Severity Level of Breaches on the Rise

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- The severity level of information security breaches experienced by organizations has show a marked increase over the past year, according to research commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Among organizations that reported a security breach in the past 12 months, the average severity level of the breach stood at 4.8 on a 0-10 scale, where 0 is not at all severe and 10 is very severe. The corresponding severity level rating for the past two years was at 2.3 and 2.6.

“This suggests that while the number of security breaches has stabilized, the breaches that are occurring are having a greater impact than ever on organizations,” said Brian McCarthy, chief operating officer, CompTIA.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)