Leading global data breach methods 2019

Published by
Ani Petrosyan,
Aug 26, 2022
In 2019, 45 percent of global data breaches featured hacking. Errors were the second-most popular cause with a 22 percent presence rate. The majority of data breaches were perpetrated by external actors.

Most common action varieties in data breaches worldwide in 2019

CharacteristicShare of occurrences
Hacking 45%
Errors 22%
Social attacks 22%
Malware 17%
Misuse by authorized users 8%
Physical actions 4%
Showing entries 1 to 6 (6 entries in total)
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Share of occurrences45%45%22%22%22%22%17%17%8%8%4%4%HackingErrorsSocial attacksMalwareMisuse by authorized usersPhysical actions
0%2.5%5%7.5%10%12.5%15%17.5%20%22.5%25%27.5%30%32.5%35%37.5%40%42.5%45%47.5%50%

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Release date

May 2020

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2019

Number of respondents

3,950 respondents

Special properties

confirmed data breaches

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