Data breach notices are increasing sharply in 2026, with 471 million-plus victim notifications issued in the first half of the year, surpassing last year’s total of 297.5 million notifications. The figures indicate that breaches are occurring at a faster pace and at larger scale than in 2025, based on the counts cited by the outlets.
Both sources link the rise to evolving tactics. CNBC reports that artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in cyberattacks, suggesting attackers use AI-enabled methods to increase speed or effectiveness. CNBC also says “malicious insider” incidents are rising alongside AI-related activity. Quartz focuses on the scale and timing of the notices, emphasizing the year-over-year jump in reporting.
While both outlets agree on the overall surge and cite the same broad drivers—AI-related attacks and insider involvement—their emphasis differs: Quartz centers on the breach-notice numbers, while CNBC adds more detail on the types of threats contributing to the increase.
