Release date:
1/8/2018
AG Stein also releases annual report of data breaches in NC in 2017 – up more than 15 percent since 2016
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein and Rep. Jason Saine today unveiled legislation to strengthen North Carolina’s laws to prevent data breaches and to protect affected victims.
“Last year, more than 5.3 million North Carolinians were estimated to have been affected by a data breach,” said Attorney General Stein. “This number is staggering and unacceptable. North Carolina’s laws on this issue are strong – but they need to be even stronger. Rep. Jason Saine and I are partnering to do something about it.”
“As more and more of our daily activities involve digital interactions, ensuring the safety of North Carolina’s citizen’s data is of critical importance,” said Rep. Jason Saine. “When there is a breach, we need to ensure that consumers are notified in a timely fashion and that they have the tools they need to protect their personal identity from bad actors.”
For more information about the Act to Strengthen Identity Theft Protections, see this fact sheet.In addition to announcing this legislation, Attorney General Stein also released an annual report detailing the data breaches reported to his office in 2017. That report provides detailed information about the 1,022 data breaches that may have impacted more than 5.3 million North Carolinians.
More information on data breaches in 2017:
- Hacking breaches accounted for about half of all breaches this year, nearly doubling from five years ago.
- Since 2006, reports of hacking have increased by more than 3,500 percent.
- Phishing scams also increased in 2017, from 1.76 percent to 24 percent.
- The most commonly stolen information includes full names, dates of birth and Social Security, driver license, credit card numbers.
To learn how to protect yourself from identity theft, visit www.ncdoj.gov/identitytheft to learn more.
To view the press conference, visit www.facebook.com/ncdoj and click on the Facebook live video.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
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