Singapore and SAN MATEO, California, December 6, 2023 – Malaysia has experienced a significant escalation in data breaches, according to the latest study by cybersecurity giant Surfshark. The country now ranks as the 8th most breached globally in the third quarter of 2023, witnessing a staggering 144% increase from the previous quarter with 494.7k leaked accounts. This alarming rise in cybersecurity incidents places Malaysia in a precarious position in the global digital landscape.
Globally, the quarter saw 31.5 million accounts compromised, with the United States leading the breach count, contributing to 26% of all incidents from July through September. Following closely are Russia and France, with China and Mexico also featuring prominently in the list. Notably, there has been a 4.2 times decrease in breached users worldwide compared to Q2 2023, with Europe emerging as the most affected region, followed by North America and Asia.
Surfshark’s analysis reveals a concerning trend for Malaysia, which previously ranked 23rd with 203k breaches in Q2 2023. The country now sees approximately four Malaysian user accounts leaked every minute.
Agneska Sablovskaja, Lead Researcher at Surfshark, comments on the findings, “The third quarter of 2023 shows a general decrease in data breach count. Yet every minute, over 240 online accounts were compromised globally, exposing sensitive information to malicious actors. We recommend a vigilant approach by maintaining accounts only on actively used platforms and implementing two-factor authentication for enhanced security.”
The global data breach scenario presents a mixed picture. While there is a significant reduction in incidents, the impact remains profound. Europe’s breaches decreased fourfold, dropping from 48.1M in Q2 2023 to 10.9M in Q3 2023, with one in three accounts breached originating from Europe, 65% of which were Russian.
North America accounted for 30% of the quarter’s breaches, witnessing an 82% drop compared to the previous quarter. Asia contributed an additional 12% (3.8M) to the global breach count. Oceania saw the most significant quarter-over-quarter decrease at 91%, reducing its total from 3.3M in Q2 2023 to 289.6k in Q3 2023.
The top ten most breached countries in descending order for Q3 2023 are the US, Russia, France, China, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Malaysia, the UK, and India. The countries with the highest breach density include Russia, France, the US, Colombia, and Malaysia.
For individuals affected by data breaches, Surfshark advises immediate action: change passwords, contact banks if credit card details are compromised, scan devices for malware, and request deletion of unused leaked accounts.
Methodology
A data breach is a significant threat to personal information, occurring when confidential data is exposed to unauthorized parties. This study counts each breached or leaked email address registered for online services as a separate user account. Data was collected from 29,000 public databases by independent partners and aggregated by email address. Parameters such as domain names, IP addresses, locales, coordinates, currency, or phone numbers were used to determine the location of the email address. This data was anonymized and analyzed statistically by Surfshark’s researchers.
Legal Disclaimer: The Editor provides this news content "as is," without any warranty of any kind. We disclaim all responsibility and liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. For any complaints or copyright concerns regarding this article, please contact the author mentioned above.
