Cybersecurity Software Statistics 2026
This page collects figures on how businesses protect themselves and what breaches cost them: average breach costs, how attackers get in, which security tools companies actually use, MFA and password manager adoption, ransomware and fraud losses, and security budgets. Most figures describe 2025 and 2026. Geography varies by source: IBM, Verizon, Mandiant, Sophos and Gartner are global, the Cyber Security Breaches Survey covers UK businesses, the FBI covers complaints from the United States, the Australian Signals Directorate covers Australia, and Eurostat covers EU enterprises. Each figure states its scope and year and links to the publisher's own page.
By the TopToolAdvisor research desk · Updated November 5, 2026 · 52 figures from 17 sources
Quick answer
The global average cost of a data breach reached a record $4.99 million in 2026, up 12%, according to IBM, and Verizon's 2026 DBIR found that exploited software vulnerabilities (31%) have overtaken stolen credentials (13%) as the top way into a network. Basic tools are common but stronger controls lag: 81% of UK businesses run updated malware protection while only 47% require two-factor authentication, and Okta sees MFA on 70% of workforce users. Gartner forecasts worldwide security spending of $240 billion in 2026, up 12.5%.
Key figures
- $4.99 millionIBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the global average cost of a data breach at $4.99 million, a 12% increase on the previous year and a record high.IBM
- $6 millionBreaches enabled by AI cost an average of $6 million in IBM's 2026 study, roughly $1 million more than the overall average.IBM
- 31%Exploited vulnerabilities were the entry point for 31% of breaches in Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, overtaking credential abuse, which fell to 13%.Verizon
- 26%Only 26% of critical vulnerabilities in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog were fully fixed by organizations in 2025, down from 38%, Verizon reported.Verizon
- 47%Only 47% of UK businesses required two-factor authentication in 2025/2026, compared with 74% that had password policies.UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- 70%Workforce MFA adoption among Okta customers reached 70% of users as of January 2025, which still leaves nearly a third of users without MFA.Okta
- 48%Ransomware was present in 48% of breaches in Verizon's 2026 DBIR, up from 44%, but 69% of ransomware victims did not pay.Verizon
- $240 billionGartner forecast worldwide end-user spending on information security of $213 billion in 2025, rising 12.5% to $240 billion in 2026.Gartner
What the figures show
Breaches are getting more expensive at the top end. IBM and the Ponemon Institute put the global average at $4.99 million in 2026, a record, and AI-enabled breaches cost about $1 million more than that. Those averages come from large organizations. Government surveys of smaller firms tell a different story: the median UK business put the cost of its worst incident at £0, and Australian small businesses reported $56,600 per cybercrime report. Both are true at once, because a small share of incidents produces most of the losses.
How attackers get in has shifted. Verizon's 2026 DBIR, built from more than 22,000 confirmed breaches, found exploited vulnerabilities behind 31% of breaches, ahead of stolen credentials for the first time in the report's 19 years, and Mandiant's incident response data also ranks exploits first at 32%. Patching is not keeping pace: only 26% of known exploited vulnerabilities were fully fixed in 2025, and the median fix took 43 days. People remain part of most breaches (62% in the DBIR), with attackers moving from email to voice and text.
Tool adoption follows a clear pattern. Controls that come with a device or a default setup are near universal: 81% of UK businesses have current malware protection and 84% of EU enterprises use strong password authentication. Controls that need effort are far less common: 47% of UK businesses require two-factor authentication, 36% use a VPN for remote staff and 25% have a formal incident response plan. Okta reports MFA on 70% of workforce users, and Security.org found 36% of US adults using a password manager in 2024. Sophos shows why partial coverage is a risk: 97% of ransomware victims breached through stolen credentials had MFA somewhere.
Money is flowing toward the problem. Gartner forecasts $240 billion of security spending in 2026, with software the largest segment, and a new market for securing AI tools growing almost 69% in 2027. FBI complaint data shows the losses that spending is meant to prevent: $20.9 billion reported in 2025, including about $3 billion from business email compromise. ISC2 adds that skills, not just budgets, limit what security teams can do.
