Experian Data Breach Resolution releases its third annual Data Breach Industry Forecast

COSTA MESA, Calif., Nov. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As the data breach landscape continues to evolve, companies must try to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared to respond to any type of security incident. To provide a snapshot of what could take place in 2016, Experian Data Breach Resolution has released its third annual Data Breach Industry Forecast white paper.

Leveraging Experian Data Breach Resolution's experience handling more than 3,000 data breaches this year as well as conversations with leading experts, the white paper outlines five key predictions. While some current issues remain relevant, there are a few emerging areas that organizations should watch out for to be better prepared.

"We saw different types of breaches this year, and one of the major mistakes companies often make is taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Unfortunately, the reality is that no data breach is the same, and a wide variety of unique circumstances need to be considered in a data breach response plan," said Michael Bruemmer, vice president at Experian Data Breach Resolution. "It is challenging to keep up so we are releasing this white paper to provide organizations with insight that will help them better strategize their incident response."

What's to come in 2016? Here are a few of the topics the white paper addresses:

• Consumers and businesses will be collateral damage in cyberconflicts among countries
  
  Cybercrime is no longer the only concern when it comes to data breaches. As nation-states continue to move their conflicts and espionage efforts to the digital world, we likely will see more incidents aimed at stealing corporate and government secrets or disrupting military operations. Such attacks can cause collateral damage in the form of exposed information for millions of individuals or stolen business IP addresses. We also may see an increase in large public-sector data breaches that expose millions of personal records.
  
  "This is new-age warfare and, as individuals, we need to pick up the pieces if we have been affected and our personal information has been exposed," said Bruemmer. "The public should not be complacent about identity protection. It's important to practice good security habits on an ongoing basis and monitor accounts frequently to catch fraud early."
  
  
• Hacktivism will make a comeback
  
  In the coming year, we likely will see a resurgence in hacktivist activities, motivated by the desire to effect reputational damage on a company or a cause. A few recent high-profile attacks provide an idea of what may come. No longer merely motivated by financial gain, criminals steal data to glean information that can be used for blackmail or extortion. This changes the response plan, and companies must consider all possible scenarios.
  
  "This was the new twist to the data breach landscape in 2015, with thieves leveraging stolen data to embarrass or harm companies," said Bruemmer. "Unfortunately, consumers are the pawns in the game, and they are victimized in the process. By association with the attacked organization, they also can suffer personal harm or embarrassment if their information is exposed. If an organization has a polarizing or controversial mission, it should consider this scenario and how it will take care of its constituency should a breach occur."
  
  
• 2016 U.S. presidential candidates and campaigns will be attractive hacking targets
  
  With the looming 2016 U.S. presidential election dominating media coverage, one of the presidential candidates, their campaigns and/or major donor bases likely will be hacked. As campaigns today are won and lost online and driven by Big Data analytics, the potential for a politically motivated attack is significant.
  
  "We would be remiss if we did not mention this national occurrence as a possible target," said Bruemmer. "For a fame-hungry criminal or motivated detractor, this is an attractive platform. It could happen with any activity on a national or global stage so leaders involved must ensure they are securing their systems and have incident response plans in place."

To read all five predictions, download the complimentary white paper at http://bit.ly/1l05dq8.  Hear from industry experts on what they foresee in 2016 in our Talking Data Breach video series: http://bit.ly/1N6iELD.

Additional data breach resources, including Webinars, white papers and videos, can be found at http://www.experian.com/databreach. Read the Experian Data Breach blog at http://www.experian.com/dbblog.                            

About Experian Data Breach Resolution

Experian Data Breach Resolution, powered by the nation's largest credit bureau, is a leader in helping businesses prepare for a data breach and mitigate consumer risk following breach incidents. With more than a decade of experience, Experian Data Breach Resolution has successfully serviced some of the largest and highest-profile data breaches in history. The group offers swift and effective incident management, notification, call center support and fraud resolution services while serving millions of affected consumers with proven credit monitoring and identity protection products. In 2015, Experian Data Breach Resolution was named a market leader in the Forrester Research, Inc. report on data breach services. Experian Data Breach Resolution is active with the International Association of Privacy Professionals, the Health Care Compliance Association, the Ponemon Institute RIM Council and InfraGuard and is a founding member of the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance. For more information, visit http://www.experian.com/databreach and follow us on Twitter @Experian_DBR.

About Experian

We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making.

We also help people to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft. In 2015, we were named by Forbes magazine as one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies."

We employ approximately 17,000 people in 38 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2015, was US$4.8 billion.

To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, "Inside Experian."

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

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