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Data Breach
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Table of Contents

What is a data breach?

A data breach is the extraction (or theft) of sensitive information from an organization's systems or networks by an unauthorized third party. Data breaches often occur when hackers exploit security vulnerabilities to access protected data.
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How does a data breach happen?

Data breaches can occur through various methods, including: 

  • Cyberattacks: Hackers use sophisticated cyberthreats such as ransomware to infiltrate an organization's systems and exfiltrate sensitive data. Attacks via this route can be overt, such as selling the data that ransomware has blocked from access, or covert, where malware is harvesting data in the background without the sec-ops team being aware.  
  • Third-party breaches: When a vendor or partner experiences a data breach, it can also impact the organization's data security. Often, attackers will breach a less secure vendor or partner, and use stolen credentials or malware for easier access to a larger target.
  • Physical theft: With so many sophisticated digital attacks occurring, it’s easy to forget that theft of a hard drive, USB drive, or even just paper files can still be considered a data breach. Physical access to devices to steal data can still occur, and is often where an SMB can be most vulnerable. 

How to protect your organization against data breaches

To safeguard your organization against data breaches, consider the following measures: 

  • Implement strong digital cybersecurity measures: This includes adopting advanced email security solutions, firewalls, endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems, and encryption applications to protect sensitive data.
  • Regularly update and patch software: Keep systems and applications up to date to address known vulnerabilities that attackers may exploit. 
  • Enforce access controls: Restrict access to sensitive data only to authorized individuals and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security.
  • Enforce physical security: Ensure desktops and laptops are always locked or asleep when staff walk away, lock the doors to your office, and store sensitive paperwork in locked filing cabinets.
  • Train employees on data security: Train employees on best practices for handling sensitive information, and how to recognize and report potential security threats.
  • Conduct regular security audits: Regularly assess your organization's security posture, and identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Data breach vs. data leakage

While data breach and data leakage are often used interchangeably, they have distinct differences. Data leakage primarily focuses on the accidental disclosure of sensitive information—and in some cases the intentional actions of malicious insiders—from an organization's internal systems or networks. On the other hand, data breaches are typically malicious, and involve unauthorized access to protected data by external parties, including cybercriminals. While both can result in severe consequences, data leakage may cause a data breach if hackers use compromised information to carry out their attack.

Data breach vs. data loss

Data breach and data loss are related but mean different things. Data loss refers to the permanent removal or destruction of sensitive information from an organization's control, whether intentional or unintentional. In contrast, a data breach may or may not result in data loss. Data breaches can lead to data loss if the stolen information is permanently removed or destroyed.
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How Vade protects against data breaches

Vade protects against data breaches through our suite of email security solutions. Our AI-powered threat detection and response protects users from sophisticated cyberattacks that can lead to data breaches, including advanced phishing, spear phishing, and email-based malware attacks. 

Vade also secures users from threats that originate from email but take place via a browser, including drive-by downloads. Additionally, Vade also provides robust features for incident response and threat investigation, allowing organizations to quickly identify and remediate security incidents in real-time. 

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