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.

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.

Pay attention to the following cybersecurity statistics to learn how to protect yourself from attacks.

As of June 2025, the most significant data breach incident in the United States was the Yahoo data breach that dates back to 2013-2016. Impacting over three billion online users, this incident still remains one of the most significant data breaches worldwide. The second-biggest case was the January 2021 data breach at Microsoft, involving about 30 thousand companies in the United States and around 60 thousand companies around the world.

Overview This dataset is a comprehensive, easy-to-understand collection of cybersecurity incidents, threats, and vulnerabilities, designed to help both beginners and experts explore the world of digital security. It covers a wide range of modern cybersecurity challenges, from everyday web attacks to cutting-edge threats in artificial intelligence (AI), satellites, and quantum computing. Whether you're a student, a security professional, a researcher, or just curious about cybersecurity, this dataset offers a clear and structured way to learn about how cyber attacks happen, what they target, and how to defend against them.

With 14134 entries and 15 columns, this dataset provides detailed insights into 26 distinct cybersecurity domains, making it a valuable tool for understanding the evolving landscape of digital threats. It’s perfect for anyone looking to study cyber risks, develop strategies to protect systems, or build tools to detect and prevent attacks.

What’s in the Dataset? The dataset is organized into 16 columns that describe each cybersecurity incident or research scenario in detail:

ID: A unique number for each entry (e.g., 1, 2, 3). Title: A short, descriptive name of the attack or scenario (e.g., "Authentication Bypass via SQL Injection"). Category: The main cybersecurity area, like Mobile Security, Satellite Security, or AI Exploits. Attack Type: The specific kind of attack, such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), or GPS Spoofing. Scenario Description: A plain-language explanation of how the attack works or what the scenario involves. Tools Used: Software or tools used to carry out or test the attack (e.g., Burp Suite, SQLMap, GNURadio). Attack Steps: A step-by-step breakdown of how the attack is performed, written clearly for all audiences. Target Type: The system or technology attacked, like web apps, satellites, or login forms. Vulnerability: The weakness that makes the attack possible (e.g., unfiltered user input or weak encryption). MITRE Technique: A code from the MITRE ATT&CK framework, linking the attack to a standard classification (e.g., T1190 for exploiting public-facing apps). Impact: What could happen if the attack succeeds, like data theft, system takeover, or financial loss. Detection Method: Ways to spot the attack, such as checking logs or monitoring unusual activity. Solution: Practical steps to prevent or fix the issue, like using secure coding or stronger encryption. Tags: Keywords to help search and categorize entries (e.g., SQLi, WebSecurity, SatelliteSpoofing). Source: Where the information comes from, like OWASP, MITRE ATT&CK, or Space-ISAC.

Cybersecurity Domains Covered The dataset organizes cybersecurity into 26 key areas:

AI / ML Security

AI Agents & LLM Exploits

AI Data Leakage & Privacy Risks

Automotive / Cyber-Physical Systems

Blockchain / Web3 Security

Blue Team (Defense & SOC)

Browser Security

Cloud Security

DevSecOps & CI/CD Security

Email & Messaging Protocol Exploits

Forensics & Incident Response

Insider Threats

IoT / Embedded Devices

Mobile Security

Network Security

Operating System Exploits

Physical / Hardware Attacks

Quantum Cryptography & Post-Quantum Threats

Red Team Operations

Satellite & Space Infrastructure Security

SCADA / ICS (Industrial Systems)

Supply Chain Attacks

Virtualization & Container Security

Web Application Security

Wireless Attacks

Zero-Day Research / Fuzzing

Why Is This Dataset Important? Cybersecurity is more critical than ever as our world relies on technology for everything from banking to space exploration. This dataset is a one-stop resource to understand:

What threats exist: From simple web attacks to complex satellite hacks. How attacks work: Clear explanations of how hackers exploit weaknesses. How to stay safe: Practical solutions to prevent or stop attacks. Future risks: Insight into emerging threats like AI manipulation or quantum attacks. It’s a bridge between technical details and real-world applications, making cybersecurity accessible to everyone.

Potential Uses This dataset can be used in many ways, whether you’re a beginner or an expert:

Learning and Education: Students can explore how cyber attacks work and how to defend against them. Threat Intelligence: Security teams can identify common attack patterns and prepare better defenses. Security Planning: Businesses and governments can use it to prioritize protection for critical systems like satellites or cloud infrastructure. Machine Learning: Data scientists can train models to detect threats or predict vulnerabilities. Incident Response Training: Practice responding to cyber incidents, from web hacks to satellite tampering.

Ethical Considerations Purpose: The dataset is for educational and research purposes only, to help improve cybersecurity knowledge and de...

