Data breaches in the first half of 2021 exposed 18.8 billion records

Risk Based Security released their 2021 Mid Year Data Breach QuickView Report, revealing significant shifts in the data breach landscape despite 2021 breaches declining by 24%. There were 1,767 publicly reported breaches in the first six months of 2021, which exposed a total of 18.8 billion records. However, the decline of reported data breaches does not mean security has improved over the pandemic.

“Ransomware attacks continue at an alarming pace, inflicting serious damage on the victim organizations that rely on their services,” commented Inga Goddijn, Executive Vice President at Risk Based Security. “The slow pace of reporting brought on by lengthy incident investigations has not improved, and attackers continue to find new opportunities to take advantage of changing circumstances.”