Data breach-exposed records exceed 300M

Over 300 million records have been compromised in 794 data breach incidents so far this year, while including aggregated datasets increased the number of leaked records on the dark web to hundreds of billions from more than 1,500 breaches, reports Infosecurity Magazine.

Almost half of the breaches impacted companies with 10 to 249 employees, while retail and wholesale trade were most commonly targeted by such intrusions, followed by tech providers and media and entertainment firms, findings from email and VPN provider Proton's Data Breach Observatory service, which was developed alongside Constella Intelligence, revealed.

Threat actors mostly targeted stealing email addresses, which was present in all exposures so far this year, while names, contact details, passwords, and other sensitive information were the next most prevalently pilfered information. Proton noted that its Data Breach Observatory service aims to shed light on undisclosed breaches in a bid to bolster individuals' and organizations' cyber defenses.

"If your credentials are compromised, receiving timely alerts is essential to secure your accounts, prevent identity theft, and minimize financial losses," said Proton's Eamonn Maguire.