What is a Data Breach?
Data Breach is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive, protected or confidential information. It is also referred to as a security breach, data leak or unintentional data release.
Criminals who gain access to stolen personal data often use it to create or use identities in order to access bank accounts, make unauthorized credit card purchases, steal money from government refunds or apply for loans. They may even sell your information on what’s known as the dark web to other criminals for profit.
The vast majority of breaches have a human element, with employees either disclosing data directly or creating errors that allow cyber criminals to access the company’s systems. For example, an employee might click on a fraudulent link in an email or message that downloads malware onto their computer and gives the attacker access to the system and information.
In addition, laptop hard drives, backup tapes and flash drives are movable storage devices that can carry data from one location to another. If these devices are lost or stolen, they can be retrieved and used by the bad guys to access information or even hold the system hostage.
Once the breach is discovered, it’s important to work with forensics experts to determine what was stolen, who did it and how they got in. You should also consider what impact the breach will have on people and how you can limit that damage. This might involve asking third parties to delete any information they received in error or recommending that they change passwords.