Hackers have stolen at least 285 million electronic records last year, more than in the 4 prior years combined, according to a recent study that shows ID thieves are utilizing clumsy errors that leave firms exposed to attack. The number originates from a research study of ninety breaches analyzed by Verizon Communications, which is hired to do an inspection on the largest PC intrusions.

No victims were identified and it’s important to note that most breaches aren’t even made public. That can happen if law enforcement insists on secrecy due to a continuing criminal investigation, or if personally identifiable data wasn’t lost during the intrusion. In many cases, especially having to do with lost or stolen laptops, the the records aren’t used for anything.

Verizon’s report highlighted breaks concerning compromised records being employed in a crime, such as making counterfeit credit cards and purchasing homes and medical coverage under somebody else’s identity and finances.

Ninety percent of the breaches could have been avoided with basic security measures. A major issue is to spot  ”non-critical” PCs or weak spots that are utilized by hackers. Once access is gained to a lower level computer, hackers install malicious software that scans the computers on the network and looks for weakness in other computers.

The study also discovered that data breaches are becoming more serious since the bad guys are using complex new applications that were custom-designed for specific attacks and were not known. The Verizon study claims 93 % of all compromised records in its study originated from the financial industry.