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A data breach is an incident that involves confidential, private or protected information being exposed to unauthorized individuals. This can be the result of an accidental event or intentional action by a cybercriminal.

When a company experiences a data breach, it may be required by law to notify those affected. Data breaches may expose credit card numbers, personal health data, login credentials to email accounts or social media websites, and more. A breach may also involve intellectual property like research, product designs, or source code.

Hackers and criminals can sell stolen data on the dark web, putting people whose information was compromised in danger of identity theft for years afterward. They can use pieced together information to create fake personas and commit financial crimes or other illegal activities.

The number of people affected by data breaches continues to rise, but there is no evidence that the risk from hackers has decreased. A hacker can gain access to a corporate network through security flaws in software, hardware or the internet connection that a device uses. They can then install malware that steals information or can even hijack the device.

Businesses that experience a data breach should work with their forensic experts to identify the extent of the breach. They should take all affected machines offline immediately to stop additional loss and then carefully analyze backup or preserved data for signs of compromise. They should determine who had access to the data at the time of the breach, and then review their policies and practices to ensure that the right people are in the right places at all times.