NCJ Number
244028
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2013 Pages: 367-382
Date Published
October 2013
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined instances of organizational data breaches to determine whether patterns exist across these situations.
Abstract
While copious amounts of information exist on the loss of personal data by various entities (government offices, colleges and universities, health-care facilities, private sector organizations and so on), very little scholarly analysis has been performed to aid our understanding of our vulnerabilities. This research utilizes a 6-year sample compiled from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse who maintains a record of all published data breaches in the United States to examine the correlates of data loss as well as how lost records are spatially distributed across the country. Advanced spatial analysis techniques were employed to achieve this goal. A thorough discussion of our current vulnerabilities is proffered given this rich data source followed by an exploration of preliminary policy implications. (Published Abstract)