What is Data Breach?

1 min read Updated 2026-02-05

An incident where sensitive, protected, or confidential data is accessed, stolen, or used by an unauthorized party. Can result in regulatory fines and reputation damage.

Related: Encryption

Understanding Data Breach

Data breaches can occur through various means: hacking, insider threats, accidental exposure, or physical theft. The consequences include regulatory penalties (GDPR fines up to 4% of global revenue), legal liability, reputation damage, and loss of customer trust.

Examples

  • Unauthorized access to a database containing user credentials
  • Accidental exposure of customer data through misconfigured cloud storage
  • Employee stealing sensitive data before leaving the company
  • Ransomware attack that exfiltrates data before encryption

How to Prevent

  • Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit
  • Implement least-privilege access controls
  • Monitor and log access to sensitive data
  • Conduct regular security audits
  • Have an incident response plan ready
  • Train employees on security awareness

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