Report: Federal agencies saw spike in data breaches last year

Almost 60 percent of federal agencies experienced a data breach last year, up from 18 percent in 2016, according to a report issued Thursday by an international tech company, which is recommending the government increase its use of encryption to defend against cyber attacks.

The 2018 Data Theft Report compiled by Thales found that 68 percent of federal agencies indicated feeling “very” or “extremely” vulnerable to a data breach, a number that has risen by 20 percent since the...