I was curious if there is a clear increase of security incidents before and after AI. And up to 2025, the answer was no. The Identity Theft Resource Center has the following data for Reported Data Compromises in the US:
| Year | Reported US data compromises |
|---|---:|
| 2016 | 1,099 |
| 2017 | 1,506 |
| 2018 | 1,175 |
| 2019 | 1,279 |
| 2020 | 1,107 |
| 2021 | 1,859 |
| 2022 | 1,798 |
| 2023 | 3,202 |
| 2024 | 3,152 |
| 2025 | 3,322 |
Of course, coding agents only became widely available in 2026. There's no number for 2026 yet, but it feels like compromises have increased sharply in recent months.
Now, the PHP vulnerability itself is not an effect of AI (I believe), but the ability to exploit it efficiently at scale is.
| Year | Reported US data compromises |
|---|---:|
| 2016 | 1,099 |
| 2017 | 1,506 |
| 2018 | 1,175 |
| 2019 | 1,279 |
| 2020 | 1,107 |
| 2021 | 1,859 |
| 2022 | 1,798 |
| 2023 | 3,202 |
| 2024 | 3,152 |
| 2025 | 3,322 |
Of course, coding agents only became widely available in 2026. There's no number for 2026 yet, but it feels like compromises have increased sharply in recent months.
Now, the PHP vulnerability itself is not an effect of AI (I believe), but the ability to exploit it efficiently at scale is.
Sources:
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ITR...
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/202...