The first half of 2024 has seen a dramatic surge in data breaches, with the Identity Theft Resource Center reporting that over 1 billion individuals have been affected worldwide. This figure marks a staggering 409% increase from the same period last year, when 182.65 million victims were reported. A significant portion of this year’s breaches occurred in the second quarter, with a record 1.04 billion victims, underscoring the growing frequency and scale of these incidents.
Experts attribute this massive rise in part to several high-profile breaches, including those affecting Ticketmaster and Advanced Auto Parts, which together account for nearly a billion compromised accounts. Ticketmaster alone saw an estimated 560 million individuals impacted, although the official report cites over 1,000 verified cases. Advanced Auto Parts followed closely with 380 million victims reported from a breach in April. The ID Theft Center’s COO, James E. Lee, clarified that while these “mega-breaches” dominate the numbers, the volume of smaller breaches is also increasing.
In addition to large-scale breaches, new forms of compromised data have become more common, with the theft of driver’s license information rising 23% compared to the first half of 2023. With the total number of reported breaches reaching 1,571, this trend mirrors the record-breaking breach events of 2023, suggesting that cybercrime is not only persistent but intensifying.
Industry leaders, including Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, stress the need for urgent action. She calls for businesses, individuals, and government agencies to prioritize data protection practices to combat these threats. Experts advise consumers to adopt rigorous cyber-hygiene practices, including regular account monitoring and vigilance against phishing schemes, as these breaches often impact the same individuals multiple times.
This unprecedented surge in data breaches serves as a wake-up call. As cyber threats grow in frequency and sophistication, it’s clear that everyone—whether in government, business, or as individual consumers—must treat data protection with heightened urgency.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/07/18/data-breach-what-to-do/74441060007/
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