Cnet – These were the biggest data breaches of the year – We never want to hear the words “unsecured database” ever again: “The words “unsecured database” seemed to run on repeat through security journalism in 2019. Every month, another company was asking its customers to change their passwords and report any damage. Cloud-based storage companies like Amazon Web Services and ElasticSearch repeatedly saw their names surface in stories of negligent companies — in the fields of health care, hospitality, government and elsewhere — which left sensitive customer data unprotected in the open wilds of the internet, to be bought and sold by hackers who barely had to lift a finger to find it.  And it’s not just manic media coverage. The total number of breaches was up 33% over last year, according to research from Risk Based Security, with medical services, retailers and public entities most affected. That’s a whopping 5,183 data breaches for a total of 7.9 billion exposed records.  In November, the research firm called 2019 the “worst year on record” for breaches….” [spoiler – this will never end – 2020 will no doubt be the “new” worst year on record…]