Could data breaches be prevented?

According to a report by Verizon Business, almost nine out of ten corporate data breaches could have been prevented if appropriate security measures been taken. The 2008 Data Breach Investigations Report covers a span of four years and over 500 forensic investigations, including three of the largest data breaches ever reported.

Some of the findings include the fact that only 18 percent of data breaches come from insider threats while most came from outside sources. Third parties discovered 75 percent of the data breaches, not the organizations that were victimized, and they can go undetected for a lengthy period. The study goes on to not only give statistics and insights behind these data breaches, but also goes on to offer companies recommendations for prevention of data theft.

While not all of the information turned up in the Verizon Business study will be surprising, prevention is key to companies looking to protect customers and associates from identity theft, and the information revealed in this study can provide guidelines for protection of private data in the future.