Record data breaches in 2007.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis

It's official--2007 was a record year for data breaches. And if things don't improve, 2008 may see as many, if not more, cases of data loss or theft, experts say.

Even as companies, government agencies, and other organizations are spending more to protect ever-growing collections of data, hackers and thieves remain one step ahead of security--and lost laptops containing sensitive information only contribute to the problem.

The Identity Theft Resource Center said more than 79 million records were reported compromised in the United States through December 18, 2007--a nearly fourfold increase from the nearly 20 million records reported in 2006.

Another group, Attrition.org, estimated more than 162 million records were exposed worldwide through December 21.

The TJX Cos. breach accounts for more than half the total records reported lost last year on both groups' lists. Attrition.org estimates that 94 million records were exposed in a theft of credit card data at TIX, the owner of discount stores including T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. The Identity Theft Resource Center counts about 46 million that were exposed because TJX acknowledged that figure in March 2007. Attrition's figure is based on estimates from Visa and MasterCard officials involved in a lawsuit banks filed against TJX.

The two non-profit groups' 2007 data also reveal rising numbers of incidents in which employees lose sensitive data, as opposed to hackers stealing it.

"A lot of breaches are due to inadequate information handling, such as laptop computers with Social Security numbers on them that are lost" Linda Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center...