What Is a Data Breach?

Data
breach
is
a
security
incident
in
which
an
unauthorized
person
can
access
your company’s
confidential
and
sensitive
data.
It
can
happen
due
to
an
innocent
mistake,
a
malicious
insider,
or
a
cyberattack.

A
data
breach
can
lead
to
significant
consequences
for
your
company,
including
financial
loss,
reputational
damage,
operational
disruption,
and
legal
repercussions.
It
can
compromise
various
data
types,
from
customer
and
employee
records
to
intellectual
property
and
financial
information.

As
companies
grow
and
technology
becomes
more
integrated
and
complex,

hackers’
opportunities
to
infiltrate
digital
environments
and
security
systems
are
increasing.
Data
compromises
in
2023
surged
by
78%
compared
to
2022

^[1],
according
to
the
Identity
Theft
Resource
Center’s
annual
report.

This
article
explores
everything
you
need
to
know
about
data
breaches,
from
their
types
and
causes
to
preventive
measures.
You’ll
learn
valuable
insights
into
protecting
your
company’s
data
and
effectively
handling
a
data
breach
by
the
end.
Let’s
dive
in!

Types
of
Data
Breach
Incidents

Hackers
can
get
unauthorized
access
to
your
system
in
various
ways,
and
knowing
about
them
can
help
better
protect
your
data
and
prevent
data
breach
incidents.

The
following
are
two
common
types
of
data
breaches:

1.
Intentional
Data
Breach

Intentional
data
breach
attacks
are
caused
by
hackers,
malicious
insiders,
hacktivists,
and
state
actors
on
purpose.
The
perpetrators’
agendas
can
be
personal
gains,
revenge,
or
espionage.
They
can
employ
malware,
password,
and
social
engineering
attacks
like

phishing
attacks
to
access
your
company’s
data. 

Sometimes,
they
can
use
tailgating
or
pretexting
to
get
access
to
your
physical
servers
to
steal
data
if
you
haven’t
implemented
strict
physical
security
measures,
such
as
live
surveillance
cameras,
access
control
by
biometric
authentication,
and
trained
physical
security
personnel. 

2.
Unintentional
Data
Breach

Unintentional
data
breaches
happen
when
confidential
or
sensitive
company
data
is
exposed
or
leaked
due
to
technological
failure
or
human
errors.
Your
employee,
for
instance,
can
inadvertently
share
a
file
containing
sensitive
data
with
an
unauthorized
person. 

Insecure
security
practices,
such
as
leaving
work
devices
unattended,
using
public
Wi-Fi
without
enough
security
measures,
losing
work
devices
(mobile
phones,
computers,
USB
drives),
and
using
outdated
software,
can
inadvertently
allow
unauthorized
access
to
your
corporate
data.    

Having
explored
various
types
of
data
breaches,
let’s
explore
why
data
breaches
occur. 

Causes
of
Data
Breaches

Knowing
what
causes
a
data
breach
goes
a
long
way
to
keeping
your
data
safe
and
protecting
your
organization
from
a
data
breach
incident.
You
cannot
protect
your
data
and
information
assets
if
you
don’t
know
what
and
who
can
jeopardize
its
security.

Here
are
common
causes
of
data
breaches.

• 
  Insider
  Threats:
  Your
  current
  or
  previous
  employees
  who
  have
  access
  to
  sensitive
  data
  misuse
  their
  privileges
  for
  personal
  gains,
  revenge,
  or
  espionage.
  Sometimes,
  your
  innocent
  employees
  could
  share
  confidential
  information
  with
  their
  friends
  or
  colleagues
  in
  good
  faith,
  resulting
  in
  data
  breach
  incidents. 
• 
  Social
  Engineering:
  Threat
  actors
  employ
  various

  social
  engineering
  techniques,
  such
  as
  phishing
  or
  vishing,
  to
  trick
  your
  employees
  or
  stakeholders
  into
  sharing
  confidential
  information
  or
  login
  credentials
  that
  can
  be
  used
  to
  access
  your
  data
  unauthorizedly.  

• 
  Malware:
  Hackers
  strategically
  plant
  various
  types
  of
  malware,
  such
  as
  a
  keylogger
  or
  remote
  access
  trojan
  (RAT),
  to
  spy
  on
  employees.
  When
  the
  moment
  is
  right,
  they
  steal
  confidential,
  sensitive,
  and
  proprietary
  data,
  causing
  a
  data
  breach.
   
