Corporate Cybersecurity Spending in the US is rising in 2026: Gartner forecasts worldwide information security spending at $247.5 billion, up 13.6%, while US companies face the world’s costliest breaches at $11.5 million on average. Yet security takes only 9.9% of IT budgets, and 55% of CISOs saw flat or lower budgets this year.
Corporate Cybersecurity Spending 2026 – Introduction
Corporate Cybersecurity Spending in the US is growing faster than the budgets that fund it. Gartner’s September 2026 forecast puts worldwide information security spending at $247.5 billion this year, up 13.6%, and at $372.8 billion by 2030. IANS Research and Artico Search found that US security teams grew budgets by only 5% on average in 2026, while the median budget did not move. Security’s share of IT spending fell to 9.9%, from 11.9% in 2024.
The cost of failure keeps climbing. IBM’s 2026 report puts the average US breach at $11.5 million, the highest of any country and more than double the global average of $4.99 million. Verizon found that 48% of breaches involved ransomware and that exploited software flaws overtook stolen passwords as the top way in. This report collects the latest verified numbers from Gartner, IANS, IBM, Verizon, the FBI and ITRC as of October 22, 2026. Where sources measure different things, each table says so.
Interesting Facts About Corporate Cybersecurity Spending in the US 2026
GARTNER WORLDWIDE INFORMATION SECURITY SPENDING
2024 | █████████████████████████ $192.9B
2026 | ██████████████████████████████ $247.5B
2030 | ██████████████████████████████████████████ $372.8B| Fact | 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Worldwide information security spending, 2026 (Gartner) | $247.5 billion (+13.6%) |
| Forecast for 2030 (Gartner) | $372.8 billion |
| Security share of IT spending, US organizations (IANS) | 9.9% |
| Average security budget growth, 2026 (IANS) | 5% (median 0%) |
| CISOs who expect a larger budget in 2027 | 64% |
| Average cost of a US data breach (IBM) | $11.5 million |
| Global average cost of a data breach (IBM) | $4.99 million |
| Mean time to identify and contain a breach (IBM) | 247 days |
| Breaches that started with a software vulnerability (Verizon) | 31% |
Source: Gartner, Forecast: Information Security, Worldwide, 2024-2030, 3Q26 (September 24, 2026); IANS Research and Artico Search, 2026 Security Budget Benchmark Report; IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 (July 30, 2026); Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report.
The table shows spending growing slower inside companies than across the market. Gartner expects 13.6% growth worldwide, but the average IANS budget rose 5%, and 45% held flat and 10% took a cut. Spending is concentrated in larger and better-funded firms. Venture-backed and private-equity-owned companies are expanding most, while many mid-sized firms hold flat.
The risk figures explain the pressure. A US breach costs $11.5 million, and it takes 247 days on average to find and contain one. Vulnerability exploitation now starts 31% of breaches. 64% of CISOs expect more money in 2027, but only 3% of those with growing budgets said a major industry breach was the main driver. Business risk was cited by 48%.
Global Cybersecurity Spending Forecast 2026: Gartner Estimates by Edition
GARTNER 2026 FORECAST BY EDITION
July 2025 | ████████████████████████████████████████████████ $240.0B
February 2026 | █████████████████████████████████████████████████ $244.0B
March 2026 | █████████████████████████████████████████████████ $244.2B
September 2026| ██████████████████████████████████████████████████ $247.5B
2030 forecast | ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ $372.8B
| Gartner Edition | 2026 Forecast | Stated Growth |
|---|---|---|
| July 29, 2025 press release | $240 billion | 12.5% |
| February 5, 2026 Forecast Analysis | $244 billion | 11.6% (constant currency) |
| 4Q25 update (March 2026) | $244.2 billion | 13.3% |
| 3Q26 update (September 24, 2026) | $247.5 billion | 13.6% (current US dollars) |
| 2027 growth (3Q26 update) | 13.4% | – |
| 2030 forecast | $372.8 billion | – |
Source: Gartner press release (July 29, 2025); Gartner, Forecast Analysis: Information Security, Worldwide, 2026 (February 5, 2026); Gartner 3Q26 forecast (G00862059) as reported by Software Strategies Blog (October 5, 2026).
