The Top 10 Countries Being Bombarded By Data Breaches

Security breaches rose by a shocking 156% globally from the first quarter of 2023 to quarter two, according to a report published by VPN service SurfShark on Tuesday. As hacking and security leaks become more prevalent so too does the rate at which the breaches occur.

In total, SurfShark found that 110.8 million accounts were leaked in the second quarter with 855 accounts being leaked per minute. Meanwhile, countries that had been lower on the list, such as Spain, are quickly moving toward the top of the list, with the country going from the fifth spot last quarter to third in Q2.

North America and Europe skyrocketed to the top of the list with Asia bringing up the rear at 5.8 million breached accounts in the second quarter.

The countries’ rankings are not sorted by the number of accounts breached per day, as this would give a false narrative because of the population density in each country. Instead, the report identifies the breach density which focuses on the number of accounts compromised per 1,000 residents. This gives a better idea of the likelihood that more people in that country will be affected.

One such case is Finland, coming in at No. 4 with less than 5,000 accounts breached per day. With a population of 5.5 million people, it’s no wonder Finland comes in ahead of a country like Turkey which suffered more than 30,000 accounts breached but has 84.78 million residents.

This list provides valuable information indicating whether the country should amp up its vigilance and take major security measures, and you may not be surprised at which country comes in at No. 1.