The number of data breach victims skyrocketed by an alarming 1,170% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) recorded a staggering 1,041,312,601 victims in Q2 2024, up from 81,958,874 in Q2 2023. This significant increase is primarily attributed to large-scale breaches at major corporations such as Prudential, which affected 2.5 million people, and Infosys McCamish Systems, impacting 6 million individuals.
Despite a slight decrease in the number of reported data breaches, with 732 in Q2 2024 compared to 838 in the previous quarter, the ITRC tracked 1,571 breaches in the first half of 2024, about 14% higher than H1 2023. The financial services sector experienced the most breaches, closely followed by healthcare. Another concerning trend is the rising theft of driver’s license information, with 25% of data breaches in the first half of 2024 involving stolen driver’s license data.
To protect yourself from data breaches, experts recommend several essential steps:
1. Change your passwords immediately on another device if a data breach leaks them. 2.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on important accounts for an extra layer of security. 3.
Victims soar amid data breaches
Monitor your accounts and transactions regularly for suspicious activity and report any unusual occurrences. 4. Contact your bank and credit card companies if your financial information has been compromised.
5. Consider using personal data removal services to monitor and remove your personal information from various online databases. 6.
Sign up for identity theft protection services that alert you if your personal information, such as your Social Security Number, is used fraudulently. 7. Alert your contacts if hackers access your email or social media to prevent them from falling victim to spam or impersonation attempts.
8. Install strong antivirus software on all your devices to protect against malware, phishing emails, and ransomware scams. As data breaches become increasingly common, it is crucial for individuals to take proactive steps to safeguard their personal information and reduce the potential damage if their data is compromised.
