285 million records hacked in 2008. 90% of these cases could have been avoided

A new study by Verizon Communications Inc. on identity thieves showed that hackers made off with at least 285 million electronic records in 2008, which is more than in the four previous years combined.

The company studied 90 data and stated that 93 percent of all compromised records in its study came from the financial sector. No victims were identified in the report, and many of the breaches are not public. The study held by Verizon concentrated at breaches involving compromised records being used in a crime.

Surprisingly, the study showed that 90 percent of the breaches investigated could be avoided with basic security measures, such as recognizing how valuable so-called "non-critical" computers are to hackers. Peter Tippett, vice president of research and intelligence at Verizon's business security solutions division, explained that usually criminals looked for vulnerabilities of computers that could get them in. 

Furthermore, the study identified that data breaches were getting more severe as criminals used more sophisticated programs custom-designed for particular attacks and not yet known to the security community or law enforcement.

Source: The Associated Press