IBM: Middle East data breach costs hit $8 million

The average cost of a data breach for organisations in the Middle East has risen to US$8 million, according to IBM’s 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report, highlighting the growing financial impact of cyberattacks as AI becomes increasingly embedded in both enterprise operations and attacker tactics. Conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored and analysed by IBM, the report found that 26 percent of malicious breaches in the region involved AI-enabled attacks, while another 11 percent of organi