Over 2.5 billion records stolen or compromised worldwide in 2017

[LASER_oneXM]

Content source

https://betanews.com/2018/04/12/stolen-compromised-records/

Almost 2.6 billion records were stolen, lost or exposed worldwide in 2017, an 88 percent increase over the previous year.

Although data breach incidents decreased by 11 percent, 2017 was the first year publicly disclosed breaches surpassed more than two billion compromised data records since Gemalto began its Breach Level Index in 2013.

The index shows that over the past five years, nearly 10 billion records have been lost, stolen or exposed, with an average of five million records compromised every day. Of the 1,765 data breach incidents in 2017, identity theft represents the leading type of breach, accounting for 69 percent.

Malicious outsiders remain the number one cybersecurity threat with 72 percent of all breach incidents last year. Companies in the healthcare, financial services and retail sectors were the primary targets for breaches last year. However, government and educational institutions were not immune to cyber risks in 2017, making up 22 percent of all breaches.

Accidental loss, including improper disposal of records, misconfigured databases and other unintended security issues, caused 1.9 billion records to be exposed. This represents a huge 580 percent increase in the number of compromised records from 2016.

 

[cruelsister]

Excellent post, LASER! Although I'm certainly not negating the need for the Home user to have adequate System protection, it is important to note that one does not need to overly obsess (functional words being Overly Obsess) with things like anti-keyloggers, web filters, etc. as as the protection that the Home user may already have will surpass that of the legitimate organizations to whom the Home user has willingly (and happily) given personal information.

In short, don't worry- you've already been compromised and there is nothing you can do about it...

 

[upnorth]

I knew Equifax was in the top and many people never even heard of them.

Equifax is a global information solutions company that uses unique data, innovative analytics, technology and industry expertise to power organizations and individuals around the world by transforming knowledge into insights that help make more informed business and personal decisions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs 10,300 employees worldwide.

Source : Company Profile | About Us | Equifax

Gemalto Report 2017