Total number of records containing sensitive personal information involved in security breaches 166,021,210.

Hackers steal data and data costs money.

According to Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report the prices are

• bank account details - up to US$400;
• credit card details - $0.50 ... $5;
• E-mail passwords - $1 ... $350;
• E-mail addresses - $2 ... $4 (per megabyte).

And the problem of stolen data continues to grow. Recently it became known that Connecticut's Data on Its Money Was Stolen. A tape containing information financial data for nearly all Connecticut state agencies and personal data of 1.3 millions of Ohio residents passed to criminals.

But it's just one case. To imagine real size of the problem here are some more figures about disclosed private information:

• May 22, 2006 U.S. Dept. of Veteran's Affairs (Washington, DC) 28,600,000 records;
• Sept. 7, 2006 Circuit City and Chase Card Services, a division of JP Morgan Chase & Co. 2.6 million records;
• Oct. 23, 2006 Chicago Voter Database 1.35 million records;
• Jan. 17, 2007 TJ stores (TJX), including TJMaxx, Marshalls, Winners, HomeSense, AJWright, TKMaxx, and possibly Bob's Stores in U.S. & Puerto Rico -- Winners and HomeGoods stores in Canada -- and possibly TKMaxx stores in UK and Ireland 45,700,000 records;
• July 3, 2007 Fidelity National Information Services Certegy Check Services Inc.
  (Jacksonville, FL) 8.5 million records.

TOTAL number of records containing sensitive personal information involved in security breaches 166,021,210.

All figures are taken from A Chronology of Data Breaches. And similar information can be found at Attrition.org Data Loss Archive and Database.

And is your private data secured?