InfoWatch issued its Global Data Leakage report for the first half of this year in October. The report showed that of the 654 leaks of confidential information recorded in the first half (1H2014), 71% of the cases were caused by employees.

In total, there were 32% more data leaks than in the same period last year. An estimated 450 million records were compromised, including financial and personal data across multiple sectors, with about 89% of the leaks involving personal data.

The report showed that leaks mainly took place through the usual channels of mail, email, paper documentation, theft and loss of equipment. This year, data leaks resulting from external attacks, such as targeted attacks, phishing, and hacking, have been added to the database.