• 
  Password
  Cracking:
  Weak
  passwords
  provide
  easy
  entry
  points
  into
  your
  network.
  Hackers
  use
  techniques
  like

  password
  spraying,
  brute
  force
  attacks,
  and
  other
  password
  attacks
  to
  guess
  passwords.
  Once
  inside,
  they
  can
  easily
  steal
  sensitive
  data.
  Hackers
  can
  also
  use
  stolen
  credentials
  sold
  on
  the
  dark
  web
  for
  data
  breaches. 

• 
  Supply
  Chain
  Attack:
  Hackers
  target
  your
  vendors
  who
  have
  your
  customers’
  data
  but
  may
  not
  have
  strong
  security
  like
  your
  company
  does.
  If
  they
  are
  successful,
  they
  will
  steal
  your
  customers’
  confidential
  data.  
• 
  Software
  Vulnerabilities:
  Unpatched
  software
  can
  have
  vulnerabilities
  that
  hackers
  can
  exploit
  to
  steal
  data,
  causing
  a
  data
  breach.
  Cracked
  software
  downloaded
  from
  unreliable
  sources
  can
  have
  backdoors,
  which
  allow
  unauthorized
  access
  to
  the
  software,
  network,
  and
  system
  to
  steal
  confidential
  data. 
• 
  Physical
  Breach:
  If
  your
  company
  hasn’t
  implemented
  strong
  physical
  security,
  such
  as
  live
  surveillance,
  security
  guards,
  or
  physical
  locks,
  intruders
  can
  easily
  access
  your
  workstations
  and
  data
  center
  areas.
  They
  can
  also
  employ
  social
  engineering
  techniques,
  like
  tailgating
  or
  pretexting,
  to
  enter
  restricted
  areas
  in
  your
  company.
  Once
  they
  have
  physical
  access
  to
  your
  storage
  devices,
  they
  can
  quickly
  steal
  data. 
• 
  Shadow
  Data:
  Shadow
  data
  is
  the
  data
  your
  organization’s
  secured
  data
  management
  system
  cannot
  monitor,
  manage,
  and
  secure,
  so
  it
  is
  often
  unprotected.
  Examples
  of
  shadow
  data
  include
  corporate
  data
  stored
  on
  employees’
  personal
  devices
  or
  cloud
  accounts,
  copies
  of
  production
  databases
  made
  for
  testing
  by
  development
  teams,
  and
  data
  left
  in
  decommissioned
  legacy
  applications.
  Suppose
  you
  don’t
  take
  the
  necessary
  steps
  to
  manage
  shadow
  data
  in
  your
  company.
  In
  that
  case,
  it
  can
  cause
  data
  breach
  incidents,
  for
  it
  is
  outside
  your
  data
  and

  information
  security
  management
  system. 

Also,
a
poor
user
access
policy
is
a
recipe
for
disaster.
Without
tight
access
control,
your
company’s
employees
will
likely
have
more
permission
than
required
to
perform
their
duties,
increasing
the
likelihood
of
insider
risks
being
realized.  

Now
that
you
know
the
causes
of
data
breaches,
let’s
discuss
the
impact
of
data
breaches
in
the
next
section.  

Impact
of
Data
Breaches

The
consequences
of
a
data
breach
can
be
detrimental
and
far-reaching.
Depending
on
your
industry,
it
can
cause
financial
troubles,
a
loss
of
reputation,
and
hefty
regulatory
fines. 

The
following
are
damaging
consequences
your
company
can
face
in
the
event
of
a
data
breach
incident.  

Financial
Loss

Data
breaches
can
cause
significant
financial
losses.
The
global
average
data
breach
cost
has
reached
$4.88
million

^[2],
marking
a
10%
increase
from
the
previous
year.
According
to
IBM’s
latest
Cost
of
a
Data
Breach
Report,
this
surge
underscores
the
growing
financial
impact
of
data
security
incidents
worldwide.

Data
breach
costs
involve
the
following:

• Detecting
  and
  containing
  the
  incident.
• Deploying
  an
  incident
  response
  plan.
• Investigating
  the
  incident.
• Spending
  money
  on
  legal
  ramifications.
• Investing
  in
  new
  security
  measures
  to
  mitigate
  future
  data
  breach
  incidents.

A
data
breach
can
also
impact
your
company’s
share
price
and
valuation. 

Reputational
Damage

A
data
breach
involving
customers’
data
attracts
significant
negative
media
coverage,
amplifying
reputational
damage
because
stories
of
data
breaches
travel
faster
on
social
media
and
news
outlets. 

89%
of
companies

^[3]
have
said
a
data
breach
has
impacted
their
reputation,
which
can
lead
to
damage
to
brand
image,
loss
of
clients,
and
difficulty
winning
new
business.
A
company
with
a
tainted
reputation
can
find
it
hard
to
hire
skilled
employees,
as
employees
may
be
weary
of
joining
a
company
with
a
history
of
security
breaches.

