Between the first quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2024, the number of records exposed in data breaches in the United States decreased significantly. In the most recent measured period, over 93.7 million records were reported as leaked, down from around 116 million in the previous quarter.

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.

In 2023, the healthcare industry in the United States remained the most targeted by cyber attacks, resulting in data compromises. Compared to 2022, the number of data compromise incidents in the U.S. healthcare industry increased more than twice. The financial services sector ranked second, with 744 data compromise incidents, representing a significant increase, too.

In 2023, the most common type of cyber crime reported to the United States internet Crime Complaint Center was phishing and spoofing, affecting approximately 298 thousand individuals. In addition, over 55 thousand cases of personal data breaches cases were reported to the IC3 during that year. Dynamic of phishing attacks Over the past few years, phishing attacks have increased significantly. In 2023, almost 300 thousand individuals fell victim to such attacks. The highest number of phishing scam victims since 2018 was recorded in 2021, approximately 324 thousand.Phishing attacks can take many shapes. Bulk phishing, smishing, and business e-mail compromise (BEC) are the most common types. In 2023, 76 percent of the surveyed worldwide organizations reported encountering bulk phishing attacks, while roughly three in four were targeted by smishing scams. Impact of phishing attacks Among the most targeted industries by cybercriminals are healthcare, financial, manufacturing, and education institutions. An observation carried out in the first quarter of 2023 found that social media was most likely to encounter phishing attacks. According to the reports, almost a quarter of them stated being targeted by a phishing scam in the measured period. Very often, phishing e-mails contain a crucial risk for the organization. Almost three in ten worldwide organizations that have experienced phishing attacks suffered from a customer or a client data breach as a consequence. Phishing scams that delivered ransomware infections were also common for the surveyed organizations.

In 2023, the utilities industry in the United States saw the most significant number of victims of data compromise cases, with around 73 million individuals impacted. Technology ranked second, with 65 million victims. Overall, 353 million people in the United States were affected by data compromise incidents.

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.

Between 2010 and 2023, the worldwide automotive industry saw many cyber-related challenges. The industry's most common outcome of cyber crime was service and business disruption, such as delays or halts in production, caused by a cyber attack, which occurred 42 percent of the time of a cyber incident. Data and privacy breach was the second-most common impact of cyber attacks, with 22 percent of the total effects. Fraud and Vehicle theft were other typical outcomes of cybercrime in the automotive industry.

India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data was reported at 33,798.000 Unit in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,384.000 Unit for 2021. India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data is updated yearly, averaging 738.000 Unit from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2022, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33,798.000 Unit in 2022 and a record low of 176.000 Unit in 2008. India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Crime Records Bureau. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Crime – Table IN.CRA001: Crime Statistics.

In 2023, ransomware was the most frequently detected cyberattack worldwide, with around 70 percent of all detected cyberattacks. Network breaches ranked second, with almost 19 percent of the detections. Although less frequently, data exfiltration was also among the detected cyberattacks.

The U.S. National CyberWatch Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC) is a unique experience for college and university students to test their cybersecurity knowledge and skills in a competitive environment. The MACCDC takes great pride in being one of the premier events of this type in the United States.

While similar to other cyber defense competitions in many aspects, the MA CCDC, as part of the National CCDC, is unique in that it focuses on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing network infrastructure. The teams are physically co-located in the same building. Each team is given physically identical computer configurations at the start of the competition. Throughout the competition, the teams have to ensure the systems supply the specified services while under attack from a volunteer Red Team. In addition, the teams have to satisfy periodic "injects" that simulate business activities IT staff must deal with in the real world. ; info(at)netresec.com

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Data Protection as a Service DPAAS market size will be USD 28241.8 million in 2025. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.80% from 2025 to 2033.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 10449.47 million in 2025 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.6% from 2025 to 2033.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 8190.12 million.
APAC held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 6778.03 million in 2025 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8% from 2025 to 2033.
South America has a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 1073.19 million in 2025 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8% from 2025 to 2033.
Middle East had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 1129.67 million in 2025 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.1% from 2025 to 2033.
Africa had a market share of around 1% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 621.32 million in 2025 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.5% from 2025 to 2033.
Payment Processing category is the fastest growing segment of the Data Protection as a Service DPAAS industry

Market Dynamics of Data Protection as a Service DPAAS Market

Key Drivers for Data Protection as a Service DPAAS Market

Escalating Cybersecurity Threats and Data Breaches to Boost Market Growth

The rising frequency and complexity of cyberattacks have significantly intensified concerns around data security. Organizations are increasingly grappling with threats such as ransomware, data breaches, and phishing attacks, which can result in severe financial losses and reputational harm. For example, in 2023, the U.S. reported 2,365 data breaches impacting approximately 343.3 million individuals—a staggering 72% increase compared to 2021. In the UK, half of all businesses (50%) and nearly a third of charities (32%) reported experiencing some form of cybersecurity breach or attack in the past year. The figures are even higher among medium-sized businesses (70%), large enterprises (74%), and high-income charities with annual revenues over £500,000 (66%). Phishing remains the most prevalent type of attack, affecting 84% of businesses and 83% of charities. This is followed by impersonation attacks via email or online platforms (35% of businesses and 37% of charities) and malware infections (17% of businesses and 14% of charities). This escalating threat landscape highlights the critical need for robust data protection strategies, driving demand for Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) solution. These services offer advanced security features such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and real-time monitoring to help organizations safeguard their sensitive information.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024//./

