In 2024, the number of data compromises in the United States stood at 3,158 cases. Meanwhile, over 1.35 billion individuals were affected in the same year by data compromises, including data breaches, leakage, and exposure. While these are three different events, they have one thing in common. As a result of all three incidents, the sensitive data is accessed by an unauthorized threat actor. Industries most vulnerable to data breaches Some industry sectors usually see more significant cases of private data violations than others. This is determined by the type and volume of the personal information organizations of these sectors store. In 2024 the financial services, healthcare, and professional services were the three industry sectors that recorded most data breaches. Overall, the number of healthcare data breaches in some industry sectors in the United States has gradually increased within the past few years. However, some sectors saw decrease. Largest data exposures worldwide In 2020, an adult streaming website, CAM4, experienced a leakage of nearly 11 billion records. This, by far, is the most extensive reported data leakage. This case, though, is unique because cyber security researchers found the vulnerability before the cyber criminals. The second-largest data breach is the Yahoo data breach, dating back to 2013. The company first reported about one billion exposed records, then later, in 2017, came up with an updated number of leaked records, which was three billion. In March 2018, the third biggest data breach happened, involving India’s national identification database Aadhaar. As a result of this incident, over 1.1 billion records were exposed.

The largest reported data leakage as of January 2025 was the Cam4 data breach in March 2020, which exposed more than 10 billion data records. The second-largest data breach in history so far, the Yahoo data breach, occurred in 2013. The company initially reported about one billion exposed data records, but after an investigation, the company updated the number, revealing that three billion accounts were affected. The National Public Data Breach was announced in August 2024. The incident became public when personally identifiable information of individuals became available for sale on the dark web. Overall, the security professionals estimate the leakage of nearly three billion personal records. The next significant data leakage was the March 2018 security breach of India's national ID database, Aadhaar, with over 1.1 billion records exposed. This included biometric information such as identification numbers and fingerprint scans, which could be used to open bank accounts and receive financial aid, among other government services.

Cybercrime - the dark side of digitalization As the world continues its journey into the digital age, corporations and governments across the globe have been increasing their reliance on technology to collect, analyze and store personal data. This, in turn, has led to a rise in the number of cyber crimes, ranging from minor breaches to global-scale attacks impacting billions of users – such as in the case of Yahoo. Within the U.S. alone, 1802 cases of data compromise were reported in 2022. This was a marked increase from the 447 cases reported a decade prior. The high price of data protection As of 2022, the average cost of a single data breach across all industries worldwide stood at around 4.35 million U.S. dollars. This was found to be most costly in the healthcare sector, with each leak reported to have cost the affected party a hefty 10.1 million U.S. dollars. The financial segment followed closely behind. Here, each breach resulted in a loss of approximately 6 million U.S. dollars - 1.5 million more than the global average.

During the second quarter of 2025, data breaches exposed more than ** million records worldwide. Since the first quarter of 2020, the highest number of data records were exposed in the third quarter of ****, more than *** billion data sets. Data breaches remain among the biggest concerns of company leaders worldwide. The most common causes of sensitive information loss were operating system vulnerabilities on endpoint devices. Which industries see the most data breaches? Meanwhile, certain conditions make some industry sectors more prone to data breaches than others. According to the latest observations, the public administration experienced the highest number of data breaches between 2021 and 2022. The industry saw *** reported data breach incidents with confirmed data loss. The second were financial institutions, with *** data breach cases, followed by healthcare providers. Data breach cost Data breach incidents have various consequences, the most common impact being financial losses and business disruptions. As of 2023, the average data breach cost across businesses worldwide was **** million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, a leaked data record cost about *** U.S. dollars. The United States saw the highest average breach cost globally, at **** million U.S. dollars.

The expanding use of mobile devices and cloud servers to store sensitive data and the rise in technologically sophisticated cyber criminals threatening to steal that data have accelerated demand for online security. IT security consultants continue to benefit from the increasing adoption of e-commerce, social networking and cloud computing across private and public clients. Increased online usage amid the pandemic further fueled growth, even as broader economic conditions cratered, as more downstream clients shifted their operations toward the online space. The growing prevalence of high-profile cybersecurity attacks and the risks associated with potential data breaches will continue to propel demand, particularly among larger businesses and corporate clients. Over the past five years, revenue grew at a CAGR of 3.8% to an estimated $17.6 billion, including an estimated 2.7% in 2024. These trends will also favor profit, as economic stabilization following high inflation and a greater embrace of digitization will stabilize profitability. The accelerating number of broadband connections and rapid growth in the number of mobile connections have contributed to rising demand for IT security and systems integration solutions. IT security consultants benefit from these trends as they increase the amount of data stored in cloud servers that require protection. As consumers and companies rely more on online networks to conduct business, IT security consultants indirectly benefit from the growing risk of potential security breaches. Moving forward, the evolving threat of cyberattacks and hackers, coupled with greater quantities of digital connections, will enhance security demand across core downstream markets. Large-scale clients in sectors such as banking, financial services, telecommunications and retail will continue to react proactively to the risk of high-profile, reputation-threatening breaches. Government agencies contending with high-stake security issues will require higher IT security investments over the next five years. However, economic recovery and continued competition from in-house cybersecurity protection will subdue demand. These trends are expected to cause revenue to grow at a CAGR of 2.2% to an estimated $19.7 billion through the end of 2029.

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted in the United States in 2018 on devices and online services being hacked. Some ** percent of respondents state their social network / messenger has been hacked. The Survey Data Table for the Statista survey Cybersecurity in the United States 2018 contains the complete tables for the survey including various column headings.

In 2024, individuals over the age of 60 accounted for the highest number of recorded cybercrime victims in the United States. According to the latest data, more than 147,000 people reported cyber crimes in the year examined. The second-most targeted were individuals between 40 and 49 years, with over 112,000 complaints.

In 2024, the monetary damage caused by cybercrime reported to the United States' Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) saw a significant year-over-year increase, amounting to a historical peak of **** billion U.S. dollars. Overview of cybercrime in the U.S. Cybercrime continues to be one of the biggest challenges for governments around the world. In the United States, ****************** and ********* were among the most reported categories of cybercrime in 2024, with over ******* individuals falling victim to phishing attacks. Additionally, data breaches cost the U.S. organizations over ************ U.S. dollars on average as of February 2024. Fraud involving elderly Along with other reported internet crimes, online fraud is continuously growing. Targeting one of the most vulnerable groups, the elderly, cybercriminals show notorious skills in ************************************************************. Furthermore, individuals aged 60 and older, reported falling victims of extortion and personal data breach in 2024.