When I first saw this infographic by InformationIsBeautiful.net, I did what any normal paranoid consumer would do: scan the graphic for names of companies I use, and/or do business with. I found a few. Luckily, I was aware of the breach at the time, and took the recommended steps to protect myself and my data.
Beyond the sheer magnitude of the breaches of the likes of Evernote, LivingSocial, Sony PSN, Heartland, TJ Maxx, and AOL, I found it interesting that many breaches are, for the most part, easily preventable. Take for instance the breaches that were a result of “lost/stolen computers” and “lost/stolen media.” They accounted for 19% of the total. A self-encrypting drive whether inside the computer, or as an external drive could have prevented a majority of the losses, though I have to suspect USB thumb drives are the source for most of the “lost/stolen media” breaches.
It’s no surprise that “hacking” was the largest culprit: a whopping 615 Million records or 62% of the total. This just proves that when it comes to hackers and IT security, it’s a never ending race.
Leave A Comment