What Is Data Breach?

Every day we share our data with other people. And no, we don't mean when we are texting to our friends. But we cannot order a food delivery or a marketplace video game without providing our home address. Some online stores ask for our date of birth to send a birthday promo code, and when we sign up to a new platform, we are asked to enter the email. The world has become simpler, services more accessible, businesses richer and customers happier. Is there anything which could spoil such a nice picture? Yes, there is. A data breach.

What Is Data Breach?

Short and simple, it's when some data is accessed by an outsider. The data can be personal or commercial, and both individuals and businesses can be affected.

This refers to information that can be used to identify an individual, such as: full name, date of birth, home address, email address, telephone number, financial details and other personal information; information about companies, their work spheres, products, financial status, transactions, etc.

How Does It Happen?

Sometimes data breaches are unintentional. They may occur due to a low level of data protection in a company, software failure, outdated equipment or lack of staff expertise.

Sometimes these can be deliberate attacks with the aim of stealing data and using it for personal purposes.

Cyberattacks are deliberate malicious actions to illegally access information, damage data or cause harm. This can include malware attacks, phishing links, account hacking or psychological tricks by online scammers.
Sabotage is the deliberate failure or negligent performance of certain duties, or covertly opposing the operation of a system in order to cause damage or inconvenience. For example, this may be a company’s employee selling data to a third party or using it for personal purposes.
Loss or Theft of a Device - can also result in the loss of important data.
Skimming is a fraud when criminals install a special reader (skimmer) to steal bank card information.

What Are the Data Breach Consequences?

A data breach is not a pleasant event. Personal data such as names, addresses, phone numbers and financial information can be used by criminals to commit fraud and even identity theft. The simplest example is taking out a microloan in someone else's name. Data breaches also have unpleasant consequences for companies, such as loss of customer confidence, financial losses and violations of data protection laws.

If you would like to know more about security measures which should be taken to reduce the risk of a data breach, check our other articles.