Data security's worst year yet

A report released by the security tracking Identity Theft Resource Center said there were 646 data breach incidents reported in 2008, a 47 percent increase over 2007 and an all-time record. The spike is partly a result of technological advances that have made data more mobile over time. In other words, the wide use of USB drives, laptops and portable hard drives have all led to so-called "data on the move" breaches where data is physically lost or stolen.

While physical data disappearances accounted for more data loss incidents than any other category, 2008 saw the growth of insider theft incidents, as well. This source of data theft was most prevalent in the financial services industry, where layoffs may have created scores of disgruntled employees with access to sensitive data.

For more on data breaches:
- see this Forbes.com article

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