Gartner has raised its 2026 forecast in every update. The figure rose from $240 billion in July 2025 to $244 billion in February 2026 and $247.5 billion in September 2026. Growth is stated differently by edition: 11.6% in constant currency, 13.3% and 13.6% in current US dollars. The latest forecast holds 2027 growth at 13.4%, so spending would pass $280 billion next year.
The long-range path is steep. Gartner projects $372.8 billion by 2030, about 51% above 2026. Gartner’s spending counts what end users pay for software, services and network security, not vendor revenue. It covers the world, so US companies make up only part of the total.
Cybersecurity Spending by Segment in 2026: Software, Services and Network Security
2026 SPENDING BY SEGMENT, GARTNER JULY 2025 FORECAST
Security software | ████████████████████████ $121.2B
Security services | ███████████████████ $92.8B
Network security | █████ $25.8B| Segment | 2025 | 2026 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security software | $105.9 billion | $121.2 billion | 14.4% |
| Security services | $83.8 billion | $92.8 billion | 10.7% |
| Network security | $23.3 billion | $25.8 billion | 11.0% |
| Total | $213.0 billion | $239.8 billion | 12.5% |
| AI-amplified security (existing tools with AI built in), 2026 | – | $49 billion | – |
| Securing AI spending, 2026 | – | $2.8 billion | – |
| Securing AI spending, 2027 | – | $4.8 billion | 68.7% |
Source: Gartner, Forecast: Information Security, Worldwide, July 2025 segment table; Gartner AI-amplified security forecast (August 2026); Gartner press release, Securing AI (August 26, 2026); growth calculated from Gartner figures.
Software is the largest segment and the fastest growing. Security software reaches $121.2 billion in 2026, up 14.4% from $105.9 billion, driven by cloud security posture management and cloud access security brokers. Services follow at $92.8 billion, up 10.7%, and network security reaches $25.8 billion, up 11.0%. The segment totals sum to $239.8 billion, the July 2025 forecast, and not the newer $247.5 billion headline.
AI is its own budget line now. Gartner estimates $49 billion of 2026 spending goes to security products with AI built in. Spending to secure AI itself is far smaller, at about $2.8 billion in 2026, rising 68.7% to $4.8 billion in 2027. Companies spend far more to adopt AI than to protect it. The gap helps explain why IBM now finds shadow AI in 43% of breached organizations.
Corporate Security Budgets in 2026: IANS and Artico Benchmark Findings
SECURITY SHARE OF IT SPENDING
2024 | ████████████████████████ 11.9%
2025 | ██████████████████████ 10.9%
2026 | ████████████████████ 9.9%
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Security budget as a share of IT spending, 2026 | 9.9% |
| Security share of IT spending, 2025 | 10.9% |
| Security share of IT spending, 2024 | 11.9% |
| Average security budget growth, 2026 | 5% |
| Average security budget growth, 2025 | 4% |
| Median security budget growth, 2026 | 0% |
| CISOs with a budget increase, flat budget, cut | 45%, 45%, 10% |
| CISOs expecting an increase in 2027 | 64% |
| Staff and compensation share of budget | 37% |
| Software and AI share of budget (29% in 2025) | 35% |
| AI as a standalone share of budget | 3% |
| Security spending per employee (Deloitte) | About $2,700 |
| Security budget as a share of revenue (median) | 0.69% |
Source: IANS Research and Artico Search, 2026 Security Budget Benchmark Report (500+ CISOs surveyed April to August 2026), via TechTarget, SecurityBrief and IANS; Deloitte; earlier-year IANS and Artico benchmarks.
Security spending is slipping against IT spending. The share fell from 11.9% in 2024 to 10.9% in 2025 and 9.9% in 2026, the same as in 2021. Average growth was 5%, up from 4%, but the median stayed at 0%. 45% of CISOs got more money, 45% stayed flat and 10% took a cut. The averages are lifted by well-funded firms.
Money is shifting inside the budget. Staff and pay remain the largest line at 37%, but software and AI together reached 35%, up from 29% in 2025. AI alone took 3% in its first year tracked. 69% of CISOs expect to raise AI security spending next year. Typical spend sits near $2,700 per employee at Deloitte’s average, or about 0.69% of revenue. A company with 5,000 employees would spend about $13.5 million. Smaller firms spend a larger share of revenue, with a 0.78% median and 1.08% mean for companies under $1 billion in revenue.
