More data breaches were reported in the third quarter of 2013 than the first, new figures have revealed.

According to a report from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), 420 incidents were reported,  up a 25 per cent on the number of incidents recorded in Q1.

Personal information being disclosed in error accounted for 196 of the reported breaches, followed by lost or stolen paperwork, which recorded 62 incidents.

Meanwhile, 32 of the incidents were down to lost or stolen hardware, while 26 breaches were caused by technical security failings (including hacking).

Paul Vlissidis, NCC Group's technical director, said the figures show that human error is by far the biggest cause of data breaches.

This, he added, suggests that many organisations are still not getting it right when it comes to security awareness training.

"Six per cent of breaches were security technology related which seems fairly  low compared with the 14 per cent reported in last year's 2013 breaches survey, but could perhaps be because companies are still very reluctant to report breaches to the authorities.

"More transparency is needed and it should cover the way businesses view, act and respond to cyber security issues.

"Organisations should have a system in place for the reporting of corporate breaches and the consequences for those affected, as well as mapping out how incidents should be dealt with."

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