What is a data breach?
A cyberattack that results in a data breach is one in which private, sensitive information that should have been kept private has been accessed or disclosed without authorization. Any size organization, from tiny companies to large multinationals, is susceptible to data breaches. They could involve trade secrets, personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), or other private data.
Personal information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and medical histories, as well as corporate information, including customer lists and source codes, are frequently exposed in data breaches.
An entity responsible for securing personal data is said to have experienced a data breach if someone not authorized to do so views it or steals it completely.
Ways a data breach can happen
Although there are many different sorts of data breaches, they are virtually always the result of a weakness or gap in security that allows hackers access to the organization's systems or protocols. Data loss might have disastrous financial repercussions when this occurs. Organizations worldwide suffered losses of $6.9 billion in 2021 as a result of cybercrime, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Internet Crime Report" from that year. Data breaches are mostly to blame for this loss.
- Accidental data exposure or leakage. Cybercriminals may benefit from configuration errors or mistakes in data judgment.
- Gaining access to systems or applications opens the door to malware and malware-related actions, such as SQL injection. Malware, ransomware, or Structured Query Language (SQL).
- Phishing. Phishing can employ other techniques to collect information that can be used to obtain access to data, though it frequently involves malware to steal data.
- DDoS attacks on a large scale (DDoS). Threat actors may use a DDoS attack to divert security administrators so they can utilize other techniques to access data. Additionally, changes made by the company to counter an attack may result in incorrect setups that open up new doors for data theft.
- keeping a keystroke log. This type of malicious software keeps track of each keystroke made on a computer and uses that information to steal the usernames and passwords needed to access data.
- physical breach of security. Accessing a physical place or network where sensitive data is kept can result in significant loss or harm to an organization.
- Both point-of-sale intrusion and card skimming. Credit or debit card data is read by a user-focused threat, which can then be utilized to breach or go around security safeguards.
- Lost or taken equipment Unattended or unsecured hardware offers a simple, low-tech method for data theft.
- Sociological engineering Cybercriminals use human manipulation to get unauthorized access to systems or processes that belong to them. These dangers frequently target collaboration and communication tools, and more lately, social media identity theft.
- Backdoor. Any unauthorized access method, whether purposeful or accidental, is a clear security risk and frequently results in data loss.
How to prevent data breaches
There isn't a single security measure or tool that can completely guard against data intrusions. Common sense security procedures are the most practical way to prevent data breaches. Among them are well-known security fundamentals like the following:
There isn't a single security measure or tool that can completely guard against data intrusions. Common sense security procedures are the most practical way to prevent data breaches. Among them are well-known security fundamentals like the following:
Inform your staff about the organization's best practices for security.
Continually evaluate your vulnerabilities.
Create a plan for data backup and recovery.
Update your company's data security and bring your own device (BYOD) rules.
Perform a penetration test.
Put effective malware prevention in place.
Use secure passphrases and passwords.
MFA should be used, and regular password changes should be made.
Apply all required software updates and patches on a regular basis.