Cost of a Data Breach in the US 2026: IBM Averages by Year
AVERAGE COST OF A DATA BREACH
Global 2024 | ██████████ $4.88M
Global 2025 | █████████ $4.44M
Global 2026 | ██████████ $4.99M
US 2024 | ███████████████████ $9.36M
US 2025 | ████████████████████ $10.22M
US 2026 | ███████████████████████ $11.5M
| Metric | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| US average breach cost | $11.5 million |
| US average breach cost, 2025 | $10.22 million |
| Global average breach cost | $4.99 million |
| Global average breach cost, 2025 | $4.44 million |
| Healthcare average breach cost | $6.64 million |
| Breach involving shadow AI | $5.39 million |
| AI-enabled attacks (about 1 in 4 breaches) | About $6 million |
| Savings from extensive security AI and automation | $1.93 million |
| Mean time to identify and contain a breach | 247 days |
| Detection and escalation cost | $1.64 million |
Source: IBM and Ponemon Institute, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026 (602 breaches studied; published July 30, 2026).
The US average reached $11.5 million, up about 12.5% by these figures from $10.22 million in 2025 and up from $9.36 million in 2024. The global average jumped 12% to $4.99 million, ending the 2025 dip to $4.44 million. IBM attributes the US premium to regulatory fines and other business costs. Healthcare remains the costliest sector, at $6.64 million on a global basis. Time is a cost driver: breaches took 247 days to identify and contain, up from 241.
AI cuts both ways. Attacks that used AI accounted for about one in four breaches, up 56%, and cost about $6 million each. Shadow AI, meaning unapproved employee tools, appeared in 43% of breached organizations, up from 20%, and those breaches cost $5.39 million. Firms that used security AI and automation extensively saved $1.93 million per breach and found problems 65 days faster. Detection and escalation alone cost $1.64 million.
How Breaches Start in 2026: Verizon DBIR and ITRC Findings
VERIZON DBIR 2026 BREACH FACTORS
Ransomware victims who did not pay | ███████████████████████████████████ 69%
Human element involved | ███████████████████████████████ 62%
Ransomware involved | ████████████████████████ 48%
Third-party involvement | ████████████████████████ 48%
Vulnerability exploitation | ████████████████ 31%
Critical flaws fully fixed | █████████████ 26%
Credential abuse as first access | ███████ 13%
| Metric | 2026 Figure | Prior Year |
|---|---|---|
| Breaches that started with vulnerability exploitation | 31% | 20% |
| Breaches that started with credential abuse | 13% | – |
| Breaches involving a third party | 48% | 30% |
| Breaches involving ransomware | 48% | 44% |
| Breaches involving the human element | 62% | 60% |
| Ransomware victims who did not pay | 69% | 65% |
| Median ransom payment | $139,875 | $150,000 |
| Known exploited vulnerabilities fully fixed | 26% | 38% |
| Median time to fully remediate | 43 days | – |
| US data compromises, first half of 2026 (ITRC) | 1,803 | +3.3% vs H1 2025 |
| Average annual cost of insider incidents (Ponemon and DTEX) | $19.5 million | $17.4 million |
Source: Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report (data from November 2024 to October 2025); Identity Theft Resource Center, H1 2026 Data Breach Report; Ponemon Institute and DTEX, 2026 Cost of Insider Risks Report.
Verizon analyzed more than 22,000 confirmed breaches across 145 countries. For the first time in the report’s history, exploited software flaws, at 31%, beat stolen credentials, at 13%, as the top first step. Only 26% of critical vulnerabilities on CISA’s exploited list were fully fixed, down from 38%, and the median fix took 43 days. Ransomware appeared in 48% of breaches, up from 44%.
Third-party risk is the fastest-growing factor. Vendor involvement rose 60% to 48% of breaches, after doubling the year before. 62% of breaches involved the human element. Ransom economics are shifting, as 69% of victims refused to pay and the median payment fell to $139,875. ITRC logged 1,803 US data compromises in the first half of 2026, up 3.3%, on pace for a record year. Insider incidents cost $19.5 million a year on average.
