U.S. sees record number of data breaches in first half of 2023

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U.S. data breaches overview:

• Who: The Identity Theft Resource Center says the United States has experienced a record number of data breaches in 2023.
• Why: Every sector has reportedly experienced an increase in the number of data breaches so far this year.
• Where: U.S. data breaches affect consumers and organizations nationwide.
• What are my options: Norton LifeLock carries many options when it comes to data security.

The United States is experiencing a record number of data breaches so far this year, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

There were 951 publicly reported U.S. data breaches in the second quarter of this year, representing a 114% increase over the previous quarter, the ITRC says.

In total, there have been 1393 U.S. data breaches in 2023, which is more than the yearly total figure for each year from 2005 through 2020, with the exception of 2017.

The U.S. is on track to beat its previous record of 1862 data breaches that were recorded in 2021, Infosecurity Magazine says.

U.S. data breaches increased in every industry, ITRC says

The healthcare and financial services industries were reportedly the top industries affected by U.S. data breaches, although every sector reported a higher number of data breaches this year compared to the first half of 2022.

Phishing and ransomware were the primary methods of attack, but the number of malware attacks also increased significantly in 2023, the ITRC says.

There were more than 156 million victims of U.S. data breaches in the first half of 2023, which is reportedly an increase of more than 150% over the number of victims reported in the first half of 2022, according to the ITRC.

The ITRC notes that the number of U.S. data breaches without information about the root cause of the breach increased 67% so far in 2023, a trend the organization finds troubling because the lack of information affects the ability of potential victims to make informed decisions about what to do to protect themselves after a data breach.

“The second quarter and first half of 2023 has been historic with regard to data breaches,” said Eva Valasquez, president and CEO of ITRC.

“While businesses and individuals may be numb to the constant attacks and scams that lead to breaches, it’s important to remain diligent and practice good cyber-hygiene to make any information stolen or exposed less useful for identity criminals,” Velasquez said.

ForgeRock, a global digital identity company, recently released a report revealing the United States as the most expensive country in the world to recover from a data breach, estimating the average cost of recovery to be $9.5 million.

Have you been affected by any data breaches in 2023? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

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