Record bad year for tech security
Paper says 2005 saw the most computer security breaches ever; more than 55M Americans exposed.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - 2005 saw the most computer security breaches ever, subjecting millions of Americans to potential identity fraud, according to a report published Thursday.

Over 130 major intrusions exposed more than 55 million Americans to the growing variety of fraud as personal data like Social Security and credit card numbers were left unprotected, according to USA Today.

The Treasury Department says that cyber crime has now outgrown illegal drug sales in annual proceeds, netting an estimated $105 billion in 2004, the report said.

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security's 2005 research budget for cybersecurity programs was cut 7% to $16 million.

It is difficult to gauge the true number of security failures because many companies are unaware they've been hacked, the paper said.

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Ford recently saw 70,000 employee records stolen -- read more here.

49 people have been indicted in a Red Cross fraud case in California -- full story here.

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