2024 — Year in review
Years are assigned by disclosure date, falling back to discovery, then occurrence date.
Breach Census recorded 2,640 confirmed incidents in 2024. That is down from 2,871 in 2023, a fall of 231 incidents (8%). Incidents are assigned to a year by disclosure date, falling back to discovery, then occurrence date, and totals for the most recent years can still grow as new sources are confirmed and published.
The largest confirmed incident by records affected was at Summit Pathology and Summit Pathology Laboratories, Inc., which affected 1,813,538 records. Healthcare was the most common sector, with 79 of the 170 incidents that had a sector assigned. The most common attack type among incidents with one recorded was Ransomware Attack, in 108 incidents.
Regulators issued fines totaling 1,887,500 GBP across 11 actions and 1,065,000 EUR across 14 actions in 2024. The most-reported jurisdictions were US-MA (1,815), US-CA (417), and US-WA (225).
Regulator fines by currency
Totals are not summed across currencies.
| Currency | Actions | Total |
|---|---|---|
| GBP | 11 | 1,887,500 GBP |
| EUR | 14 | 1,065,000 EUR |
By sector
| Sector | Confirmed incidents |
|---|---|
| Unclassified | 2,470 |
| Healthcare | 79 |
| Technology | 16 |
| Retail | 14 |
| Finance | 12 |
| Pharma | 10 |
| Manufacturing | 9 |
| Telecoms | 8 |
| Professional Services | 7 |
| Real Estate | 5 |
| Insurance | 5 |
| Energy | 2 |
| Media | 2 |
| Transport | 1 |
Top jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Confirmed incidents |
|---|---|
| US-MA | 1,815 |
| US-CA | 417 |
| US-WA | 225 |
| US-IA | 50 |
| US-DE | 42 |
| US | 25 |
| US-WI | 8 |
| US-HI | 7 |
| US-IL | 6 |
| US-TX | 5 |
| GB | 4 |
| US-NY | 4 |
| US-CO | 3 |
| US-TN | 3 |
| US-OK | 3 |
Largest incidents by records affected
Questions and answers
How many confirmed data breaches were disclosed in 2024?
Breach Census recorded 2,640 confirmed data breach incidents for 2024, assigned by disclosure date, falling back to discovery, then occurrence date.
What was the largest breach disclosed in 2024 on Breach Census?
The largest confirmed incident in 2024 was at Summit Pathology and Summit Pathology Laboratories, Inc., which affected 1,813,538 records.
Which sector reported the most breaches in 2024?
Healthcare reported the most confirmed breaches in 2024, with 79 of the 170 incidents that had a sector assigned.