A security breach can be compared to a home break-in. If an individual enters your home and breaks a window, they are breaking into your security. In the digital world, if a criminal takes your personal information and documents, they are stealing data. This type of breach occurs in large and small organizations.
A security breach can have damaging effects on an organization’s finances and reputation. If the customers’ data gets swept up in the process, it can also affect their personal information. Data breaches and security incidents can occur on a massive scale.
How Does a Security Breach Occur?
A security breach occurs when an unauthorized individual or group can access an organization’s protected systems. They can then use malicious applications or bypass the security structures to access the data. This type of violation can lead to various issues related to data loss. There are multiple types of security breaches that attackers can commit, including planting viruses, spyware, and other types of malware. They can arrive by either downloading or sending an attachment file.
If you open an email attachment or download a program from the internet, it can infect your computer. If it’s a virus, it could spread to other machines on your network. Phishing is another type of security breach that occurs when an individual or group tries to trick an organization’s employees into clicking on a link in an email. The email, which looks like it’s from an executive, may contain an urgent request for sensitive information, such as employment records or log-in details. The employee may then click on the link in the email and provide the requested data. This type of security breach is commonly targeted at the financial industry.
Differences Between Security Breaches and Data Breaches
Although the terms data breach and security breach are often used interchangeably, they are actually two different things. A security breach usually occurs first, with a data breach often following closely behind. When an unauthorized individual or group bypasses the security measures of an organization’s system, they can access its protected areas, thus creating a security breach. This type of violation can put the individual or group in a position to access the sensitive information of its customers. If a cybercriminal takes the data of its customers, then a data breach has occurred.
The Aftermath
When a security breach occurs, it’s essential to know what personal information was stolen and how you can protect yourself. A few of the steps that you can take to prevent this type of incident include changing your passwords and monitoring your credit reports.
Unfortunately, if your personal information has been stolen, you could face various consequences in the short and long term. For instance, if you detect suspicious charges on your credit card account, you should immediately report them to the authorities and dispute the charges with your bank. However, stolen information can still be found on the dark web months or years after the incident has occurred, which is why it is critical that individuals take as many security measures as they can when it comes to protecting their personal information.