Identity theft has become the target of choice for hackers, according to digital security company Gemalto.The company's latest Breach Level Index shows that there were 974 data breaches worldwide in the first half of the year - a 27.1 per cent increase over the same period last year.More than 554 million data records were lost. Twenty-two breaches occurred in Australia.Identity theft attacks accounted for 64 per cent of breaches, followed by financial information (16 per cent). Gemalto said: "Credit cards now have built-in security mechanisms that limit the risk for individuals if they are stolen."Theft of personally identifiable information from sources such as government and healthcare companies is something totally different, as more damage can be done with stolen identities and they may also be more difficult to recover."Government is the big victim, accounting for 57 per cent of records lost.The company said the increase in data breaches was partly a reflection of the fact that more information than ever is available, including data from mobile devices, online transactions and social media.Sixty-nine per cent of breaches were caused by "malicious outsiders", and nine per cent by "malicious insiders", three per cent by "hacktivists" and one per cent by "state sponsored actors".Surprisingly, 18 per cent of breaches were the result of accidental loss.