Data leaks represent an increasingly serious problem for companies and individuals. In 2023 there were more than 18,6 billion records exposed in 2023, an increase of 42% compared to 2022, which exposed confidential information of millions of people, the increase is significant and could double in 2024.
Below you can see the top 10 ranking, which also shows the number of accounts leaked by each country in 2023:
- India: 12,6 thousand leaked accounts;
- Pakistan: 9,2 thousand leaked accounts;
- Brazil: 6,5 thousand leaked accounts;
- Vietnam: 4,7 leaked accounts;
- Egypt: 4,5 leaked accounts;
- Bangladesh: 4,3 leaked accounts;
- United States: 4,1 leaked accounts;
- France: 3,9 leaked accounts;
- Indonesia: 3,7 leaked accounts;
- Morocco: 3,5 leaked accounts.
Recently, a massive data leak containing 12 terabytes of information was discovered, obtaining more than 26 bilhões of records it contains information and data from users of Linkedin, X(Twitter), Telegram, Tecent among others, it is certainly the biggest data leak in history.
There are reportedly hundreds of millions of records in leaks including Weibo (504 million), MySpace (360 million), Twitter (281 million), Deezer (258 million), Linkedin (251 million), AdultFriendFinder (220 million), Adobe (153 million), Canva (143 million). , VK (101 million), Daily Motion (86 million), Dropbox (69 million), Telegram (41 million) and many other companies and organizations.
What is a data breach?
A data breach occurs when confidential information is accessed, used or disclosed without authorization. This can happen through various mechanisms, such as cyber attacks, security breaches or human errors.
What types of data can be leaked?
The types of data that can be leaked are diverse, including:
- Personal data: such as name, address, telephone number, and date of birth.
- Financial data: such as credit card numbers, bank accounts and transaction history.
- Health data: such as medical records, test results and hospitalization history.
- Corporate data: such as trade secrets, customer information and intellectual property.
What are the impacts of a data breach?
The impacts of a data breach can be severe for companies and individuals, including:
- Identity theft: leaked data can be used to commit fraud, such as opening accounts in the victim's name.
- Financial damages: Victims may suffer financial losses as a result of fraud or theft.
- Damage to reputation: companies can have their image and reputation damaged as a result of a data leak.
- Loss of customers: customers may lose trust in a company that has had its data leaked.
- Legal sanctions: companies can be fined by regulatory bodies for non-compliance with data protection laws.
What to do in case of a data leak?
If you believe that your data has been leaked, it is important to take some measures:
- Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards: keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and notify your bank or credit card company immediately.
- Change your passwords: Change the passwords for all your online accounts, especially those that use the same password.
- Notify the authorities: file a report at the police station.
- Look for a lawyer: if you suffer financial or other losses as a result of a data breach, you may be entitled to compensation.
How to protect yourself against data leaks?
There are some measures you can take to protect yourself from data leaks:
- Use strong and unique passwords: use different passwords for each online account and avoid using personal information such as name or date of birth.
- Enable multi-factor authentication: This measure adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts, requiring you to provide an additional code in addition to your password to log in.
- Keep your software up to date: Install the latest security updates for your operating systems and applications.
- Be careful about the emails and links you click: avoid clicking on links or opening email attachments from unknown senders.
- Back up your data: Regularly back up your important data so you can restore it in the event of a data breach.
Tips for companies:
- Implement a data security policy: Establish rules and procedures to protect company data.
- Train your employees: train your employees on cybersecurity risks and how to protect company data.
- Invest in security measures: use tools and technologies to protect company data against cyber attacks.
- Have an incident response plan: define the measures that will be taken in the event of a data breach.
By taking the necessary precautionary measures, you can protect your data and minimize risks
What to expect until the end of the year?
It is difficult to predict with certainty what will happen in the future, but it is possible that we will see more data breaches around the world in 2024. Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, companies and individuals need to be constantly vigilant to protect their data .
