- Randy Hutchinson is the president of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South. Reach the BBB at 800-222-8754.
In the 15 years that the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has tracked data breaches, the record was 1,529 breaches in 2017.
That number was surpassed last November with one month to go.
The ITRC tracked 1,580 breaches through last November, with notable recent breaches involving Costco, web hosting company GoDaddy, and stock trading platform Robinhood. Information compromised included full names, birthdates, usernames and passwords, and credit card numbers.
The ITRC has attributed some annual increases in the number of data breaches in part to more reporting by businesses, government agencies and other organizations.
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Now it’s concerned that trend has reversed to some extent and that its current count is low. Some authorities are becoming more reticent to discuss data breaches and one state has apparently stopped posting notices altogether.
The ITRC says, “There has been an increase in a lack of transparency in breach notices at both the organization and government levels that, if it continues, could lead to a significant impact on individuals. Withholding important information or failing to post notices on a timely basis may serve to prevent individuals from taking actions to protect their identities.”
While individuals can’t prevent the hacking of a…
