The New York State Office of the Attorney General has experienced a massive increase in the number of reported data breaches in 2016.
Compared to the same period last year, there has been a significant 40% upswing, attorney general Eric Schneiderman revealed.
Up to May 2nd, the Attorney General’s Office received 459 data breach notices. In 2015 it was 327 (the total for the year was 809).
Mr. Schneiderman described data breaches as an “escalating threat” to security, at both a personal and national level.
He continued by saying that organizations need to be better at cybersecurity and ensure that they are doing their best to protect sensitive information.
“I am committed to stemming the data breach tide,” he added. “Making notification to my office easier for companies who have experienced a data breach means quicker notification and quicker resolution for New York’s consumers.”
Companies that experience a data breach are legally required to notify the Attorney General’s Office, as well as their customers.
Tackling this growing problem is a key agenda item for politicians in New York, least of all the attorney general.
Two years ago, Mr. Schneiderman issued a report to examine the matter, which came up with some startling revelations.
The paper, titled Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Security in New York State, revealed that between 2006 and 2013, the number of reported data breaches had more than tripled.
It also noted that cybercrime – in this instance meaning third party unauthorized access – was the chief cause of data breaches.
In related news, a survey from Cloud Security Alliance found that security professionals consider compromised credentials as the most common cause of past data breaches.
