In the light of recent high profile data breaches it may be worth taking a quick look at the numbers and trends and these look pretty scary. If you ever thought your data is safe with trusted institutions like governments, tax offices, universities, you may want to reconsider your beliefs.
2.6 billion records were stolen, lost or exposed worldwide in 2017, the latest Breach Level Index released by Gemalto shows. This shows a massive 88% increase over the previous year.
Over the past five years, nearly 10 billion records have been lost, stolen or exposed.
Some other interesting facts:
- healthcare, financial services and retail sectors were the primary targets for breaches last year.
- 22% of all data breaches affected government and educational institutions
- 1.9 billion records exposed due to a human error
- Identity theft makes 69% of all data breaches
- 30 million of records stolen due to insider activity
In the light of above information I believe there's only one good way to protect yourself. Always assume that the information you post / store / share online will leak one day. Always think: what if this info goes public? How do I go about such scenario and what do I need to do now to be able to recover in case of such breach?
Be prepared! "Wars are won by preparation and not by courage alone "