Return to Careful, Extremely Careful about Security, gitignore, Security Breach

Cracked passwords (Password breach) are part of a data breach.

A data breach occurs when sensitive, confidential, or protected information is accessed, disclosed, or stolen by unauthorized individuals or entities. This breach can happen through various means, including cyberattacks, insider threats, or accidental exposure. The impact of a data breach can be severe, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, legal liabilities, and loss of trust from customers or clients. Organizations affected by data breaches are often required to notify affected individuals and regulatory authorities, as mandated by laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Mitigating the risks of data breaches involves implementing robust cybersecurity measures, conducting regular security assessments and audits, and providing employee training on data security best practices to prevent and respond effectively to potential breaches.

Snippet from Wikipedia: Data breach

A data breach, also known as data leakage, is "the unauthorized exposure, disclosure, or loss of personal information".

Attackers have a variety of motives, from financial gain to political activism, political repression, and espionage. There are several technical root causes of data breaches, including accidental or intentional disclosure of information by insiders, loss or theft of unencrypted devices, hacking into a system by exploiting software vulnerabilities, and social engineering attacks such as phishing where insiders are tricked into disclosing information. Although prevention efforts by the company holding the data can reduce the risk of data breach, it cannot bring it to zero.

The first reported breach was in 2002 and the number occurring each year has grown since then. A large number of data breaches are never detected. If a breach is made known to the company holding the data, post-breach efforts commonly include containing the breach, investigating its scope and cause, and notifications to people whose records were compromised, as required by law in many jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies may investigate breaches, although the hackers responsible are rarely caught.

Many criminals sell data obtained in breaches on the dark web. Thus, people whose personal data was compromised are at elevated risk of identity theft for years afterwards and a significant number will become victims of this crime. Data breach notification laws in many jurisdictions, including all states of the United States and European Union member states, require the notification of people whose data has been breached. Lawsuits against the company that was breached are common, although few victims receive money from them. There is little empirical evidence of economic harm to firms from breaches except the direct cost, although there is some evidence suggesting a temporary, short-term decline in stock price.

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