Healthcare continues to be the industrial sector responsible for the largest percentage of data breaches, according to a new report by antivirus firm Symantec.
Healthcare accounted for 36% of data breaches in 2012, compared with 16% for education and 13% for government. Other industrial sectors accounted for single-digit shares of data breaches last year, the report said.
The report recommends that the public sector further increase its efforts to protect personal information, "particularly considering how these organizations are often looked upon as the custodians of information for the most vulnerable in society."
An alternate explanation could be that the private sector is not fully reporting all data breaches; private firms are not required by law to report breaches, as public institutions are.
The report can be accessed by clicking here.
