Data Breaches - When did they start and how do they impact?
A data breach is a term that all of us hear at some point because it’s more common than before. With global digitalisation, the number of hackers increases with new technology and practices every other day. But before we get into how a data breach can impact, let’s first discuss what it means. A data breach is an event or incident where vital information is either stolen or taken from the system without the proper authorisation. Well, it does sound pretty simple, this might not be a big deal when you hear it, but the repercussions can be dangerous. Stolen data can involve credit card information, trade secrets, client data, etc. But why are companies so worried nowadays? The answer is simple, once a company undergoes a data breach, all the stakeholders, including investors, clients and even employees, lose trust. Data breaches can tarnish an organization’s reputation and brand. Why would customers trust an organization that cannot keep clients’ information safe? It is easier said than done because security teams work round the clock, so there are new threats and vulnerabilities in our daily lives. Hackers adapt quickly and use unique technology to steal information in this fast-paced world.
Data Breaches over the last few decades
According to Apcela, between 2013-and 2017, the USA had the most data breaches, which amounted to 6551, followed by the UK, Canada, Australia and India. The industries that were impacted the most were Healthcare, Government, Financial, Retail and Education. Identity theft was the most common type of breach, and malicious outsiders were the most common sources in the above timeline. Data breaches over the years have come up to 3.6 billion records being compromised, with the United States being the biggest target. But this is not new at all! Data breaches didn’t just start taking place in the digital era. Few events can be traced back to the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, when the awareness first came to light. In 2005 alone, close to 136 data breaches were reported, followed by 4500 more breaches that were made public, compromising more than 815 million records.
Most significant Data Breaches in History
- Yahoo – Yahoo revealed in 2016 that the attack that took place three years ago, in 2013, affected around 3 billion users. They also disclosed that personal information such as names, numbers, birthdays and passwords were part of the data breach.
- Marriot Hotels – Marriot released a statement in 2016 that indicated a data breach that resulted from hackers getting unauthorised access for more than two years and exposing the personal data of 500 million guests.
- FriendFinder Network – This occurred in November 2016, when 412 million users registered on the FriendFinder Network umbrella were affected and compromised. Personal details such as emails, passwords, and IP addresses were once again stolen by the hackers, the same time as Marriot Hotels.
So, what’s the solution for Data Breaches?
It is imperative to have an incident response plan and an infosec team to save your organisation and your customers from data breaches to implement the right security strategies. ZinnoX is one such award-winning company that can help your organisation by being one step ahead and protecting all types of sensitive data, limiting the damage and securing your whole system. ZinnoX’s award-winning solution, CYPNA, can seamlessly perform penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, cloud security testing, and infra review. Book a demo to learn why CYPNA is one of the leading products in the market and how it can benefit your organisation.
