80% of Australian Companies Had at Least One Data Breach Within The Last 5 Years

If there ever were alarming statistics, these are it. Smart Company of Australia reported:

"A new survey reveals almost 80% of local companies have experienced data breaches in the past five years, with 40% recording between six and 20 breaches. The Symantec Australian data loss survey shows 59% of businesses suspect they have been the victim of data breaches, but are unable to identify stolen information."

And the costs of data breaches are substantial:

"A whopping 34% of respondents report an average breach cost them $5,000, while 14% say breaches cost them between $100,000 and $999,999, and 7% over $1 million."

How did these data breaches happen?

"... the main cause of data breaches, the survey reports, was lost laptops at 45%, while human error accounted for 42% of cases. Malicious attacks were responsible for 28% of breaches, while hacking and malware were responsible for 24%."

Geez! Don't these companies train their employees (and contractors) on effective data security habits? Don't these companies teach their employees (and contractors) the company's data security policies? Apparently not.