Indian Data Breach Costs Soar to All-Time High Amid Rise in AI-Generated Attacks

The cost of an organizational data breach in India has reached an all-time high of Rs.25.5 crore in 2026, according to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report.

This represents a 15.9% increase from the previous year's average total of Rs.22 crore. The scale of breaches also increased, with the average breach size rising to 39,500 records, up from 38,200 in 2025.

The report notes that phishing, including voice and SMS phishing, was the most common initial attack vector in India, followed by drive-by compromise and supply chain compromise. The study also found that 26% of malicious breaches were AI-generated, highlighting the growing threat of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks.