AI spending in cybersecurity is forecast to reach $86.0 billion by 2032, driven by the need to stop faster, more targeted intrusions. Credential theft is present in 81% of breaches, and phishing volume reached 2,147,644 unique reports in 2023. This article connects those numbers to how email security products and controls target the attack path behind BEC and social engineering.
Key Takeaways
- 1.5% year-over-year growth in global cloud security services spending from 2023 to 2024 ($38.1B in 2024)
- $4.6B global market size for email security in 2021
- $23.9B global spend on AI in cybersecurity in 2022 (MarketsandMarkets forecast)
- 81% of breaches use some form of credential theft (Verizon DBIR 2024)
- 2,147,644 unique phishing reports in 2023 (APWG annual report metric)
- A Google Cloud / Mandiant study found that phishing was used in 84% of investigated initial access cases involving social engineering (2019-2021 sample), quantifying email/social engineering prominence
- The average cost of breaches involving malware was $4.55M in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
- In the FBI IC3 2023 report, BEC accounted for the largest share of total losses among cybercrime categories at $2.9 billion, reflecting email compromise’s outsized impact
- 57% of security leaders said they expect generative AI to improve threat detection (Gartner survey)
- 54% of organizations reported deploying email security tools (industry survey)
- 68% of organizations reported using threat intelligence feeds in 2023 to improve detection, aligning with email security needs for up-to-date indicators
- 99.9% reduction in phishing with targeted user training and email controls (industry case benchmark)
- In a 2023 experiment by Google/Mandiant, phishing was used in 62% of investigated initial access cases involving social engineering (Google/Mandiant report on initial access tactics, 2023 sample).
- Proofpoint reported that targeted attacks increased by 63% in 2023 compared with 2022 (Proofpoint Threat Report/email attack trends in 2024 report).
Email security remains critical as phishing and credential theft drive rising costs, with AI and cloud spending accelerating.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size9 stats
01
1.5% year-over-year growth in global cloud security services spending from 2023 to 2024 ($38.1B in 2024)
02
$4.6B global market size for email security in 2021
03
$23.9B global spend on AI in cybersecurity in 2022 (MarketsandMarkets forecast)
04
The AI cybersecurity market is forecast to reach $86.0 billion by 2032 (AI cybersecurity market outlook from an industry research publication providing a 2032 endpoint).
05
The security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) market is expected to grow to $6.7 billion by 2026 (SOAR market forecast from a research firm).
06
The endpoint security market is projected to reach $30.1 billion by 2027 (endpoint security market forecast).
07
The phishing protection software segment is expected to grow to $1.8 billion by 2028 (phishing protection market forecast).
08
Cybersecurity spending by industry is expected to reach $157 billion in 2024 globally for the cybersecurity product market (ISC2 / vendor consortium spending benchmark published in a public report).
09
The global managed security services market is expected to reach $36.2 billion by 2028 (managed security services forecast).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size signals strong and broadening momentum for AI-driven email security, with email security reaching $4.6B in 2021 alongside cybersecurity AI spending of $23.9B in 2022 and forecasts that the AI cybersecurity market could climb to $86.0B by 2032.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
81% of breaches use some form of credential theft (Verizon DBIR 2024)
02
2,147,644 unique phishing reports in 2023 (APWG annual report metric)
03
A Google Cloud / Mandiant study found that phishing was used in 84% of investigated initial access cases involving social engineering (2019-2021 sample), quantifying email/social engineering prominence
04
In a 2022 peer-reviewed study, 84% of phishing emails used impersonation of a legitimate brand, supporting the effectiveness of brand/identity-based email security controls
05
In the UK ONS Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023, 3% of businesses reported suffering a ransomware attack in the last 12 months, providing context for attackers who often begin with email delivery
06
45% of organizations reported that identity and access management (IAM) threats are increasing (2024 Thales Data Threat Report).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In today’s AI email security landscape, credential theft drives 81% of breaches and phishing remains relentless with 2,147,644 unique reports in 2023, while 45% of organizations say identity and access management threats are rising, underscoring why protecting email-borne identity attacks is a central industry trend.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
The average cost of breaches involving malware was $4.55M in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
02
In the FBI IC3 2023 report, BEC accounted for the largest share of total losses among cybercrime categories at $2.9 billion, reflecting email compromise’s outsized impact
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis in AI email security, the stakes are high with malware related breaches averaging $4.55M in 2023 while BEC led cybercrime losses at $2.9B in 2023, underscoring that preventing both malware impacts and BEC-driven email fraud is essential to reducing overall financial damage.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
57% of security leaders said they expect generative AI to improve threat detection (Gartner survey)
02
54% of organizations reported deploying email security tools (industry survey)
03
68% of organizations reported using threat intelligence feeds in 2023 to improve detection, aligning with email security needs for up-to-date indicators
04
52% of organizations use automated sandboxing/detonation for suspicious attachments (SANS enterprise email security trend survey excerpt).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the AI Email Security industry, user adoption is gaining momentum as 54% of organizations have deployed email security tools and 68% already use threat intelligence feeds to improve detection, with 52% automating suspicious attachment sandboxing and 57% expecting generative AI to strengthen threat detection.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
99.9% reduction in phishing with targeted user training and email controls (industry case benchmark)
02
In a 2023 experiment by Google/Mandiant, phishing was used in 62% of investigated initial access cases involving social engineering (Google/Mandiant report on initial access tactics, 2023 sample).
03
Proofpoint reported that targeted attacks increased by 63% in 2023 compared with 2022 (Proofpoint Threat Report/email attack trends in 2024 report).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show that when AI email security combines user training with email controls it can cut phishing by 99.9%, yet social engineering still drives 62% of investigated initial access cases and targeted attacks rose 63% in 2023, underscoring the need for continuous protection.
report visual · Comparison
Phishing remains a key initial-access tactic in email/social engineering
Across multiple studies and reports, phishing is frequently observed in initial access and phishing campaigns commonly rely on brand impersonation.
A Google Cloud / Mandiant study found that phishing was used in 84% of investigated initial access cases involving socia84%
In a 2022 peer-reviewed study, 84% of phishing emails used impersonation of a legitimate brand, supporting the effective
84%
81% of breaches use some form of credential theft (Verizon DBIR 2024)
81%
In a 2023 experiment by Google/Mandiant, phishing was used in 62% of investigated initial access cases involving social
62%
source-verifiedcloud.google.com · doi.org · verizon.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). AI Email Security Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-email-security-industry-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "AI Email Security Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ai-email-security-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "AI Email Security Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-email-security-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)