As of 2024, the average cost of a data breach in the United States amounted to **** million U.S. dollars, down from **** million U.S. dollars in the previous year. The global average cost per data breach was **** million U.S. dollars in 2024. Cost of a data breach in different countries worldwide Data breaches impose a big threat for organizations globally. The monetary damage caused by data breaches has increased in many markets in the past decade. In 2023, Canada followed the U.S. by data breach costs, with an average of **** million U.S. dollars. Since 2019, the average monetary damage caused by loss of sensitive information in Canada has increased notably. In the United Kingdom, the average cost of a data breach in 2024 amounted to around **** million U.S. dollars, while in Germany it stood at **** million U.S. dollars. The cost of data breach by industry and segment Data breach costs vary depending on the industry and segment. For the fourth consecutive year, the global healthcare sector registered the highest costs of data breach, which in 2024 amounted to about **** million U.S. dollars. Financial institutions ranked second, with an average cost of *** million U.S. dollars for a data breach. Detection and escalation was the costliest segment in data breaches worldwide, with **** U.S. dollars on average. The cost for lost business ranked second, while response following a breach came across as the third-costliest segment.

As of 2025, the mean number of days to identify the data breaches was *** days, six days faster than in the previous year. The mean time companies needed to contain the breaches in the measured year was ** days. In comparison, in 2021, it took organizations *** days to identify and ** days to address the data breaches.

Data Breaches Dataset

30,000 Records of cyber-security data breaches

About this dataset

This dataset is a compilation of data from various sources detailing data breaches. These sources include press reports, government news releases, and mainstream news articles. The list includes those involving the theft or compromise of 30,000 or more records, although many smaller breaches occur continually. In addition, the various methods used in the breaches are listed, with hacking being the most common.

Organizations of all types and sizes are susceptible to data breaches, which can have devastating consequences. This dataset can help shed light on which organizations are most at risk and how these breaches occur so that steps can be taken to prevent them in the future

How to use the dataset

There are many ways to use this dataset. Here are a few ideas:

• Use the data to understand which types of organizations are most commonly breached, and what methods are used most often.
• Analyze the data to see if there are any trends or patterns in when or how breaches occur.
• Use the data to create a visualizations or infographic showing the prevalence of data breaches

Research Ideas

• This dataset can be used to identify trends in data breaches in terms of methods used, types of organizations breached, and geographical distribution.

• This dataset can be used to study the effect of data breaches on organizational reputation and customer trust.

• This dataset can be used by organizations to benchmark their own security measures against those of similar organizations that have experienced data breaches

Acknowledgements

License

License: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) - Public Domain Dedication No Copyright - You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. See Other Information.

Columns

File: df_1.csv | Column name | Description | |:----------------------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------| | Entity | The name of the organization that was breached. (String) | | Year | The year when the breach occurred. (Integer) | | Records | The number of records that were compromised in the breach. (Integer) | | Organization type | The type of organization that was breached. (String) | | Method | The method that was used to breach the organization. (String) | | Sources | The sources from which the data was collected. (String) |

Percentage of enterprises impacted by specific types of cyber security incidents by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and size of enterprise.

The European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC) is releasing the Global Dataset of Cyber Incidents in Version 1.3 as an extract of our backend database. This official release contains fully consolidated cyber incident data reviewed by our interdisciplinary experts in the fields of politics, law and technology across all 60 variables covered by the European Repository. Version 1.3 covers the years 2000 – 2024 entirely. The Global Dataset is meant for reliable, evidence-based analysis. If you require real-time data, please refer to the download option in our TableView or contact us for special requirements (including API access).

The dataset now contains data on 3416 cyber incidents which started between 01.01.2000 and 31.12.2024. The European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC) gathers, codes, and analyses publicly available information from over 220 sources and 600 Twitter accounts daily to report on dynamic trends in the global, and particularly the European, cyber threat environment.

For more information on the scope and data collection methodology see: https://eurepoc.eu/methodology

Full Codebook available here

Information about each file

please scroll down this page entirely to see all files available. Zenodo only displays the attribution dataset by default.

Global Database (csv or xlsx):
This file includes all variables coded for each incident, organised such that one row corresponds to one incident - our main unit of investigation. Where multiple codes are present for a single variable for a single incident, these are separated with semi-colons within the same cell.

Receiver Dataset (csv or xlsx):
In this file, the data of affected entities and individuals (receivers) is restructured to facilitate analysis. Each cell contains only a single code, with the data "unpacked" across multiple rows. Thus, a single incident can span several rows, identifiable through the unique identifier assigned to each incident (incident_id).

Attribution Dataset (csv or xlsx):
This file follows a similar approach to the receiver dataset. The attribution data is "unpacked" over several rows, allowing each cell to contain only one code. Here too, a single incident may occupy several rows, with the unique identifier enabling easy tracking of each incident (incident_id). In addition, some attributions may also have multiple possible codes for one variable, these are also "unpacked" over several rows, with the attribution_id enabling to track each attribution.

Dyadic Dataset (csv or xlsx):
The dyadic dataset puts state dyads in the focus. Each row in the dataset represents one cyber incident in a specific dyad. Because incidents may affect multiple receivers, single incidents can be duplicated in this format, when they affected multiple countries.