Breach costs for businesses
- 1.
IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the global average cost of a data breach at $4.99 million, a 12% increase on the previous year and a record high.
IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 (Jul 2026)
Source quote
4.99M The global average cost of a data breach, in USD, a 12% increase over last year and a record high
- 2.
Breaches enabled by AI cost an average of $6 million in IBM's 2026 study, roughly $1 million more than the overall average.
IBM, IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average (Jul 2026)
Source quote
these breaches cost an average of $6 million, roughly $1 million more than the global breach average of $4.99 million
- 3.
Financial services breaches cost an average of $6.3 million in IBM's 2026 study, and energy sector breaches $5.2 million.
IBM, IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average (Jul 2026)
Source quote
Financial services breaches were reported to cost on average $6.3 million, while energy breaches cost on average $5.2 million.
- 4.
Organizations that made extensive use of AI and automation in security saved $1.93 million per breach compared with those using none, according to IBM's 2026 report.
IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 (Jul 2026)
Source quote
1.93M Cost savings, in USD, from extensive use of AI and automation in security, compared to organizations using none.
- 5.
Australian small businesses reported an average cost of $56,600 per cybercrime report in FY2024-25, up 14%; medium businesses reported $97,200 and large businesses $202,700 (Australian dollars).
Australian Signals Directorate, Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25 fact sheet for businesses and organisations (Oct 2025)
Source quote
small business – $56,600 (up 14%) medium business – $97 ,200 (up 55%) large business – $202,700 (up 219%)
- 6.
In the UK, the median perceived cost of a business's most disruptive breach or attack in 2025/2026 was £0, rising to £30 for medium and large businesses.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
The median perceived cost of the most disruptive breach or attack was £0 for businesses and £0 for charities, increasing to £30 for medium and large businesses.
- 7.
Sophos found that the average cost to recover from a ransomware attack, excluding any ransom, was $1.7 million per incident in its 2026 survey, up 11% year over year.
Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing (2026)
Source quote
Average recovery cost: $1.7 million per incident, up 11% year over year.
Chart
Share of UK businesses that identified a breach or attack, by size, 2025/2026
UK businesses reporting any breach or attack in the 12 months before the survey, fieldwork August to December 2025.
- Large69%
- Medium65%
- Small46%
- Micro42%
Source: UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026
How breaches start
- 8.
Exploited vulnerabilities were the entry point for 31% of breaches in Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, overtaking credential abuse, which fell to 13%.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
It has risen to 31% in this year’s reporting dataset, while credential abuse—the previous leader—is down to 13%.
- 9.
A human element was present in 62% of breaches in the 2026 DBIR, up from 60% the year before.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
Human element was present in 62% of breaches, a slight increase from the previous year’s 60%.
- 10.
Breaches involving a third party accounted for 48% of all breaches in the 2026 DBIR, after a 60% increase.
Verizon, Vulnerability exploitation top breach entry point, 2026 industry-wide DBIR finds (May 2026)
Source quote
with breaches involving a third party now accounting for 48% of all breaches
- 11.
Only 26% of critical vulnerabilities in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog were fully fixed by organizations in 2025, down from 38%, Verizon reported.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
Only 26% of critical vulnerabilities— defined as being in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA KEV) catalog—were fully remediated by organizations in 2025, a drop from the previous year’s 38%.
- 12.
The median time to fully patch those critical vulnerabilities rose to 43 days in 2025, from 32 days a year earlier.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
The median time for full resolution went up to 43 days, almost two weeks more than the previous year’s 32 days.
- 13.
In Verizon's phishing simulations, mobile-centric attacks such as voice and text messages had a median click success rate 40% higher than email.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
In phishing simulations, the median rate of successful “click” rates in mobile- centric vectors (such as voice and text messaging) is 40% higher than via email.
- 14.
Exploits were the most common initial infection vector in Mandiant's 2025 investigations for the sixth year running, at 32% of intrusions, while voice phishing rose to 11%.