Cybercrime Losses and IT Costs in the US 2026: FBI and Gartner Figures
FBI IC3 2025 REPORTED LOSSES
All cybercrime losses | ██████████████████████████████████████████ $20.877B
Business email compromise | ██████ $3.05B
AI-related complaints | ██ $893M
Ransomware | ▏ $32.3M
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| FBI reported cybercrime losses, 2025 | $20.877 billion |
| FBI internet crime complaints, 2025 | 1,008,597 |
| Business email compromise losses, 2025 | $3.05 billion |
| AI-related complaints | 22,364 |
| AI-related losses | $893 million |
| Ransomware complaints | 3,611 |
| Ransomware reported losses | $32.3 million |
| Worldwide IT spending forecast, 2026 (Gartner) | $6.15 trillion (+10.8%) |
| Worldwide AI spending forecast, 2026 (Gartner) | $2.52 trillion (+44%) |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report (April 2026); Gartner, Worldwide IT Spending (March 2026) and Worldwide AI Spending (January 15, 2026).
The FBI logged $20.877 billion in reported cybercrime losses and 1,008,597 complaints for 2025, a record. Business email compromise cost $3.05 billion, and AI-related complaints cost $893 million. Ransomware complaints totaled 3,611, but reported losses of $32.3 million understate the damage, since the FBI counts only what victims report and excludes downtime and recovery costs.
Security spending sits inside a much bigger technology budget. Gartner forecasts worldwide IT spending at $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8%, and AI spending at $2.52 trillion, up 44%. Information security’s $247.5 billion is about 4% of IT spending. Enterprises spend roughly 17 times more on AI tools than on securing AI, according to an analysis of Gartner’s data. That imbalance is where many CISOs expect budget fights next year. IANS found that AI is the top target for new security spending in 2026.
Corporate Cybersecurity Spending in the US FAQ 2026
How much do US companies spend on cybersecurity in 2026?
No single official US total exists. Gartner forecasts $247.5 billion worldwide in 2026. IANS found US organizations spend 9.9% of IT budgets on security, and Deloitte puts typical spending near $2,700 per employee.
What percentage of IT budgets goes to cybersecurity in 2026?
9.9%, according to IANS Research and Artico Search. That is down from 10.9% in 2025 and 11.9% in 2024.
How fast are cybersecurity budgets growing in 2026?
Average growth was 5% and median growth was 0%. 45% of CISOs saw an increase, 45% stayed flat and 10% saw a cut.
How much will companies spend on cybersecurity in 2027?
Gartner expects 13.4% growth in worldwide spending. 64% of CISOs expect a larger budget in 2027, and 8% expect a cut.
What is the average cost of a data breach in the US in 2026?
$11.5 million, up from $10.22 million in 2025, according to IBM. The global average is $4.99 million.
How long does it take to detect and contain a breach?
247 days on average, including 183 to identify and 64 to contain, according to IBM’s 2026 report.
What is the most common way breaches start in 2026?
Exploiting a software vulnerability, at 31% of breaches, according to Verizon. Credential abuse as the first step fell to 13%.
How common is ransomware in 2026?
Ransomware appeared in 48% of breaches in Verizon’s 2026 report, up from 44%. 69% of victims did not pay, and the median payment was $139,875.
How much do third-party breaches matter in 2026?
Third parties were involved in 48% of breaches, up 60% from the prior year, according to Verizon.
How much money did cybercrime cost Americans in 2025?
The FBI recorded $20.877 billion in reported losses across 1,008,597 complaints.
How much of a security budget goes to staff?
37%, according to IANS and Artico. Software and AI together take 35%, up from 29% in 2025.
How much do smaller companies spend on cybersecurity?
Companies under $1 billion in revenue spend a median of 0.78% of revenue on security, and the mean is 1.08%, based on IANS data for 2025 budgets.
How many data breaches happened in the US in 2026?
The Identity Theft Resource Center recorded 1,803 US data compromises in the first half of 2026, up 3.3% from the first half of 2025.
Why are US breach costs higher than the global average?
IBM links the US premium to higher regulatory fines and other business costs. The US average of $11.5 million is more than double the global $4.99 million.
How much do companies spend on AI security in 2026?
Gartner estimates $2.8 billion to secure AI in 2026, rising to $4.8 billion in 2027. AI-amplified security products total about $49 billion.
How much does security AI save in a breach?
IBM found organizations using security AI and automation extensively saved $1.93 million per breach, with an average cost of $4.00 million.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
