Recent breaches chronicled by attrition.org On Dec. 13, 2006, when Boeing acknowledged a laptop with files containing the private data of 382,000 current and former employees, the tally that Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has kept since early 2005 of data breaches made public reached an artificial yet interesting milestone: 100 million records. In 2006 the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Attrition.org cataloged 2 dozen breaches with more than 100,000 records of sensitive information—and that doesn’t include breaches where the total is unknown, such as the personal data of “potentially millions of registered voters” the Ohio secretary of state sent to 20 political campaigns last April. Here are the five biggest breaches of 2006. RECORDS POTENTIALLY BREACHED WHERE AND WHEN MADE PUBLIC WHAT HAPPENED 28.6 millionVeterans Affairs Department, May 22Laptop stolen from employees home holds veterans personal data. Computer recovered and FBI forensics says no data accessed; veterans agency contracts monitor to see if data misused.2.6 millionCircuit City, Chase Card Services, Sept. 7 Computer data tapes containing Circuit City cardholders data mistakenly discarded.1.7 millionTexas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp., May 30Worker at subcontractor loses equipment containing borrowers names and Social Security numbers.1.35 millionChicago Election Board, Oct. 23Illinois activists report they hacked into voter database where names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth are viewed.1 millionAmerican Red Cross, St. Louis chapter, May 24Employee with access to donors Social Security numbers allegedly uses three records for ID theft scheme. Sources: Privacy rights clearinghouse, attrition.org Related content feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe