Increasing hacker sophistication shoulders part of that blame, said Sabett, who has a background in data security and once worked as a “crypto engineer” writing security code for the National Security Agency.

But consumer carelessness may also contribute significantly to the growing level of data security problems.

“In many cases, consumers make silly mistakes and release information that should be secure,” Sabett said. “Often, it's a situation that could have been avoided.”

In cases where credit card numbers have been stolen and used by criminals to make purchases, consumers know they are protected by Reg E and Reg Z rules.

The financial institution issuing the card will also carry the necessary insurance to negate the damages cause by the purchases, Sabett said. They, too, suffer from complacency, he noted.

Credit unions and others are strongly encouraged to have systems in place to intercept and deflect hackers. However, losses from those that do manage to penetrate the firewall and steal data often are covered by cyber insurance policies specifically purchased to protect against data theft; they simply mark it up to the cost of doing business.

Still, the day may come when a data breach has an unanticipated effect, seriously compromising public safety and changing what has become a blasé attitude among consumers and retailers, Sabett said.

“It will get worse until we reach a point where there is some other mechanism than the court of public opinion,” he predicted. “If that were to happen, it might cause a sea change in the way people approach this issue.”