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Australia has secured the number 11 spot in the race of nations most affected by cyber attacks, after it suffered 47 million data breaches in 2024.
According to new research by VPN provider SurfShark, there were 5.6 billion cyber incidents worldwide in 2024, a dramatic increase from 2023’s 731.1 million. Additionally, 176 accounts were breached per second, a major jump from 23 per second the previous year.
China was the most affected at 17 per cent of all breaches, followed by Russia, the US, France and Germany.
Australia’s ranking at 11th seems an improvement from 2023’s 7th in the world, however the number of data branches increased by over 11 times from 4.1 million in 2023 to 47 million in 2024.
“This surge underscores the critical importance of effective cybersecurity practices. In an era where cyber threats are constantly evolving, taking proactive steps to protect your personal information is crucial. Individuals should use complex passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and stay informed about potential threats,” said SurfShark senior researcher Emilija Kucinskaite.
Additionally, the rate of data breaches and incidents increased by a similar amount in Australia, with an account compromised every second on average.
Notable data breaches also increased in the first six months of 2024 from the same period in 2023 by 9 percent, reaching 527 breaches.
Data breaches are also getting more expensive, with the average cost of an incident reaching A$4.26 million, a 27 per cent increase since 2020.
Australia is also the most affected by cyber incidents in Oceania, suffering 192.5 million breached accounts since 2004. Additionally, 554.5 million personal records have been exposed in those 20 years.
“On a global scale, 285 accounts are breached per 100 people on average,” added Kucinskaite.
“However, in Australia, this number goes up to 732 per 100 people. Statistically speaking, an average Australian has been affected by data breaches around 7 times.”
Additionally, since 2024, 49 million unique Australian email addresses have been exposed, resulting in 106.9 million leaked passwords and more. On average, each email linked to three data points on average, exposing phone numbers, addresses and passwords.
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