Glossary

What is a Data Breach?

Information is a vital resource that lies at the heart of every organization, flowing within and between businesses to keep the modern economy working. Data, in all its various forms, is how information is created, stored, distributed, and consumed.

Since it is so valuable to organizations, data must be protected from unauthorized access both in transit and when stored. In the modern business environment, the importance of protecting data has been enshrined in regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Unauthorized data access usually occurs in one of two ways: data breaches or data leakage. Both can cause significant reputational damage to the organization that suffers the data exposure, as well as substantial financial implications under CCPA, GDPR, or other regulations that may emerge in the future. A data breach is due to unauthorized access, and data leakage is usually due to a mistake leading to data exposure.

Protecting Against Data Breaches and Data Leakage

Protecting against data loss via either of these occurrences requires a multifaceted approach. Recommended steps include:

  • Train staff to recognize common methods of phishing attacks and other social-based attempts to gain access.
  • Train staff in general data awareness so that protecting data becomes routine.
  • Minimize the amount of held data to reduce the risk of breaches and leaks.
  • Deploy tools to catch and prevent the emailing or saving of documents to unauthorized external destinations.
  • Rely on the IntSights External Threat Protection (ETP) Suite to monitor activity on the web and dark web to get insights into planned or potential attacks on your systems and data.
  • Stay up to date on current and emerging threats and new attack methods that may expose data.
    • Insights Security Advisory Services & Compliance Assessment and Advisory Services can ensure your organization is prepared.
  • Keep all other cybersecurity protections across the threat landscape up to date.

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