The security of user data is something that all companies should think about in the 21st century. We’ve covered tons of articles about data theft from various companies, including Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, and more. The latest report from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) not only illustrates the dire state of data security, it also gives hope. We mean that the total number of data sources has decreased. But it’s still huge.
Twitter is responsible for half of user data theft cases
The number of sources of user data has been growing for six years. However, the chain was broken in 2022. Last year, data theft was 42% lower than in previous years. But more than 422 million users fell victim to the data breach.
Actually, this number is much higher. We mean that many tech companies do not disclose many details when it comes to the security of user data. Only 34% report attacks in detail. This creates a snowball effect for the industry. Many firms do not provide details, preventing others from making the right decisions or taking appropriate action. As a result, hackers get more chances to gain access to user data.
Meanwhile, about half of the users affected by the data leak belong to Twitter. In 2022, the data of 221 million Twitter users was stolen. Rounding out the top 5 are Neopets, AT&T, Cash App and Beetle Eye.
However, it should also be noted that in most cases, stolen data is limited to a username and social security number. There have been cases where stolen data contained PII (personally identifiable information). You should avoid it.
We cannot say that this trend will continue in 2023. Therefore, it is better to take precautions yourself and protect your data rather than relying on companies. To do this, you can use two-factor authentication (2FA) or have stronger passwords.
Source: Port Altele
John Wilkes is a seasoned journalist and author at Div Bracket. He specializes in covering trending news across a wide range of topics, from politics to entertainment and everything in between.