Around Half Of All American Adults Were Hacked In The Last Year

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-american-adults-were-hacked-last-year-2014-5

New data says 110 million Americans, about 47% of American adults, lost some personal information to hackers in the past year, Digital Trends reports. This information includes everything from names and phone numbers to credit card numbers and security questions.

The data comes from Ponemon Institute and CNN Money and is not exact, but is estimated from numbers from the Identity Theft Resource Center and different corporate disclosures, Digital Trends says.

This is likely thanks to some large-scale hacks from the past year. The Heartbleed Bug, the Snapchat hack, and the Target hack all left millions vulnerable to hacks and theft. Other companies, like eBay and AOL, had large-scale security issues but have yet to release figures about how many accounts were at risk. This is why 110 million people can only be an estimate, CNN Money reports.

Hackers are also growing more efficient and sophisticated. A hack can go on for years without being detected. CNN Money says.

SEE ALSO: A bunch of AOL accounts have been hacked

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