Google Cloud (Mandiant), M-Trends 2026: Data, insights, and strategies from the frontlines (2026)
Source quote
Exploits remained the most common initial infection vector for the sixth consecutive year, accounting for 32% of intrusions. However, highly interactive voice phishing saw a significant surge to 11%, becoming the second-most commonly observed vector.
- 15.
Global median dwell time, the time attackers stay inside a network before detection, rose to 14 days in Mandiant's 2025 cases from 11 days.
Google Cloud (Mandiant), M-Trends 2026: Data, insights, and strategies from the frontlines (2026)
Source quote
Global median dwell time rose to 14 days from 11 days.
- 16.
Among ransomware victims surveyed by Sophos in 2026, malicious email (26%) and phishing (24%) together caused half of all incidents.
Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing (2026)
Source quote
Malicious email (26%) and phishing (24%) together account for half of all incidents.
- 17.
Microsoft reported that more than 97% of identity attacks it saw were password attacks, and identity-based attacks rose 32% in the first half of 2025.
Microsoft, Extortion and ransomware drive over half of cyberattacks (Oct 2025)
Source quote
more than 97% of identity attacks are password attacks. In the first half of 2025 alone, identity-based attacks surged by 32%.
Chart
Root cause of ransomware attacks, 2026
Survey of 2,158 IT and security leaders in 17 countries whose organizations were hit by ransomware in the prior 12 months, fieldwork January to March 2026.
- Malicious email26%
- Phishing24%
- Compromised credentials23%
- Exploited vulnerabilities18%
- Brute force6%
Source: Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing
Security tool adoption in businesses
- 18.
In the UK, 81% of businesses had up-to-date malware protection in 2025/2026, the most common technical control in the government survey.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
updated malware protection (81% businesses and 63% charities)
- 19.
Only 47% of UK businesses required two-factor authentication in 2025/2026, compared with 74% that had password policies.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
two-factor authentication (47% businesses and 38% charities)
- 20.
36% of UK businesses used a virtual private network for staff connecting remotely, and 30% monitored user activity.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
a virtual private network for staff connecting remotely (36% businesses and 17% charities) and user monitoring (30% businesses and 31% charities)
- 21.
44% of UK micro businesses used an external cyber security provider in 2025/2026, up from 39%.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
The proportion of micro businesses with an external cyber security provider also increased (44% up from 39% in 2024/2025).
- 22.
A quarter of UK businesses (25%) had a formal incident response plan, rising to 76% of large businesses.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Formal incident response plans were less widespread (25% of businesses; 19% of charities)
- 23.
Only 15% of UK businesses reviewed the cyber risks posed by their immediate suppliers, and 6% looked at their wider supply chain.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Just over one in ten businesses said they reviewed the risks posed by their immediate suppliers (15%) and under one in ten were looking at their wider supply chain (6%).
- 24.
In 2024, 93% of EU enterprises applied at least one ICT security measure, according to Eurostat.
Eurostat, 93% of EU businesses apply ICT security measures (Dec 2024)
Source quote
In 2024, 93% of EU enterprises applied at least 1 measure to ensure integrity, availability and confidentiality
- 25.
Strong password authentication was the most common security measure among EU enterprises in 2024 (84%), followed by off-site data backup (79%), while biometric authentication was the least common (18%).
Eurostat, 93% of EU businesses apply ICT security measures (Dec 2024)
Source quote
The most common security measure used by enterprises was strong password authentication (84%), followed by data backup to a separate location (79%) and network access control (65%).
- 26.
Only 37% of organizations breached in IBM's 2026 study encrypted sensitive data both at rest and in transit.
IBM, IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average (Jul 2026)
Source quote
Only 37% of breached organizations stated that they encrypt sensitive data both at rest and in transit, and just 34% have visibility into cryptographic assets.
Chart
Security controls in place at UK businesses, 2025/2026
Share of all UK businesses with each control, Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026.
- Updated malware protection81%
- Cloud backup74%
- Password policies74%
- Network firewalls74%
- Restricted admin rights73%
- Two-factor authentication47%
- VPN for remote staff36%
- User monitoring30%
Source: UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026
Passwords, MFA and password managers
- 27.
