One in four malicious data breaches involved attackers using AI, according to the 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report IBM published on July 29, 2026. Those breaches cost an average of $6 million, roughly $1 million above the $4.99 million global average IBM reports across its full sample, and the share of malicious breaches with an AI component rose 56% from the prior edition. The figures come from a survey, and that shapes how much weight they carry. Ponemon Institute conducted the research; IBM…