Data breach notices, the legally required alerts companies send when personal information has been exposed without authorization, have already exceeded the entire count filed for all of last year. It is August. Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in the cyberattacks generating those notices, and incidents tied to malicious insiders are rising at the same time.
Reaching a full year's worth of notices before the year ends means 2026 is running well above 2025's pace. Artificial intelligence is now identified as an active contributor to those attacks, with its role continuing to grow.
The malicious insider category is a separate escalation. A malicious insider is someone with authorized access to an organization's systems, typically an employee or contractor, who intentionally uses that access to cause harm. External attackers need to find a way past the perimeter. An insider starts behind it. The rise in this category means organizations face a threat that arrives with credentials and clearance already in hand.