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Data Breach is the unauthorized access, modification, deletion, or exfiltration of personally identifiable information (PII). Breaches occur when data is acquired without authorization. This data could be accessed by an unauthorized user for malicious intent, such as to steal personal or financial information, or even to cause harm to individuals in other ways.

The definition of a breach under HIPPA is “the acquisition, access, use or disclosure of confidential health information that compromises the privacy or security of that information.” For example, attackers can gain unauthorized access to sensitive data by exploiting flaws in a company’s infrastructure. This data is then used to commit identity theft or other types of fraud. Alternatively, attackers can also access information from within an organization using malware such as ransomware, and then transfer that information to a location outside the organization using a technique called “exfiltration.” This allows the attacker to profit from the data they’ve stolen by selling it on the black market.

Once a breach has been discovered, it can cause significant damage to a brand or reputation. This can include negative press coverage and a loss of consumer trust in the company. For example, in the case of Equifax, a large credit reporting agency, people now associate this company with the major data breach that happened at the company.

Data breaches can be prevented by implementing comprehensive security solutions. This includes deploying multi-factor authentication, firewalls and network segmentation, encryption of data both in transit and at rest, and role-based access control.