The ITRC tracked 1,041,312,601 data breach victims in Q2 2024,
up 1,170 percent from Q2 2023 (81,958,874 victims)
SAN
DIEGO, July 17, 2024 /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
second quarter (Q2) and the first half (H1) of 2024. According to
the ITRC, there were 732 publicly reported data compromises in Q2,
a 12 percent decrease compared to the previous Quarter (838).
Through the first half of the year, the ITRC tracked 1,571
compromises, putting 2024 ~14 percent higher compared to H1 2023
which ended in a record number of compromises (3,203).
"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," -
Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of
the Identity Theft Resource Center.
The number of data breach victims in H1 2024 (1,078,989,742)
increased 490 percent compared to the first half of 2023
(182,645,409). A majority of the victims were from compromises
announced or updated in Q2 (37,677,141 in Q1 vs. 1,041,312,601 in
Q2). For example:
- Prudential Financial originally notified the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission of a breach in February 2024 that impacted an estimated 36,000
victims. Prudential later revised the victim count in June 2024 to two-point-five (2.5) million.
- Infosys McCamish System revised their estimated victim count
from ~84,000 in February's notice to six (6) million.
- Credential stuffing attacks that targeted customers of the
Snowflake cloud service accounted for more than 900 million of the
victims reported in Q2.
- However, the 1+ billion estimated total H1 victim count does
not include victims of the Change Healthcare supply chain attack
which company executives predict will impact "a substantial number"
of U.S. residents.
Download the ITRC's H1 2024 Data Breach Report &
Analysis
"The findings in the H1 2024 Data Breach Analysis are
eye-opening for many different reasons," said Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of the Identity
Theft Resource Center. "The estimated victim count is up
significantly, primarily due to a small number of very large data
events skewing the numbers. What is clear, though, is the fact the
trends we saw emerge in 2023 that led to a record-breaking year in
compromises are continuing into 2024. In some cases, such as the
number of organizations impacted by supply chain attacks and the
number of entities that did not list the root cause of a breach,
the trends accelerated through the first half of the year. 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."
Other findings in the H1 2024 Data Breach Report & Analysis
include:
- "Not Specified" remained the most reported cause of a
cyberattack listed in breach notices issued in H1 2024 (68
percent).
- Attacks against Financial Services companies jumped 67 percent
year-over-year, making it the most compromised industry in H1 2024,
followed by Healthcare companies. Reported compromises increased in
ten (10) of the 16 industries tracked by the ITRC. However,
compromises reported by Healthcare entities decreased
year-over-year by 37 percent. The decrease knocked Healthcare from
the most targeted industry to the second most frequently
compromised for the first time in six years.
- H1 trends reflect the increased value and use of stolen
Driver's License information. Driver's License data was stolen in
25 percent of data breaches based on notices issued in H1 2024. The
increased rate of Driver's License data theft reflects a
post-pandemic trend related to the increased use of Driver's
Licenses for identity verification in a wider variety of
transactions. The number of data breaches where driver's license
data was stolen totaled 198 instances in pre-pandemic, full-year
2019 compared to 636 in full-year 2023 and 308 through June 30, 2024.
To view our 2023 Annual Data Breach Report or Q1 2024 Data
Breach Analysis, click here. Anyone can receive free support and
guidance from a knowledgeable live advisor by calling or texting
888.400.5530 or visiting idtheftcenter.org to live chat.
About the Identity Theft Resource Center
Founded in 1999, the Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC) is
a national nonprofit organization established to empower and guide
consumers, victims, business and government to minimize risk and
mitigate the impact of identity compromise and crime. Through
public and private support, the ITRC provides no-cost victim
assistance and consumer education through its website live chat,
idtheftcenter.org, and toll-free phone number 888.400.5530. The
ITRC also equips consumers and businesses with information about
recent data breaches through its data breach tracking
tool, notified. The ITRC offers help to specific populations,
including the deaf/hard of hearing
and blind/low vision communities.
Media Contact
Identity Theft Resource Center
Alex Achten
Director of Communications & Media Relations
888.400.5530 Ext. 3611
media@idtheftcenter.org
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SOURCE Identity Theft Resource Center