Personal Data & Account Security: An Analytical Review
Defining the Scope of Personal Data Risks
Personal data security encompasses the protection of any information that can identify or authenticate an individual. This includes financial details, login credentials, medical history, and even browsing habits. Breaches in such data have both direct and indirect consequences. Direct losses may include drained bank accounts, while indirect impacts involve reputational harm or long-term misuse of identity. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, the global average cost of a data breach surpassed four million dollars, underscoring the financial and social weight of compromised information.
Trends in Account Compromise Incidents
Data from Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report 2023 suggests that over 80% of breaches involve weak or stolen credentials. Credential stuffing—where attackers reuse leaked passwords—remains a persistent method. Multifactor authentication lowers risks but is inconsistently adopted, particularly among small businesses and older demographics. The comparison indicates that while technological defenses exist, uneven…