Top 11 Data Breaches in 2024 Report

Learnings From 2024 Top Data Breaches Using Kiteworks Risk Exposure Index

Data sensitivity trumps record count in breach severity—it’s not how many records you lose, it’s what’s in them that destroys you.

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Key Takeaways in the Report

Data Trumps Volume

Data sensitivity (24% influence) outranks all other factors in determining breach severity, confirming what was stolen matters more than how much.

Financial Nightmare

Financial impact shows the strongest correlation with risk scores (r=0.84), proving monetary consequences are the true measure of breach severity.

Healthcare Ecosystem Disruption

The Change Healthcare breach achieved a perfect 10.0 supply chain impact score, demonstrating how a single vendor attack can paralyze an entire industry.

Credential Vulnerabilities Persist

Credential-based attacks were the initial vector in 5 of 11 major breaches, proving attackers still exploit the human element despite advanced security controls.

Third-party Security Gap

Third-party vulnerabilities were the gateway for 64% of major breaches, establishing supply chain risk management as the least mature security domain.

Regulatory Cost Multiplier

Organizations subject to multiple regulatory regimes experienced 27% higher breach costs, yet highly regulated industries showed similar breach rates to less regulated sectors.