The number of data breach notices is on pace to exceed 2025’s record, according to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center. More than 471 million victim notices were associated with data compromises in the first half of 2026, with a single incident at Canvas education tool accounting for over 275 million of those notices. This compares with 297.5 million notices issued throughout all of 2025.
The frequency of reported incidents has also increased substantially. The first half of 2026 saw 1,803 security incidents, compared to 1,732 during the same period in 2025. If breach activity continues at this pace through the remainder of the year, the total for 2026 could exceed the 3,321 incidents reported for all of 2025. James Lee, president of the ITRC, stated that the upward trend shows no signs of decelerating.
Artificial intelligence capabilities are playing an expanding role in these breaches. Between March 2025 and February 2026, approximately one in four breaches involved AI-enabled attacks, representing a 56 percent increase from the prior year, according to research from IBM. Additionally, the number of breaches involving malicious insiders has surged dramatically, with 21 such incidents in the first half of 2026 compared to just three for all of 2025. This rise has been attributed in part to disgruntled employees stealing information during layoffs, as well as sophisticated scams involving foreign actors placing remote workers in U.S. companies using stolen identities and deepfake videos.
Despite these challenges, many organizations are prioritizing cybersecurity investments. A 2025 survey found that cybersecurity ranks among the top three priorities for 93 percent of audit committees at public companies, with half ranking it as their leading concern. Additionally, 78 percent of surveyed global business and technology executives indicated plans to increase cybersecurity budgets over the next 12 months.
For consumers, experts recommend protecting personal information by monitoring credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, enrolling in credit-monitoring services, or placing a credit freeze with the major credit reporting firms. A credit freeze, which prevents lenders from accessing credit reports without authorization, is considered the most effective protection against fraudulent account creation.
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