Report: 450,000 Washington residents impacted by data breaches in 1 year

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A new report from Washington state's Attorney General's Office says nearly a half a million residents were impacted by data breaches between July 2015 and July 2016.

A new law went into effect last year that requires businesses and public agencies to report data breaches. In the first year under the new law, companies and organizations reported 39 incidents and affected at least 450,000 Washingtonians.

Officials believe the actual number is higher.

The reports came from hotel chains, telecommunications companies, a school district, shipping company and retails stores.

The report says some cases were the result of targeted cyberattacks. In other cases, information was mistakenly lost or disclosed.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson says the report shows how important it is that consumers are notified when their information may be compromised.