3 of 5 Californians May Have Had Data Stolen in 2015: Report

SACRAMENTO -- California's attorney general says as many as three in five Californians may have had electronic records stolen last year.

Attorney General Kamala Harris said Tuesday that there were 178 data breaches in California endangering 24 million records.

The number of breaches held steady, but the number of records jumped sharply from about 4 million in 2014 and 18 million in 2013.

Her report blames a few large breaches for most of the thefts. That includes records exposed by health insurer Anthem Inc. affecting more than 10 million Californians.

Retailers were the most vulnerable during the four-year period covered in the report. They were followed by financial institutions, health care and small businesses.

A state law requires that any breach affecting more than 500 Californians be reported to Harris' office.