A study conducted by the Verizon RISK Team with cooperation from the U.S. Secret Service and the Dutch High Tech Crime Unit, examines 800 new data compromise incidents since 2010 and assesses what was working to reduce the the actual amount of data lost in those incidents, compared to past breaches.

The study concluded among other findings:

Read the report for the full scoop on this, but it basically boils down to a HUGE increase in smaller external attacks rather than a decrease in insider activity. Oh, and partner-caused breaches
continued their steady decline.

How breaches occur?
50% – utilized some form of hacking
49% – incorporated malware
29% – involved physical attacks
17% – resulted from privilege misuse
11% – employed social tactics