Data Breach Vs Data Leak

Often, the terms- ‘data breach’ and ‘data leak’ are used interchangeably. However, there is a subtle difference between the two, mainly in the context of the intent behind the act. The consequence in either case will be the same- grave and perilous.

Data Breach in Cyber Security

In recent years, the traditional workspace has noticed a seismic shift. As per Forbes, around 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, whereas 28.2 % work in a hybrid model. 

Let's say your workplace switches to hybrid or remote, with more and more employees working from their homes where managers have limited control over what their employees are doing.  In such a case, data breaches can be a severe challenge for companies to tackle. 

What is a Data Breach in Cyber Security?

As per the official data breach definition, it's an exposure of confidential, sensitive, and protected information or data to an unauthorized person without the permission of an organization or person in charge.  

Companies or organizations are usually prime targets due to their high payload. This can be due to the breach of data privacy related to their users, whether it is financial or confidential, which is valuable for cyber criminals. 

Why does Data Breach Happen? 

The most common reasons for breaches happen due to weaknesses in: 

Desktop and mobile devices face more data hacks due to a lack of control and encryption over apps, browsers, and more, especially in the case of remote work where employees use their personal networks and systems. 

Another reason is user behavior, which refers to the way your employees interact with the system and the data. 

To assume that data theft is due to an outside hacker is not always true. 

According to Bitdefender, 61% of IT security leaders have reported that their remote workers caused breaches of data privacy.

This could be a simple oversight by an individual or an infrastructural flaw within a company, both of which can be addressed with a simple solution, such as a silent tracker. This allows managers to have real-time reporting for activity tracking without disturbing and letting employees know. 

Besides an unintentional or human error, cyber data security can be threatened due to:

Accidental Insiders: This can be an employee who might use someone else's desktop to read the files without having proper authorization. The access to data is unintentional, but the exposure to an unauthorized person makes it a breach.

Malicious Insiders: These can be anyone from ex-employees to current ones who are purposely looking to cause harm and have legitimate authorization.

Outside Attackers: These can be hackers from outside looking to access the data through phishing, malware, and brute force attacks. 

Stolen or Lost Devices: Another way can be an unlocked system or encrypted hard drive that contains important information but goes missing due to negligence.