What Is A Data Breach?

Date First Published: 10th February 2024

Topic: Cybersecurity

Subtopic: Threats To Systems, Data & Information

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Causes Of A Data Breach
Impact Of Data Breaches

Learn about what a data breach is in this article.

A data breach is an intentional or unintentional exposure of confidential or sensitive information to unauthorised people. Any organisation can be at risk of a data breach if not protected properly, which can put others at risk. Data breaches can happen accidentally or intentionally as a result of a deliberate attack.

Causes Of A Data Breach

A data breach can be caused by:

Lost devices. For example, a smartphone, laptop, or external hard drive can be lost and stolen, which can expose sensitive or confidential information if it is unlocked and unencrypted.
Human error. For example, a company may incorrectly set access levels or file permissions and allow everyone to see information they should not.
Viruses and malware. These are unintentionally installed on a computer and can steal login credentials or establish a backdoor.
An employee or company insider with access to a system. Employees or company insiders can intentionally leak data with the intent to cause harm to an individual or company or for personal gain.
Vulnerabilities in systems. Common vulnerabilities targeted by hackers include weak credentials, lack of encryption, and stolen credentials.
Social engineering attacks, such as phishing, which trick people into handling sensitive information.
Misconfigured web app or server. If a web app or server is not configured properly, it may leave data exposed to anyone with an internet connection. For example, confidential data may not be stored securely and easily accessible to anyone without any restrictions. This allows it to be seen by anyone who accidentally comes across it or by attackers who are intentionally looking for it.

Impact Of Data Breaches

Data breaches can impact on individuals in several ways. For individuals, identity theft is the main impact. Data breaches can expose sensitive information, such as passwords and banking information. Identity theft can allow cybercriminals to make purchases in someone else's name, damage their credit, and obtain sensitive information. Cybercriminals could also use any stolen personal information for blackmail purposes and threaten to publicly share it.

For businesses, data breaches can result in a ruined reputation, lost business revenue, and disruption of business processes. This is because it loses customer's trust in the business to keep their data safe and causes a period of disruption as the business is recovering from the data breach. These losses can also come with compensation costs, fines, and missed opportunities. Overall, data breaches can have long-term consequences on businesses with no easy way to bounce back.