Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024

IBM’s annual Cost of a Data Breach Report provides IT, risk management and security leaders with timely, quantifiable evidence to guide their strategic decision-making. It also helps them better manage their risk profiles and security investments. This year’s report—the 19th of the series—reflects changes caused by technological shifts, such as the rise of shadow data, which is data residing in unmanaged data sources, and the extent and costs of business disruption brought about by data breaches.

The report’s research—conducted independently by Ponemon Institute and sponsored, analyzed and published by IBM— studied 604 organizations impacted by data breaches between March 2023 and February 2024. Researchers looked at organizations across 17 industries, in 16 countries and regions, and breaches that ranged from 2,100 to 113,000 compromised records. To gain on-the-ground insights, Ponemon Institute researchers interviewed 3,556 security and C-suite business leaders with firsthand knowledge of the data breach incidents at their organizations.

The result is a benchmark report that business and security leaders can use to strengthen their security defenses and drive innovation, particularly around the adoption of AI in security and security for their generative AI (gen AI) initiatives.