevention, not after-the-fact detection

AI-Powered Content Analysis

Onyx DPT engine detects PII, PHI, financial data with 99.7% accuracy - preventing the $670K shadow AI cost.

  • Detects SSNs, credit cards, medical records
  • Context-aware - knows "John (patient)" vs "John (doctor)"
  • <10ms detection with 40% fewer false positives

Instant Browser-Level Enforcement

Block, warn, or allow - enforce policies instantly at the point of upload.

  • 5-minute deployment via Chrome/Edge extension
  • No proxies, no network changes, no APIs
  • User sees warning BEFORE data leaves

DataFence vs. Traditional DLP

What DataFence Does

  • Real-time browser-level protection (not delayed scanning)
  • Prevents data from leaving (not just detecting after)
  • No SOC engineers required (saves $390K annually)
  • 5-minute deployment (not months of integration)
  • Covers all web apps instantly (no API integration needed)

What Others Miss

  • Shadow AI and unauthorized gen AI usage
  • Browser-based file uploads and form submissions
  • Embedded images and iframe content
  • ZIP/archive file inspection
  • Real-time prevention (only post-incident detection)

Your Potential Savings with DataFence

Based on IBM's report data and your industry

Global Average Breach Cost

$4.44M

With DataFence Protection

$6K

Annual Cost

DataFence Can Save You

Up to $4.43M

DataFence delivers savings through:

  • 80 days faster breach detection (saves $800K+)
  • Shadow AI prevention (saves $670K)
  • No SOC team required (saves $390K/year)
  • 40% fewer false positives (saves $200K+)

Don't Become a Statistic

With breach costs at record highs and AI threats evolving daily, can you afford to wait?

5-minute deployment

No training required

Instant protection

Join Fortune 500 companies already protecting their data with DataFence