Nearly 75% of User Data Leaks Are Intentional

Experts from InfoWatch Group have released an insightful report on information leaks recorded in 2020. The analysts highlighted the share of intentional data breaches and provided an overview of the overall situation with such incidents over the past twelve months.

Key Findings from 2020

According to InfoWatch, the COVID-19 year led to an increase in less obvious data leaks, resulting in a 4.5% decrease in leaks from government organizations and commercial companies compared to the previous year (global statistics). However, the share of intentional leaks and breaches caused by external parties rose sharply.

The InfoWatch Expert-Analytical Center recorded 2,395 confidential data leaks from government agencies, commercial companies, and other organizations in 2020. This figure is 4.5% lower than in 2019, but 5.8% higher than in 2018.

Regional and Global Trends

Researchers noted that the United States played a key role in reducing the number of leaks worldwide, as the Western region saw a 20% drop over the year. Nevertheless, 11 billion records of personal data still became publicly available during the pandemic year. Leaked information included names, surnames, email addresses, phone numbers, passwords, physical addresses, Social Security numbers, bank card data, and more.

At the same time, the total number of such incidents decreased by 25.5% compared to 2019. Experts also observed a smaller volume of leaked records: 4.6 million in 2020 versus 5.9 million in 2019. However, the number of major leaks increased (213 compared to 169—a 26% rise).

Types of Data Leaked

The share of personal data in leaks grew from 76.6% in 2019 to 80.6% in 2020, while payment information was leaked less frequently (down from 9.8% to 4.8%). InfoWatch attributed this to stronger protection of payment infrastructure and more complex procedures for using compromised bank card data.

Intentional Leaks and External Threats

The main vector of leaks in 2020 shifted toward external attackers. Actions by outside parties accounted for 55.9% of such cyber incidents. The overall share of intentional data breaches reached 72.5%, up from 60.2% in 2019.