Breach
victims,
including
your
customers
and
stakeholders,
may
lose
trust
in
your
company,
making
it
difficult
to
rebuild
relationships
and
protect
your
brand’s
reputation.
Even
if
you
address
the
issue
quickly,
gaining
the
trust
of
employees,
customers,
vendors,
and
other
stakeholders
takes
time.   

Legal
and
Regulatory
Consequences

Depending
on
your
industry
and
legal
jurisdiction,
your
company
must
comply
with
legal
and
regulatory
requirements,
such
as
the
General
Data
Protection
Regulation
(GDPR),
California
Consumer
Privacy
Act
(CCPA),
and
Health
Insurance
Portability
and
Accountability
Act
(HIPAA).

These
laws
protect
customer
data
and
privacy.
Failure
to
comply
can
result
in
costly
class
action
lawsuits,
regulatory
fines,
and
damage
to
your
brand’s
reputation.

Impact
on
Customers
and
Clients

Your
customers,
vendors,
and
partners
share
their
data
in
good
faith,
thinking
you
will
protect
it.
A
data
breach
incident
erodes
their
trust,
and
they
will
likely
take
their
business
to
your
competitors
once
they
associate
your
brand
with
inadequate
data
protection.
You
may
also
struggle
to
hire
talented
employees
because
of
your
company’s
tarnished
image. 

Long-Term
Business
Consequences

Financial
loss,
reputational
damage,
and
legal
fines
resulting
from
a
data
breach
have
a
long-term
impact
on
your
company.
Your
employees
may
feel
insecure
about
their
data,
your
customers
may
lose
trust
in
your
ability
to
protect
their
data,
and
you
may
have
lots
of
negative
PR
affecting
your
brand
reputation. 

Data
breaches
can
also
significantly
affect
national
security
if
sensitive
government
or
defense-related
information
is
compromised.
Protecting
such
data
is
crucial
to
prevent
threats
to
national
security.

How
To
Prevent
a
Data
Breach

A
data
breach
can
wreak
havoc
on
your
business.
It
can
damage
your
brand
image,
cost
you
a
lot
of
money
to
pay
regulators
and
legal
authorities,
and
weaken
your
customers’
and
partners’
trust
in
your
company.

Here
are
some
proven
strategies
to
strengthen
your
defense
for
preventing
data
breach
incidents. 

Implement
a
Strong
Password
Policy 

Weak
and
easy-to-guess
passwords
weaken
data
security,
making
it
easier
for
hackers
to
access
company
accounts
and
data.

Therefore,
you
must
implement
a
strong
password
policy
to
safeguard
company
data
and
accounts. 

Here
are
some
tips
for
creating
a
good
password
policy.

• Passwords
  should
  be
  12
  characters
  long
  and
  include
  letters
  (lowercase
  and
  uppercase),
  numbers,
  symbols,
  and
  special
  characters. 
• Employees
  must
  change
  their
  passwords
  regularly.
• It
  is
  mandatory
  to
  activate
  two-factor
  or

  multi-factor
  authentication
  in
  all
  accounts.

• Everyone
  in
  your
  company
  must
  use
  different
  passwords
  for
  different
  password
  accounts. 

You
should
also
use
an

enterprise
password
manager
to
manage
passwords
in
your
company
better.
A
good
password
manager
also
makes
it
easier
to
share
passwords
among
team
members
securely.
It
can
also
run
reports
to
find
if
passwords
are
found
in
any
leaked
database,
helping
you
take
proactive
steps
to
protect
your
accounts
before
threat
actors
can
do
any
significant
damage. 

Keep
Your
Software
Up-To-Date

Threat
actors
exploit
vulnerabilities
in
old
software
to
steal
data
and
enter
your
corporate
network,
so
keeping
your
software
up-to-date
is
an
effective
way
to
prevent
hackers
from
exploiting
known
vulnerabilities
in
your
company’s
software. 

To
ensure
timely
software
patching,
you
can
set
auto-update
on
all
company-used
applications.
You
can
also
implement
centralized
patch
management
to
deploy
and
install
patches
quickly. 

Enforce
a
Strict
Data
Security
Policy

A
data
security
policy
outlines
how
sensitive
data
should
be
accessed
and
handled.
A
good
policy
should
include
various
security
controls
to

protect
sensitive
data,
including
access
control
policy,
data
classification,

authentication
and
authorization
mechanism,
encryption,
intrusion
detection
and
prevention
system,
security
information
and
event
management,
and
more.