Workforce MFA adoption among Okta customers reached 70% of users as of January 2025, which still leaves nearly a third of users without MFA.
Okta, The Secure Sign-in Trends Report 2025 (2025)
Source quote
Overall, MFA adoption reached 70% of users as of January 2025, reflecting a mostly steady annual increase since 2020.
- 28.
Use of phishing-resistant authenticators such as FastPass, WebAuthn and smart cards rose from 8.6% to 14.0% of Okta workforce users in one year, a 63% increase.
Okta, The Secure Sign-in Trends Report 2025 (2025)
Source quote
we see a 63% increase in the adoption rate, which rose from 8.6% to 14.0% of users in one year.
- 29.
The technology sector leads MFA adoption at 87% of users in Okta's data, while retail grew fastest, up 9 percentage points.
Okta, The Secure Sign-in Trends Report 2025 (2025)
Source quote
The technology sector leads MFA adoption (87%), while retail saw the biggest growth (up 9 percentage points).
- 30.
Microsoft says phishing-resistant MFA can stop over 99% of identity-based attacks, even when the attacker has the right username and password.
Microsoft, Extortion and ransomware drive over half of cyberattacks (Oct 2025)
Source quote
The implementation of phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) can stop over 99% of this type of attack even if the attacker has the correct username and password combination.
- 31.
97% of Sophos ransomware victims whose attack started with compromised credentials had MFA enabled in some form, showing that gaps in coverage are the problem.
Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing (2026)
Source quote
97% of victims where compromised credentials were the root cause had MFA enabled in some form at the time of the attack.
- 32.
Only 23% of third-party organizations fully fixed missing or weak MFA on their cloud accounts, according to Verizon's 2026 DBIR.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
only 23% of third-party organizations fully remediated missing or improperly secured multifactor authentication (MFA) on their cloud accounts
- 33.
36% of US adults used a password manager in 2024, about 94 million people, up from 34% the year before, according to Security.org's annual survey.
Security.org, 2024 Password Manager Industry Report and Statistics (2024)
Source quote
Today, 36 percent of American adults subscribe to such services, representing 94 million users, compared to 34 percent last year.
- 34.
Google and Apple together held over 55% of the US password manager market in Security.org's 2024 survey.
Security.org, 2024 Password Manager Industry Report and Statistics (2024)
Source quote
Tech giants dominate the market: Google and Apple, through their proprietary services, control over 55 percent of the password manager market.
- 35.
79% of US password manager users paid nothing for their app in 2024, up from 63% in 2023.
Security.org, 2024 Password Manager Industry Report and Statistics (2024)
Source quote
This year, 79 percent of password manager subscribers opted for cost-free apps, up dramatically from 63 percent in 2023.
Ransomware, attacks and fraud losses
- 36.
43% of UK businesses identified a cyber security breach or attack in the 12 months before the 2025/2026 survey, about 612,000 firms.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Just over four in ten businesses (43%) and around three in ten charities (28%) reported having experienced any kind of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months.
- 37.
Phishing was by far the most common attack on UK businesses, experienced by 38% of all businesses in 2025/2026.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Phishing attacks remained the most prevalent type of breach or attack by far (experienced by 38% of businesses and 25% of charities)
- 38.
Ransomware was present in 48% of breaches in Verizon's 2026 DBIR, up from 44%, but 69% of ransomware victims did not pay.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
Ransomware grew again to 48% of all breaches, up from 44% from the previous year. However, ransom payments have continued to decline among our dataset, as 69% of ransomware victims didn’t pay.
- 39.
The median ransom paid in Verizon's dataset fell to $139,875, from $150,000 the year before.
Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026)
Source quote
The median amount of ransom paid also continues a downward trend: $139,875 in this year’s reporting dataset from $150,000 in the previous year.
- 40.
Among organizations hit by ransomware in Sophos's 2026 survey, the median ransom payment was $769,000, down from $1 million.
Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing (2026)
Source quote
Median ransom payment: $769,000 , down from $1 million last year.
- 41.
