China's hack of 4.5 million US medical records not the biggest of all

The Chinese hacking group that stole 4.5 million patient records from a Tennessee hospital chain may have gained some bragging rights from the heist, but they haven't come close to entering the ranks of the biggest breaches of all time.

In fact, they haven't even cracked the top 10. The attack has gained notoriety for its methods, rather than its size - the hacking group has been prolific in attacking US medical-device companies and drug makers.

The ranking provides little solace if you're one of the people whose personal information was stolen and used for identity theft.

Yet, with security-software maker Symantec calling this the era of the "mega-breach" and some attacks hitting the nine digits, it's worth remembering that hackers have many, many other ways to obtain personal information.