SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Today, the Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC), a nationally recognized nonprofit organization established to support victims of identity crime, released its U.S. data breach findings for the third quarter (Q3) of 2021. According to the data breach analysis, the number of data breaches publicly-reported in the U.S. decreased nine (9) percent in Q3 2021 (446 breaches) compared to Q2 2021 (491 breaches). However, the number of data breaches through September 30, 2021 has exceeded the total number of events in Full-Year (FY) 2020 by 17 percent (1,291 breaches in 2021 compared to 1,108 breaches in 2020). The trendline continues to point to a record-breaking year for data compromises (the all-time high of 1,529 breaches was set in 2017).
For Q3 2021, the number of data compromise victims (160 million) is higher than Q1 and Q2 2021 combined (121 million). The dramatic rise in victims is primarily due to a series of unsecured cloud databases, not data breaches. Also, the total number of cyberattack-related data compromises year-to-date (YTD) is up 27 percent compared to FY 2020. Phishing and Ransomware continue to be, far and away, the primary attack vectors.
Download the ITRC’s 2021 Q3 Data Breach Analysis and Key Takeaways
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Category: Commentaries and Analyses