$8 Million Average Cost: IBM Study Reveals Alarming Rise in Middle East Data Breaches
A recent IBM study reveals that the average cost of a data breach for organizations in the Middle East reached $8 million in 2026. The report highlights three key factors contributing to higher breach costs, including mismanaged secrets and keys, excessive privileges and poor role management, and an inability to prioritize threats.
The study also found that among malicious breaches, 26% were AI-enabled, with another 11% of respondents unable to confirm if attackers leveraged AI. Organizations using extensive AI and security automation experienced average breach costs more than $3 million lower than those without these capabilities.
The report underscores the financial strain organizations face across the entire breach lifecycle, from discovery to containment. Lost business remained the largest cost category in 2026, averaging $3.57 million per breach.