Ellen Messmer reports:
The cost of a data breach increased last year to $204 per compromised customer record, according to the Ponemon Institute’s annual study. The average total cost of a data breach rose from $6.65 million in 2008 to $6.75 million in 2009.
Ponemon Institute based its estimates on data from 45 companies that publicly acknowledged a breach of sensitive customer data last year and were willing to discuss it.
Breach costs increased just $2 per compromised customer record, as compared to 2008 costs. However in the five years that Ponemon Institute has conducted its study, costs have increased from $138 per compromised customer record.
Read more on IDG.