2014 was "The Year of the Breach." 2015 continues to bring to the public spotlight data breaches cases that should make any business reflect on its own information security plan, and become more cautious with respect to their data, employees and business practices.
27001 Academy, a large online learning center where you can get training and documentation to implement ISO 27001, the international standard for information security management, has released an infographic showing what happened during the past year in cybersecurity incidents. With 783 incidents, 2014 suffered an increase of 27,5% in data breach incidents, raising a red flag in all sectors.
2014 Data Breaches in the United States Infographic - created by 27001 Academy
When are data breaches happening?
The beginning of 2014 took many companies by surprise. The riskiest month, January, has recorded the biggest number of data breach incidents; over 100 attacks left companies wondering about their security plans and employee training measures. By the end of March, more than a quarter of the total number of data breaches have already took place.
What's the most affected state and industry?
California was the most attacked state in 2014, suffering 120 data breaches. The most affected sector was the Medical/Healthcare, with over 300 incidents.
What's the most common cause of data breaches?
The largest number of security incidents are happening because of human error: 59% of the data breaches are the cause of employee negligence, lack of security training, or malicious insiders, not hostile external hackers targeting your business. This is why companies need to turn their attention to security awareness programs; these 8 security practices alone will improve employee behavior and help you overcome people based data breaches.