What is a Data Breach?
A Data Breach is an event in which confidential, private or protected information is exposed to an unauthorized person. This can be the result of an accidental incident or as a deliberate attack by cyber criminals. The consequences can be enormous including fines, financial loss and damage to a business’s reputation.
Cyber attacks can include a variety of methods including the use of malware to gain unauthorized access to devices and systems. Hackers also routinely search for vulnerabilities in hardware and software, and once they have discovered these they will exploit them before the company has time to fix them. They can also launch denial of service attacks where they flood websites or networks with fake requests in an attempt to prevent legitimate users from gaining access or crashing the system.
In the case of a data breach it is important to work with forensic experts to determine what measures were in place at the time the incident took place, and to identify any changes that may need to be made. It is also important to make a plan for communicating with customers and other stakeholders, and to avoid withholding any key information that might put them at greater risk. This can save a lot of time, money and hassle down the road. Then there is the question of what to do once it is known that information has been breached – for example, changing passwords and verifying account details with bank providers.