Making Sense of Massive Data Losses

How often do you hear about data insecurity today? It’s true that computers and the internet have allowed humans to generate and exchange data more than ever before. It’s also true that this same interconnectedness leaves us vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. However, it is not true that data loss is a uniquely modern problem. The burning of the library of Alexandria in 48 BC cost the world an estimated 571 gigabytes of data. 

Flash forward to 2022, and it doesn’t take a fire to erase millions of records from history. All it takes is one misclick from a poorly trained worker to erase an important file. The state of California alone lost 5.6 billion records in 2022. These digital records could have contained anything, from financial transactions to health insurance details. Finance and healthcare are the 2 biggest industries suffering from data loss.

While human error is the most common way to lose data, their lack of training ties into the issue of cyberattacks. Recognizing phishing is an important skill for the modern workforce. Clicking on one wrong link can introduce spoofing and ransomware to a system, leading to devastating aftermath. Data literacy is a must in 2023.