Blancco Report Highlights Stolen Devices as Leading Cause of Data Loss

Blancco Technology Group has released its 2025 State of Data Sanitization Report, which reveals that stolen devices are a more prevalent cause of data loss than ransomware or stolen credentials, announced in a press release. The report, based on a survey of 2,000 cybersecurity, IT, and sustainability leaders, highlights the challenges enterprises face in managing end-of-life data amid evolving regulations and technological advancements.

The findings indicate that 86% of enterprises have experienced a data breach in the past three years, with stolen devices or drives accounting for 41% of these incidents. This surpasses data breaches caused by weak credentials (36%) and ransomware (32%). The report also notes that AI is both a challenge and a tool in data management, with 25% of respondents indicating that AI has increased redundant data, while over 50% use AI to define data retention and sanitization strategies.

To address these challenges, more than half of the surveyed businesses are increasing their compliance investments by an average of 46%. However, the report warns that improper data disposal remains a significant risk, with up to 47% of destroyed devices still functional at the time of destruction, potentially leading to unnecessary e-waste and data compromise.