According to the 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report from IBM, the average cost of a data breach in Italy has risen to 3.55 million euros, up from 3.31 million euros the previous year. The report highlights a growing trend where cybersecurity incidents are becoming more expensive and complex, fueled by supply chain vulnerabilities, remote service exploitation, and social engineering.
Key Sectors at Risk
Data breaches are having the most significant economic impact on industries with critical infrastructure and high levels of digitization. The energy sector leads with an average cost of 4.65 million euros per incident, followed closely by the financial sector (4.5 million euros) and the technology sector (4.43 million euros).
The Role of Supply Chains and Human Factors
Supply chain compromises have emerged as the primary entry point for attackers in Italy, accounting for 18% of incidents. Other significant causes include remote service compromises and social engineering. Furthermore, the report identifies organizational weaknesses—such as a lack of skilled cybersecurity personnel and ‘shadow IT’ (untracked applications)—as major contributors to increased recovery costs.
The Impact of AI and Automation
Artificial Intelligence is playing a dual role in the current threat landscape. While the report notes that one in four global data breaches is now facilitated by AI, companies that integrate AI and automation into their security infrastructure see measurable benefits. Organizations using these technologies extensively reduced the average time to identify and contain a breach by 43 days compared to those that do not.
Future Outlook
Given the rising costs and evolving threats, 71% of Italian companies surveyed indicated they plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets. Investment priorities will focus on incident response testing, talent acquisition, and advanced detection platforms such as SIEM, SOAR, and EDR to bolster organizational resilience.
