Report: One-Quarter of Breaches Are Enabled by AI-Driven Attacks
KnowBe4, Thursday, August 20th, 2026
An IBM-commissioned study finds 25% of malicious breaches are now AI-driven, costing an average $6 million each.
KnowBe4 covers a new report commissioned by IBM finding that one in four malicious breaches is now AI-enabled, up 56% from the previous year. AI-driven breaches cost organizations an average of $6 million, roughly $1 million more than traditional attacks.
Most AI-driven attacks reported in the study targeted critical infrastructure.
The post summarizes what distinguishes these incidents from conventional breaches and why the cost differential exists. It draws implications for defenders planning against machine-assisted attackers.