There’s a reason cybersecurity job openings are increasing at staggering rates: Businesses need to protect their data now more than ever.
The number of data breach victims in the first half of 2024 has climbed by 490% compared to the first half of 2023, the Identity Theft Resource Center, or ITRC, says.
Fast Company says financial services companies have seen the biggest surge in the number of attacks so far this year, with a 67% increase. Health care companies were the second-most breached industry.
Driver’s license data was stolen in 25% of breaches reported in the first half of this year, according to the ITRC. Data thieves use that information for identity verification in various fraudulent transactions.
A handful of attacks were responsible for a large number of this year’s victims:
- The Snowflake cloud service impacted more than 900 million people.
- Infosys McCamish System had a data breach in February that affected about 6 million.
- Prudential Financial’s February 2024 breach impacted roughly 2.5 million.
“The trends we saw emerge in 2023 that led to a record-breaking year in compromises are continuing into 2024,” Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of ITRC, says in a statement. “The takeaway from this report is simple: Every person, business, institution, and government agency must view data and identity protection with a greater sense of urgency.”
