KING COUNTY, Wash. — Washington state has sadly reached a new milestone: data breaches have reached an all-time high since the Attorney General’s Office started tracking them. Bob Ferguson’s Office released new data showing just how bad data breaches are in the Evergreen State.
In 2024, over 11.6 million data breach notices went to Washingtonians, which is 5 million more than the previous all-time high in 2021. According to the AG’s Office, it’s also significantly up from 2023.
“Because it is extremely lucrative and it is being employed from small organized crime rings,” CEO of CyberStreams Dave Henderson said.
The data also shows in the past year, cyberattacks and ransomware attacks were the most common type of breach, making up 78% of all reported breaches. Henderson says these data breaches impact more than just big companies like Starbucks, but small businesses and nonprofits throughout Western Washington.
“I will wager that it’s in the tens a day,” Henderson said.
In 2022, the Associated General Contractors of Washington were victims of a ransomware attack after their information had been compromised and hackers asked them for $200,000.
“It was a pretty traumatic experience for a lot of us,” CFO Kelly Barber said.
Barber says that ever since the attack, they have beefed up their own cybersecurity to ensure it never happens again.
“And it’s ongoing. You just have to stay on top of it. You gotta update your hardware. You gotta update your software,” Barber said.
Barber also argues the importance of cybersecurity insurance. He believes having it makes a world of difference in how businesses and nonprofits bounce back from any hacks.
“Take it seriously. Train your staff. Discuss it,” Barber said.