20 Apr 2009

Security breaches 'on the rise'

A new survey reveals there has been a significant rise in the number of security attacks against organisations.

More electronic records were breached in 2008 than the previous four years combined, according to the 2009 Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report.

The new study shows 90 per cent of cases are the subject of organised crime, after last year's survey revealed 59 per cent of attacks involved hacking or intrusions.

Verizon's results are based on data analysed from a caseload of 285 million records, concluding that nine out of every ten breaches could have been avoided if safety measures had been put in place.

The economic crisis is likely to trigger a further increase in criminal activity, claims Dr Peter Tippett, vice president of research and intelligence for Verizon Business Security Solutions.

He comments: "This report should serve as another wake-up call that good security and a proactive approach are paramount to running a business."