Without
a
strict
data
security
policy,
employees,
vendors,
and
stakeholders
won’t
have
a
clear
understanding
of
their
responsibilities
regarding
data
handling
and
the
tools
they
should
use
to
safeguard
data.
This
lack
of
clarity
can
cause
significant
gaps
in
data
security,
potentially
leading
to
a
data
breach.

Run
Employee
Training
and
Awareness
Programs 

Phishing
is
a
prevalent
cause
of
data
breaches,
with
humans
responsible
for
54%^[4]
of
these
incidents,
primarily
due
to
end-user
policy
violations,
carelessness,
and
a
lack
of
expertise.
Implementing
regular
training
and
awareness
programs
for
employees
can
help
address
these
challenges.

Though
the
content
of
training
programs
varies
from
company
to
company,
a
typical
employee
awareness
program
to
prevent
data
breaches
should
include
phishing
and
social
engineering
awareness
training,
password
security
best
practices,
secure
internet
usage,
and

cybersecurity
best
practices. 

Instead
of
running
an
employee
awareness
training
program
once
a
year,
organize
smaller
programs
multiple
times.
This
will
help
you
create
a
cybersecurity
culture.   

Conduct
Security
Audits
to
Find
Security
Gaps

You
cannot
rest
even
if
you
have
implemented
state-of-the-art
data
security
tools
and
run
data
security
awareness
programs
multiple
times
a
year.
You
need
to
regularly
conduct
security
audits
to
check
for
any
gaps
that
need
to
be
bridged
to
achieve
stellar
data
security.

During
a
security
audit,
you
should
typically
focus
on
the
following.

• Identifying
  vulnerabilities
• Detecting
  weak
  passwords
• Uncovering
  misconfigured
  systems
• Finding
  weak
  encryption 
• Identifying
  insider
  threats  
• Discovering
  missing
  data
  regulatory
  compliances

As
the
threat
landscape

constantly
changes,
security
experts
recommend
that
you
regularly
scan
your
business
website
with
a
reputable website
security
scanner to
check
for
vulnerabilities
that
hackers
can
exploit
to
steal
your
data.

Have
a
Data
Breach
Response
Plan 

A
data
breach
response
plan
contains
steps
and
procedures
to
detect,
contain,
and
recover
from
a
data
breach
while
ensuring
compliance,
communication,
and
continuous
improvement.
Though
a
data
breach
response
plan
doesn’t
prevent
a
data
breach,
having
one
helps
you
navigate
chaos
effectively
without
losing
your
mind.

Your
data
breach
response
plan
should
typically
include: 

• Incident
  response
  team
• Incident
  detection
  and
  assessment
• Containment
  and
  mitigation
• Notification
  and
  communication
• Evidence
  preservation
  and
  Forensic
  investigation
• Regulatory
  compliance
  and
  legal
  considerations
• Remediation
  and
  recovery
• Post-incident
  review
  and
  lessons
  learned

Don’t
wait
for
a
data
breach
to
occur.
Create
a
data
breach
response
plan;
it
will
help
you
minimize
the
impact
of
the
breach.

What
To
Do
in
Case
of
a
Data
Breach

In
the
event
of
a
data
breach,
immediate
and
strategic
actions
are
important
to
minimize
the
damage.
The
following
are
key
steps
to
navigate
and
manage
the
situation
successfully.   

Identify
and
Contain
the
Breach

The
moment
you
suspect
a
data
breach,
deploy
your
data
breach
incident
response
team
to
identify
the
source
and
scope
of
the
breach.
They
will
determine
the
cause
of
the
breach—whether
it
is
due
to
a
phishing
attack,
malware,
or
internal
error—and
also
determine
how
widespread
the
breach
is.

Once
identified,
your
data
breach
response
team
will
implement
strategies
to
contain
it,
which
can
include
disconnecting
affected
devices
from
the
network,
disabling
compromised
accounts,
and
halting
ongoing
data
transfer.
Containment
helps
prevent
further
data
loss
and
minimize
breach’s
impact. 

Notify
Key
Stakeholders

Communication
is
vital
during
a
data
breach.
Notify
your
internal
teams,
including
management,
IT,
and
legal,
to
ensure
a
coordinated
and
compliant
response.
If
sensitive
information
is
compromised,
you
should
immediately
inform
the
affected
parties. 

Have
a
clear
communication
strategy
to
inform
all
parties
involved
and
maintain
transparency
to
build
trust.
Ensure
that
your
messaging
is
accurate
and
consistent
to
prevent
misinformation.  

