A data breach is the accidental or intentional release of secure information to an untrusted environment. In the digital age, data breaches are inevitable, but they can be prevented.
Data breaches can occur in many different ways.
There are three main types of data breach:
External: When someone obtains sensitive information by hacking into a secure system or by stealing it from company employees who have access to it. External breaches can also happen when companies contract with third parties and those third parties fail to protect customer data properly.
Internal: When an insider leaks sensitive information to others outside the organization, either intentionally or unintentionally. This might occur when an employee leaves the company and takes their access privileges with them, or when a disgruntled employee intentionally destroys or alters records before leaving a job.
Physical: When someone steals physical media containing sensitive information such as paper files, USB drives, CDs/DVDs, etc., which might contain Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and other personal information.
