By Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta
Publication Date: 2026-08-12 10:05:00
MANILA, Philippines — Costs incurred by businesses across Southeast Asia due to data breaches reached a record high in 2026, as increasingly sophisticated attacks set back organizations by about $4.12 million, according to a new IBM study.
In its 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report, IBM said the latest figure marked a 12-percent increase from the $3.67-million average cost in 2025 and was the ninth-highest average across the 16 countries and regions it had surveyed.
READ: PNP urges cybersecurity review after hacking of gov’t websites
Globally, the average cost of a data breach likewise rose to a record $4.99 million, up 12 percent from a year ago, led by businesses in the United States, where costs averaged $11.5 million in 2026.
IBM attributed the increase partly to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which has made cyberattacks cheaper and faster to…