Pressure on Security Professionals to Conceal Data Breaches

A recent Bitdefender Cybersecurity Assessment reveals that over half of IT and cybersecurity professionals who experienced a breach in the past year were instructed to keep it confidential, despite disclosure requirements. The survey, which included 1,200 professionals, found that 55.2% faced pressure to hide breaches, a slight decrease from 57.6% in 2025 but consistent with previous years. The trend indicates a plateau in the concealment of breaches, particularly among U.S. professionals. The assessment highlights three main reasons for this secrecy: attackers leveraging silence as a business model, organizations perceiving the costs of disclosure as higher than the risks of non-disclosure, and a prevailing culture of silence within companies. The findings underscore ongoing challenges in breach transparency and accountability in cybersecurity practices.

Key Points: • 55.2% of surveyed professionals were asked to keep breaches confidential. • The trend of concealing breaches has plateaued since 2025. • Three main reasons for hiding breaches include attacker tactics, perceived costs, and organizational culture.