In this document, comprehensive datasets are presented to advance research on information security breaches. The datasets include data on disclosed information security breaches affecting S&P500 companies between 2020 and 2023, collected through manual search of the Internet. Overall, the datasets include 504 companies, with detailed information security breach and financial data available for 97 firms that experienced a disclosed information security breach. This document will describe the datasets in detail, explain the data collection procedure and shows the initial versions of the datasets. Contact at Tilburg University Francesco Lelli

This report reviews the impact of the cyber attack in May 2021 on the Health Service Executive (HSE) and other health bodies. It examines the HSE's cyber attack preparedness, the financial impact of the attack and the status of implementation of PWC's post incident review recommendations. .hidden { display: none }

It started with a strange email. The kind you usually ignore. But for one midsize healthcare firm in Ohio, clicking that link changed everything. Within hours, sensitive patient records were encrypted, and hackers demanded payment in cryptocurrency. By the time IT figured out the breach, over 1.4 million records were...

In 2024, manufacturing saw the highest share of cyberattacks among the leading industries worldwide. During the examined year, manufacturing companies encountered more than a quarter of the total cyberattacks. Organizations in the finance and insurance followed, with around 23 percent. Professional, business, and consumer services ranked third, with 18 percent of reported cyberattacks. Manufacturing industry and cyberattacks The industry of manufacturing has been in the center of cyberattacks in a long time. The share of cyberattacks targeting organizations in this sector in 2018 was at 10 percent, while in 2024, it amounted to 26 percent. The situation is even more compliacted when we look at the cyber vulnerabilities found in this sector. In 2024, critical vulnerabilities in manufacturing companies lasted 205 days on average. IT perspective and prevention With recent technology developments, cybersecurity is crucial to an organization’s success. Realizing this, companies have been gradually increasing cybersecurity investments. Thus, in 2024, the cybersecurity budget worldwide was forecast to increase to nearly 283 billion U.S. dollars. Roughly nine in ten board directors of companies worldwide in professional services and media and entertainment industries say they expect an increase in the cybersecurity budget.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2021 (CSBS) was run to understand organisations' approaches and attitudes to cyber security, and to understand their experience of cyber security breaches, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the survey was to support the Government by providing evidence that can inform policies which help to make Britain a safer place to do business online. Details of changes for the 2021 survey can be found in the Technical Annex documentation.

These surveys have been conducted annually since 2016 to understand the views of UK organisations on cyber security. Data are collected on topics including online use; attitudes of organisations to cyber security and awareness of Government initiatives; approaches to cyber security (including investment and processes); incidences and impact of a cyber security breach or attack; and how breaches are dealt with by the organisation. This information helps to inform Government policy towards organisations, including how best to target key messages to businesses and charities so that they are cyber secure (and so that the UK is the safest place in the world to do business online). The study is funded by the DCMS as part of the National Cyber Security Programme.

The underlying data are useful for researchers to better understand the response across a range of organisations and for wider comparability over time. The survey originally only covered businesses but was expanded to include charities from the 2018 survey onwards. From 2020, the survey includes a sample of education institutions (primary and secondary schools, further and higher education). Please note that the UK Data Service only holds data from 2018 onwards.

Further information and additional publications can be found on the "http://GOV.UK" target="_blank"> GOV.UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 2021 webpage.

View Data Breach Notification Reports, which include how many breaches are reported each year and the number of affected residents.

This dataset comprises 100,000 entries of synthesized cybersecurity incidents. It provides extensive details on various attack scenarios, target systems, and response measures. The data is structured across 15 columns, each capturing critical aspects of cybersecurity events, including:

Incident Details:

attack_type: Type of the cyberattack (e.g., DDoS, phishing, ransomware). target_system: Systems targeted during the attack. outcome: The result of the attack (e.g., success, failure). timestamp: Time of the attack occurrence. Attacker and Target Information:

attacker_ip: IP address of the attacker. target_ip: IP address of the target. Attack Metrics:

data_compromised_GB: Volume of data compromised in GB. attack_duration_min: Duration of the attack in minutes. attack_severity: Severity of the attack on a scale. Defense and Response:

security_tools_used: Security tools or defenses employed. response_time_min: Time taken to respond to the incident. mitigation_method: Method used to mitigate the attack. Contextual Information:

user_role: Role of the user or entity involved. location: Geographical location of the incident. industry: Industry targeted by the attack. This dataset is ideal for exploring patterns in cybersecurity incidents, evaluating the effectiveness of response strategies, and building predictive models to enhance security measures. Let me know if you'd like further analysis or visualization of the data!

Introduction

Data Breaches Statistics: In recent years, data breaches have emerged as a major threat to both businesses and individuals. As the digital world grows, the frequency, scale, and impact of these breaches have surged, resulting in significant financial, reputational, and legal repercussions for organizations. The number of data breaches hit record highs, compromising millions of sensitive records.

This increase can be attributed to several factors, including rising cybercrime, inadequate data security practices, and the growing sophistication of hacking techniques. Data from cybersecurity experts reveal a notable rise in breaches within the healthcare, financial, and retail industries.

As the fallout from these breaches intensifies, it has become increasingly important for both businesses and consumers to understand the trends and scope of these incidents. This introduction will explore the latest statistics and developments, offering insights into the evolving landscape of data breaches and their wide-reaching effects.