Top 5 Data Breaches of 2015
Estimates suggest that nearly every American had their details stolen at least once in 2015, a grim statistic for IT breaches. Every industry seemed to be affected as well and it isn’t just large organizations.
Reports show that 78% of all businesses experienced a data breach in the past two years. Effects of a breach can be very serious; 72% of all small businesses cease operating within 24 months of a data breech. Being prepared and protected is vital.
So what are the top five data breaches of 2015?
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
This wasn’t the largest security breach of 2015, certainly not by the number of records compromised. However, the breach in May demonstrated that the health-care system is a continuing target. According to a security review, about 1.1 million members had their names, birth dates, email addresses and services stolen. Luckily, the criminals did not get hold of any medical or financial data.
- VTech
VTech was in particular trouble with the theft of 4.8 million records late November 2015. The stolen data included the first names, genders and birthdays of more than 200,000 children. Reports comment that the attack occurred due to poor password security, however, there were certainly other issues.
3.Ashley Madison
Probably the story of the year for cybercrime. The website for married people seeking an affair suffered one of the largest thefts of personal data of 37 million customer records which were then posted online. People suffered embarrassment, heartache and there were even two suicides attributed to the hack. Also, criminals used the personal details stolen to blackmail members.
- Kaspersky Lab
This is the most unusual cyber-attack. Instead of searching for customer details, the breach, which is believed to be a state-sponsored attack, chose to steal information on world power meetings. The stolen information covered latest technologies and investigations about other cyber-attacks.
- The Army National Guard
Due to improperly handled data, the Army National Guard had personal information of approximately 850,000 current and former service personnel sent to a non-accredited data center. The data included some of the most sensitive information including social security numbers and home addresses. The breach shows the importance of protection from not just external threats, but internal threats as well.
Conclusion
The threats towards your business’ data are enormous. A single data breach can cost your company on average $3.79 million. Without the proper insurance in place to protect you, your business’ financial stability and existence are at risk.
Have you suffered a data breach recently? Are you protected from future data breaches?
Let us know in the comments below.
http://mashable.com/2014/04/15/data-breach-infographic/#bK_gEMZmEqqd
http://www.zdnet.com/pictures/biggest-hacks-security-data-breaches-2015/2/
http://www.networkworld.com/article/3011103/security/biggest-data-breaches-of-2015.html
