Cyber Crime
Data Breaches Decreased Globally in 2023, but India Still Among Top 5 Affected Countries
India ranks 5th in 2023 data breaches with 5.3M accounts leaked. Global trend shows improvement; US most affected.
NEW DELHI: India emerged as the fifth most affected country by data breaches in 2023, with a reported 5.3 million accounts compromised. This places India among the top countries experiencing the highest cybersecurity incidents worldwide. The report by Surfshark highlighted a global concern, with approximately 299.8 million accounts breached across various nations from January to December 2023. The United States led the list, contributing to 32% of the total breaches, followed by Russia, France, Spain, and then India.
Positive Trends Amid Concerns
Interestingly, India’s breach figures represent a 56% decrease compared to 2022, indicating a positive trend towards improved cybersecurity measures. The global landscape also saw an 18% reduction in breaches, with Surfshark’s Lead Researcher Agneska Sablovskaja noting a 20% decline in affected accounts year-over-year. Sablovskaja emphasized the importance of maintaining unique and strong passwords for different online services to safeguard against the ripple effects of data breaches.
Notable Incidents and Impact
The United States experienced a significant surge in breaches, with nearly 100 million accounts compromised in 2023, marking a substantial increase from the previous year. The report also shed light on LinkedIn, which faced the largest data exposure with almost 11.5 million emails leaked due to information scraping. Russian platforms Chitai-gorod, Book24, Gloria Jeans, and SberSpasibo were among the top sites suffering breaches, exposing around 20 million Russian email accounts.
Trends in data breach statistics: 2023 vs. 2022
Duolingo and chess.com also experienced data breaches, leading to millions of leaked email addresses, affecting users across the globe including the United States, South Sudan, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and India.
Regional Insights
Europe was identified as the most affected region in the third quarter of 2023, followed by North America and Asia. Despite a decrease from 160 million in 2022 to 116.6 million in 2023, Europe remained a hotspot for data breaches, with Russia accounting for a significant portion. North America’s breaches surged by 193% compared to the previous year, while Asia saw 26.3 million accounts compromised.
Africa witnessed the most considerable decrease in breaches, with an 88% reduction from the previous year.
Biggest breaches of 2023
Addressing Data Breaches
The consequences of email account breaches extend beyond unauthorized access, risking identity theft, financial fraud, and social engineering scams. Surfshark advises immediate action for affected individuals, including changing passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and being vigilant against potential scams.
The data breach landscape of 2023 revealed both challenges and improvements in cybersecurity efforts globally. While countries like India show progress with reduced breach rates, the pervasive nature of cyber threats underscores the need for continued vigilance and robust security practices.