Increasing Data Volumes from Digital Transformation and IoT to Boost Market Growth

The rapid surge in data generation—driven by digital transformation initiatives and the widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices—has created an urgent need for efficient storage, backup, and recovery solutions. Global data volume skyrocketed from 2 zettabytes (ZB) in 2010 to an astounding 64.2 ZB by 2020, surpassing even the number of observable stars in the universe. This figure is projected to reach 181 ZB by 2025. Despite this explosive growth, only about 2% of the data created in 2020 was actually saved and stored by 2021. On a daily basis, the world produces around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, with 90% of all existing data generated in just the past two years. Additionally, over 40% of internet data in 2020 was generated by machines. In this context, Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) emerges as a vital solution, offering scalable, secure, and cost-effective means to protect this ever-expanding volume of data. DPaaS ensures data availability, security, and compliance with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.

https://spacelift.io/blog/how-much-data-is-generated-every-day./

Restraint Factor for the Da...

In 2018, global spending on cybersecurity was projected to reach around 66 billion U.S. dollars, more than doubling in value since 2011. Utilizing an array of software and IT services, the field of cybersecurity focuses on ensuring the safety of digital systems and information.

Cybersecurity Market

Cybersecurity measures are utilized in companies, government organizations, and among private customers around the world. The field has come a long way from the days of frustrating antivirus software on personal computers, and now includes sizable segments for network security, data protection, and vulnerability management. The amount of digitalized, private information has grown massively in the past decade, increasing the need for more advanced cyber security technology.

Cyber attacks Considering the steady increase in cyberattacks over the years, it is no surprise that the cybersecurity market is growing so rapidly. Hundreds of millions of private records are exposed each year, risking the privacy and security of both individual consumers and businesses around the world. Phishing and network intrusion are the most common types of attack experienced by companies, but preventable mistakes like lost devices and inadvertent disclosures are also relatively common.

In 2024, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Romania closed ***** cybercrime cases. However, the number of pending cases has increased by **** percent since 2023.       Cybercrime in Romania  Cybercrime poses a significant challenge in Romania, with distinct patterns observed across regions and varying attack methods. The Bucharest-Ilfov region stands out, as **** percent of respondents reported using software programs to limit online activity tracking in 2023, indicating a notable concern for digital privacy. In contrast, the North-West region had a lower adoption rate at *** percent. Regarding malware threats, Trojan.AgentACBD led the charts in 2023, registering ****** attack alerts, closely followed by Trojan.IoT.Mirai and InfoStealer.AGENTTESLA. Phishing attacks fluctuated, peaking at ****** incidents in April 2023 but dropping to ***** in December 2023. This dynamic landscape underscores the need for robust cybersecurity measures nationwide.       Online Video Games  The digital landscape is evolving, marked by notable shifts in women's internet usage. While the overall share of internet users has risen for both genders, the gender gap has significantly narrowed. In 2024, female internet users lagged males by only *** percent, a substantial improvement from the *** percent gap in 2019. Social media usage remained the most popular online activity for women. However, a noteworthy trend is women's substantial use of the internet to gather health-related information, showcasing a diversified gender digital presence.

The global indicator 'Estimated Cost of Cybercrime' in the cybersecurity market was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** trillion U.S. dollars (+***** percent). After the eleventh consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach ***** trillion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the indicator 'Estimated Cost of Cybercrime' of the cybersecurity market was continuously increasing over the past years. Ransomware and manufacturing industry Cyberattacks remain a significant challenge for organizations worldwide, sectors such as manufacturing, finance, and insurance were the most affected by these attacks. Among the various types of cyber threats, ransomware was the most frequently detected, accounting for around ** percent of all incidents. The manufacturing industry, in particular, faced the highest number of ransomware attacks, making it the most targeted sector globally. Cybersecurity awareness and investments Organizations worldwide became increasingly aware of the dangers posed by cyberattacks, approximately ** percent of internet users became familiar terms such as with "ransomware." In response to these threats, companies invested more in cybersecurity. In 2024, the average annual increase in IT security budgets was expected to reach *** percent. In fact, for companies worldwide, enhancing the cyber resilience of their cybersecurity teams was the top spending priority in 2023.

In 2023, there were ***** reported cyber incidents in the financial industry worldwide, up from ***** in the preceding year. Coherently, the number of data breaches increased within the last two examined years, going from *** in 2021 to ***** in 2023. Overall, 2023 saw the most significant number of cyber incidents since 2013.

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.

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.

Between January and September 2024, healthcare organizations in the United States saw 491 large-scale data breaches, resulting in the loss of over 500 records. This figure has increased significantly in the last decade. To date, the highest number of large-scale data breaches in the U.S. healthcare sector was recorded in 2023, with a reported 745 cases.

During the third quarter of 2024, data breaches exposed more than *** million records worldwide. Since the first quarter of 2020, the highest number of data records were exposed in the first quarter of ***, more than *** million 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.

More than *** million cyberattacks were reported across India in 2022. This was a significant increase compared to 2019. The country was among the top **** with the most number of cybersecurity incidents that year. Furthermore, India ranked ***** in terms of internet user numbers.