A data breach is any incident in which sensitive information or corporate intellectual property is exposed, whether stolen by hackers or inadvertently posted online. This information can be anything from confidential consumer records to company documents that are critical to day-to-day business operations. Data breaches can damage reputations, cost companies money in litigation and reparations, and lead to lost business. They can also result in fines and sanctions from regulatory bodies or legal action.
How Data Breach Happens
Hackers often start by researching their targets. They look at the hardware and software used, financial filings, court records, and more to find vulnerabilities they can exploit. Once they’ve found a target, they scan systems, enumerate devices and accounts, and find points of entry. Then they can upload malware, hijack accounts, or use another method to breach the system and download data.
Once a breach is identified, businesses should take immediate steps to identify the source and scope of the compromise. Identify indicators that point to a breach, such as e-mails with suspicious content being returned or attempts to log in from an unknown network. These should be reported immediately to the appropriate internal responsible parties and access restricted to prevent the spread of critical information that was leaked.
In addition, it’s important to develop a plan for how you will notify consumers and what information will be shared. For example, some organizations choose to post updates on their website so that consumers can come to one central location for the latest news. This may help mitigate phishing scams and can save companies the time and money associated with calling consumers individually to inform them of the breach.
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