A Canalys report found that 31 billion data records were compromised in 2020, up by 171% from the previous year and making up more than 50% of the 55 billion data records compromised since 2005, according to ZDNet.
The report also stated a 60% increase in ransomware incidents, compared to 2019.
"Prioritize cybersecurity and invest in broadening protection, detection and response measures or face disaster," Matthew Ball, chief analyst at Canalys, warned. Researchers cite a link between the increase in cybersecurity incidents and the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced companies worldwide to go digital, even without sufficient knowledge about new security requirements.
"These measures were often at the expense of cybersecurity and bypassed longstanding corporate policies, leaving many exposed to exploitation by highly organized and sophisticated threat actors, as well as other more opportunistic hackers. For many, cybersecurity was an afterthought, as they had to focus primarily on staying in business," the report indicated.
Jill Aitoro leads editorial for SC Media, and content strategy for parent company CyberRisk Alliance. She 20 years of experience editing and reporting on technology, business and policy.
The Department of Health and Human Services has introduced updates to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that would prevent healthcare organizations, doctors, and insurers from providing protected health information to state prosecutors in a bid to bolster abortion providers' and patients' privacy protections, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Stealthy industrial-scale data exfiltration attacks have been launched by Chinese cyberespionage operation ToddyCat against government entities, including defense organizations, across the Asia-Pacific through its arsenal of advanced hacking tools, according to The Hacker News.