News Insights: 2019 Identity Breach Report – 4iQ

Identity Threat Protection

REPORT: 2019 Identity Breach Report – 4iQ

According to a new report from 4IQ, there were 12,449 confirmed data breaches in 2018, a 424% increase when compared with 2017. Also, 47% of all compromised identity records were exposed in breaches from the United States and China. And while the number of breaches saw a substantial boost last year, the average breach sized decreased to 216,884 records, a value 4.7 times smaller than the year before.

NEWS INSIGHTS

Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust, observed, “2018 saw a stunning average of 34 data breaches per day. That number translates to 11 each day in the US alone. While breaches involving large companies appear to have taken a backseat to those of smaller organizations, make no mistake, hackers continue to target the former by exploiting the vulnerabilities of digital assets like websites and mobile apps. Last year’s hacking of some of the world’s most recognized brands underscores this point.

He added, “Regardless of their size, if an organization collects any information from users through a website or mobile app, they should assume they are under attack, if not directly then through any of the digital third parties that provide the asset’s customer ID platform, plugins, chat box, digital forms, etc. These third parties are highly lucrative targets: they’re inadequately secured yet direct channels to multiple clients. With new data privacy laws being introduced around the world like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act, organizations will need to work more closely with their supply chain on tightening up security and privacy measures.”