The FBI's IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 with reported losses of $20.877 billion, a 26% increase on 2024.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Apr 2026)
Source quote
1,008,597 complaints; $20.877 billion in losses; 26% increase in losses from 2024; $20,699 Average Loss.
- 42.
Business email compromise caused $3,046,598,558 in reported losses to the FBI in 2025, the second largest loss category after investment fraud.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Business Email Compromise $3,046,598,558
- 43.
IC3 received more than 3,600 ransomware complaints in 2025, with reported losses above $32 million; these figures exclude lost business and recovery costs.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Apr 2026)
Source quote
In 2025, the IC3 received more than 3,600 complaints reporting ransomware, with losses exceeding $32 million.
- 44.
Complaints to the FBI that involved AI in 2025 carried adjusted losses of more than $893 million.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Apr 2026)
Source quote
In 2025, IC3 received more than 22,000 complaints reporting AI-related information. Adjusted losses of these complaints exceed $893 million.
- 45.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre handled 204 nationally significant incidents in the year to September 2025, 48% of all incidents, up from 89 the year before.
UK National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC Annual Review 2025: Incident management (Oct 2025)
Source quote
nationally significant incidents represent 48% (204) of all incidents, a significant increase from last year (89)
Security spending and teams
- 46.
Gartner forecast worldwide end-user spending on information security of $213 billion in 2025, rising 12.5% to $240 billion in 2026.
Gartner, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide End-User Spending on Information Security to Total $213 Billion in 2025 (Jul 2025)
Source quote
Spending is estimated to increase 12.5% in 2026 to total $240 billion.
- 47.
Security software is the largest and fastest growing segment in Gartner's forecast, at $121,154 million in 2026, compared with $92,780 million for security services.
Gartner, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide End-User Spending on Information Security to Total $213 Billion in 2025 (Jul 2025)
Source quote
Security Software 94,960 105,940 121,154 Total 193,408 213,025 239,759
- 48.
Gartner expects spending on tools for securing AI to reach almost $4.8 billion in 2027, up 68.7% from 2026.
Gartner, Gartner Forecasts the Market for Securing AI Will Reach $4.8 Billion in 2027 (Aug 2026)
Source quote
The market for securing AI is growing rapidly, projected to reach almost $4.8 billion in 2027, a 68.7% increase over 2026
- 49.
85% of organizations in IBM's follow-on 2026 research planned to increase security spending after learning about advanced frontier AI capabilities, against 64% that planned to after a breach.
IBM, IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average (Jul 2026)
Source quote
85% of organizations said they plan to increase security spending after becoming aware of advanced frontier AI cyber capabilities
- 50.
47% of UK businesses held some form of cyber insurance in 2025/2026.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026)
Source quote
Almost half of businesses (47%) and a third of charities (35%) reported being insured against cyber security risks in some way.
- 51.
36% of cybersecurity professionals in ISC2's 2025 workforce study reported budget cuts and 24% reported layoffs, both down one point.
ISC2, ISC2 Publishes 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study (Dec 2025)
Source quote
with reports of budget cuts (36%) and layoffs (24%) decreasing by one percentage point in 2025
- 52.
88% of cybersecurity professionals said their organization had at least one significant security consequence because of a skills shortage.
ISC2, ISC2 Publishes 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study (Dec 2025)
Source quote
Nearly nine in 10 respondents (88%) have experienced at least one significant cybersecurity consequence in their organizations because of a skills shortage
Chart
Worldwide end-user spending on information security
Gartner forecast published July 2025; 2025 and 2026 are projections.
- 2024$193 billion
- 2025$213 billion
- 2026$240 billion
Source: Gartner, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide End-User Spending on Information Security to Total $213 Billion in 2025
Common questions
- How much does a data breach cost a business in 2026?
- IBM's 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the global average at $4.99 million, up 12% and a record, with financial services breaches averaging $6.3 million. Small firms usually pay far less: the median UK business reported a cost of £0 for its worst incident, and Australian small businesses averaged $56,600 per cybercrime report in FY2024-25.
- What is the most common cause of data breaches?
