The number of US data compromises continues to rise to new levels.
Data breaches are up 14% this year, compared to the last peak in 2021. In its latest quarterly report the ITRC, Identity Theft Resource Center, says there have been 2,116 compromises in the first nine months of the year; the previous annual record was 1,862, set in 2021.
Expert say so-called "Zero Day" attacks are partly to blame for the increase. "Basically what that means is there's a bug in a piece of software that no one knows about, and there's no patch for," explains ITRC Chief Operating Officer, James E. Lee, "basically the bad guys get there first and they exploit that to create some sort of opportunity to steal data."
Lee says other reasons for the increase in data breaches include the emergence of new cybercriminal enterprises operated by young people. "When I say young, I mean, they're teenage groups who are running very sophisticated cyber criminal rings that steal data and turn that into cash." He adds, American teens are increasingly being recruited to those organizations.
Lee says one of the most troubling trends for victims is lack of information from companies hit by cyberattacks. He explains that notices, "may tell us that there's been a breach, but they don't tell us why it happened, when it happened, and what they have done to correct it, so other companies and individuals can know what to do to protect themselves."
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok