Data breach
Data Breach
A Data Breach (pronunciation: /ˈdeɪtə briːtʃ/) is an incident where unauthorized individuals gain access to confidential information, often by bypassing security measures.
Etymology
The term "Data Breach" is derived from the words "data," which refers to facts or statistics collected for reference or analysis, and "breach," which means to break or violate a law, obligation, tie, or standard.
Definition
A Data Breach is a security incident in which sensitive, protected, or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen, or used by an individual unauthorized to do so. Data breaches may involve financial information such as credit card or bank details, personal health information (PHI), Personally identifiable information (PII), trade secrets of corporations, or intellectual property.
Types of Data Breaches
There are several types of data breaches, including:
- Physical theft: This involves the stealing of physical devices like computers, hard drives, or portable devices containing sensitive data.
- Cyber attack: This involves hacking into a network to steal data or introducing malware to gain unauthorized access.
- Insider threat: This involves an employee or insider intentionally or unintentionally causing a data breach.
- Unintended disclosure: This involves sensitive data being accidentally made public, often due to human error or failure to follow information handling procedures.
Related Terms
- Cybersecurity: The practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks.
- Encryption: The process of converting information or data into a code to prevent unauthorized access.
- Firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
- Malware: Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.
- Phishing: The fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
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