Overview Of The Threat Horizon: 2026 Data Breach Insights – Part 1

Breaches were a significant and costly issue for companies in 2025. According to an IBM report published in July 2025 – the Cost of a Data Breach 2025 (“IBM Report”) – the average cost of a breach in Canada was CAD$6.6 million.¹ Costs from breaches arise from operational disruptions, incident response (e.g. forensics and e-discovery), and compliance with applicable (and often overlapping) privacy laws, including breach notifications and record-keeping requirements. In Quebec, the Act respecting the protection of personal information (“Quebec Act”) permits severe fines related to breaches and breach response, potentially reaching 2% of global turnover or CAD $10 million for administrative monetary penalties, and up to 4% or CAD $25 million for penal fines.² In light of the high costs resulting from breaches companies should diligently monitor the threat landscape to enhance preparedness and risk mitigation strategies.