2021 is set to be a record-breaking year for data breaches, with only 238 breaches fewer than the entirety of 2017. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nonprofit organization established to support victims of identity crime, released its U.S. data breach findings for the third quarter of 2021.
According to the data breach analysis, the number of data breaches publicly reported in the U.S. decreased nine percent in Q3 2021 (446 breaches) compared to Q2 2021 (491 breaches). However, the number of data breaches through September 30, 2021 has exceeded the total number of events in 2020 by 17%, with 1,291 breaches in 2021 compared to 1,108 breaches in 2020.