- Verizon's 2026 DBIR found that exploited software vulnerabilities started 31% of breaches, overtaking stolen credentials at 13%, and Mandiant ranked exploits first at 32% of intrusions. A human element was still involved in 62% of breaches, and phishing was the most common attack on UK businesses, hitting 38% of them.
- How many businesses use multi-factor authentication?
- Okta reports that 70% of workforce users at its customers had MFA in January 2025. In the UK government's 2025/2026 survey, only 47% of businesses required two-factor authentication, compared with 81% that had current malware protection.
- How many people use a password manager?
- Security.org's 2024 survey found that 36% of US adults, about 94 million people, used a password manager, up from 34% a year earlier. Google and Apple held over 55% of that market, and 79% of users paid nothing for their app.
- How much do companies spend on cybersecurity?
- Gartner forecasts worldwide end-user spending on information security of $240 billion in 2026, up 12.5% from $213 billion in 2025. Security software is the largest segment at about $121 billion, ahead of security services at about $93 billion.
- Do companies still pay ransoms?
- Fewer do. In Verizon's 2026 DBIR, 69% of ransomware victims did not pay and the median payment fell to $139,875. Sophos, which surveys only organizations hit by ransomware, found a median payment of $769,000, down from $1 million the year before.
How we picked these figures
We chose figures on breach costs, breach causes, security control adoption, authentication, ransomware and fraud losses, and security spending, and read each one on the publisher's own page, press release or report. Samples differ a great deal. IBM and Ponemon study 602 breached organizations, mostly large; Verizon analyzes breaches contributed by about 100 partners; Mandiant and Sophos report on their own incident response cases or on surveys of ransomware victims; Okta reports on its own customers' users. Several of these publishers sell security products, which we note in the text. Government sources (UK DSIT and NCSC, FBI IC3, the Australian Signals Directorate and Eurostat) use surveys or reports filed by victims, which undercount incidents that are never noticed or reported. FBI losses are complaint totals, not estimates of all losses. Australian costs are in Australian dollars and UK costs in pounds. Gartner figures are forecasts from July 2025 and August 2026. The Security.org password manager survey and Eurostat's ICT security data describe 2024, the latest editions we could verify. Each quote is copied from the original publisher and fetched again by a script to confirm it still appears there. See the methodology.
Sources
- Australian Signals Directorate. Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25 fact sheet for businesses and organisations (Oct 2025).
- Eurostat. 93% of EU businesses apply ICT security measures (Dec 2024).
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Apr 2026).
- Gartner. Gartner Forecasts Worldwide End-User Spending on Information Security to Total $213 Billion in 2025 (Jul 2025).
- Gartner. Gartner Forecasts the Market for Securing AI Will Reach $4.8 Billion in 2027 (Aug 2026).
- Google Cloud (Mandiant). M-Trends 2026: Data, insights, and strategies from the frontlines (2026).
- IBM. Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 (Jul 2026).
- IBM. IBM Study: One in Four Malicious Breaches are AI-Enabled, Costing Companies $6 Million on Average (Jul 2026).
- ISC2. ISC2 Publishes 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study (Dec 2025).
- Microsoft. Extortion and ransomware drive over half of cyberattacks (Oct 2025).
- Okta. The Secure Sign-in Trends Report 2025 (2025).
- Security.org. 2024 Password Manager Industry Report and Statistics (2024).
- Sophos. The State of Ransomware 2026: Payments are dropping but encryption is climbing (2026).
- UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 (Apr 2026).
- UK National Cyber Security Centre. NCSC Annual Review 2025: Incident management (Oct 2025).
- Verizon. 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: Executive Summary (May 2026).
- Verizon. Vulnerability exploitation top breach entry point, 2026 industry-wide DBIR finds (May 2026).
How to cite
You can link to the whole page or to any single figure. When you quote a number, please credit the organization that first published it.
TopToolAdvisor. (2026, November 5). Cybersecurity Software Statistics 2026. https://toptooladvisor.com/cybersecurity-software-statistics
Questions or corrections: editorial@toptooladvisor.com. Next review due January 4, 2027.