Protecting Against a Data Breach
A Data Breach is a security incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential information is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen or altered by an individual unauthorized to do so. This type of cyber attack can cause financial loss, damage to a company’s reputation and legal penalties for companies. It can also harm the people whose data is affected.
Data breach attackers use a variety of techniques. They may steal employees’ work or personal devices to get access to sensitive information, break into company offices to steal paper files and physical hard drives, install skimming devices on credit and debit card readers to collect payment card details or send malware to infect computers and steal log-in credentials. Breaches can also occur when critical infrastructure is targeted by nation-state threat actors.
Hackers may also target organizations for monetary gain, selling credit card numbers, bank account credentials, medical records and other private information on the dark web or using that data to commit identity theft and fraud. They may be motivated by espionage and work for foreign governments to gather intelligence or spy on rival companies or countries.
Protecting against a data breach starts with an effective response plan. Work with cybersecurity experts to identify what went wrong, so you can prevent similar incidents from happening. This should include an assessment of how the attacker gained entry to your system, whether that was through a social engineering campaign, directly exploiting vulnerabilities or purchasing compromised log-in credentials.