Canada's Data Breach Costs Hit Record $7.11 Million: Supply Chain Compromise to Blame

A data breach in Canada now costs an average of $7.11 million, according to the 2026 IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report.

This is the highest average cost ever recorded for the country by IBM, and it ranks fourth among the 16 countries and regions studied, behind only the U.S., the Middle East, and Benelux.

Supply chain compromise, where a trusted vendor or contractor is breached and gives attackers a way in, added the most to Canadian breach costs, with an average cost of $367,900 higher when it was a factor.

The study found that energy organizations are paying an average of $9.21 million per breach, the highest of any Canadian industry, followed by technology at $9.02 million and industrial organizations at $8.89 million.