According to a study by Nordpass, India ranks second among countries to have leaked consumers' data.
The study reveals that since late 2019, 745 data leaks have come from the country. The USA tops the list with 2,264 data leaks. In third place is the United Kingdom with 608.
These data breaches include consumer data like email addresses, passwords, and usernames being leaked.
Among the data breaches, the education category in India is ranked the worst at ensuring clients’ data safety. This is followed by consumer services and technology companies, entertainment and retail companies.
In terms of the type of organisations being targetted, private businesses in India were of most interest to hackers. Based on the study, they make up half of organisations that had their clients’ data stolen. Cybercriminals have also targeted educational bodies (9%), solopreneur businesses (6%), public companies (5%), and other types of organisations.
Tomas Smalakys, CTO, NordPass, said, “In a constantly challenged cyber environment, businesses no longer have the luxury to store consumer data in plain text on Excel or otherwise neglect basic cybersecurity practices. To avoid financial and reputational risks, companies should consider it their personal duty to ensure clients’ data is secured against online threats, even if the legislation is not there yet."
The research represents the breaches that happened between December 2019 and July 2023.
