Insider Risk Incidents Cost Organizations $19.5 Million Annually

A global study commissioned by DTEX and conducted by the Ponemon Institute reveals that insider risk incidents cost organizations an average of $19.5 million annually in 2025. This represents a 20% increase over a two-year period. Employee negligence serves as the primary driver of these losses, accounting for $10.3 million of the average annual cost.

While organizations have improved containment times to an average of 67 days, the scale and severity of incidents have grown. The research identifies a critical governance gap regarding generative AI; although 92% of organizations report that generative AI has fundamentally changed how staff access and share information, only 18% have fully integrated AI governance into their insider risk programs.

In response, organizations are increasing investments in behavioral intelligence and identity management. Spending on insider risk now comprises approximately 19% of IT security budgets. Marshall Heilman of DTEX noted that mature programs and modern tooling are helping prevent incidents, but warned that too few organizations treat AI agents as equivalent to human insiders despite their delegated authority.