More enterprise records were exposed in 2011 than any previous year, primarily as the result of an increase in hacking and data breaches overall, according to a study by a provider of security intelligence and risk management services.
The number of records exposed totaled an all-time high 368 million last year, although the source projects that figure to actually be more than 1.2 billion due to 33 percent of reported data breaches involving an unknown amount of lost records.
"This latest information and research ... suggests that organizations in all industries need to take note that they face a very real threat from security breaches. Whether it is the constantly increasing security threats, ever-evolving IT technologies, or limited security resources, data breaches and the costs related to response and mitigation are escalating quickly," the report said.
The study also revealed that hacking caused 33 percent of 2011 data breaches, accounting for 83 percent of all exposed information. Additionally, hacking surpassed stolen laptops as the most prevalent type of data breach, the report said.
With cyberthreats becoming more sophisticated, many businesses are implementing advanced security information and event management systems to detect threats and reduce risks. According to a Forrester Research survey, more than 40 percent of large enterprises have adopted SIEM systems or expect to in the near future.