Assess
and
Document
the
Impact

Assess
the
compromised
data,
including
personal
information,
financial
data,
or
intellectual
property.
Knowing
the
sensitivity
of
the
leaked
data
will
help
you
gauge
potential
risks
and
required
responses.  

You
should
also
keep
a
detailed
record
of
actions
during
the
breach,
including
the
breach’s
nature,
how
it
was
detected,
steps
taken
to
contain
it,
and
communication
with
stakeholders.
This
breach
report
will
be
helpful
for
internal
reviews,
legal
requirements,
and
improving
security
controls
to
prevent
further
breaches.

Consult
Legal
and
Notify
Authorities

You
should
immediately
seek
legal
counsel
because
data
breaches
often
involve
sensitive
and
regulated
data.
Legal
consulting
will
ensure
that
your
responses
comply
with
relevant
laws
and
regulations,
such
as
GDPR
or
HIPAA. 

Depending
on
the
nature
of
the
breach
and
applicable
breach
notification
laws,
you
may
need
to
issue
breach
notices
to
affected
parties
and
regulatory
bodies.

For
example,
breaches
involving
personal
data
may
require
notification
to
data
protection
authorities
within
a
certain
timeframe.
Failing
to
notify
authorities
can
result
in
hefty
fines
and
legal
consequences.

Recover
and
Secure
Data

After
notifying
authorities,
your
data
breach
response
team
will
start
working
on
restoring
any
lost
or
compromised
data
from
backups.
This
is
also
the
time
to
verify
the
integrity
of
your
data
and
ensure
that
it
hasn’t
been
altered
or
further
compromised.

After
recovery,
review
and
strengthen
your
security
protocols.
This
may
involve
updating
software,
improving
password
policies,
changing
passwords
of
email
addresses,
implementing
more
robust
encryption,
and
verifying
that
every
email
address
associated
with
the
breach
is
secure.
Use

Have
I
Been
Pawned
to
check
if
emails
were
involved
in
the
past
breaches.

The
goal
is
to
fix
vulnerabilities
that
led
to
the
breach
and
prevent
future
incidents.

Communicate
with
Affected
Parties

You
should
provide
clear
guidance
to
those
whose
data
was
compromised,
including
changing
passwords,
monitoring
credit
reports,
and
taking
steps
to
protect
against
identity
theft.

To
make
your
customers,
vendors,
and
partners
feel
that
you
care
about
their
data
and
digital
safety,
you
should
consider
offering
support
services
like
identity
theft
protection
service
or
credit
monitoring.
This
can
help
mitigate
identity
theft
risk
and
demonstrate
your
commitment
to
their
security.

Keeping
communication
lines
open
and
providing
updates
as
you
learn
more
about
the
breach
and
the
steps
being
taken
to
resolve
it
can
help
your
stakeholders
remain
calm
during
a
data
breach. 

Reputable

data
security
solutions
can
help
you
discover,
manage,
and
protect
sensitive
data
in
your
company. 

Here
are
data
security
service
providers
you
can
explore
for
data
breach
prevention. 

• Cybera:
  It
  is
  a
  data
  discovery
  and
  data
  security
  tool
  that
  monitors,
  detects,
  and
  responds
  to
  your
  company’s
  data
  risks.
  It
  uses
  AI,
  machine
  learning,
  and
  its
  proprietary
  large
  language
  model
  (LLM)
  to
  offer
  higher
  precision
  in
  classifying
  data
  and
  identifying
  sensitive
  data
  with
  context
  relevant
  to
  your
  business’s
  nature. 

• Imperva:
  It
  is
  a
  cloud
  data
  security
  solution
  that
  protects
  data
  in
  all
  phases
  of
  cloud
  adoption.
  It
  offers
  wide
  visibility
  into
  data
  activity,
  deeper
  security
  and
  threat
  context,
  and
  unified
  sensitive
  data
  protection
  and
  compliance. 

• SpinOne:
  It
  is
  an
  all-in-one
  SaaS
  security
  platform
  that
  provides
  full
  visibility
  and
  quick
  incident
  response
  to
  your
  SaaS
  app.
  It
  also
  provides
  data
  leak
  protection
  and
  data
  loss
  prevention. 

• Nordlayer’s
  Secure
  Access
  Server
  Edge
  (SASE):
  It
  is
  a
  data
  security
  solution
  that
  protects
  your
  network’s
  data
  and
  business
  resources.
  It
  offers
  SaaS
  security,
  threat
  protection,
  secure
  remote
  access
  to
  improve
  data
  security,
  and
  more.  

• Forcepoint:
  It
  is
  an
  AI-powered
  data
  security
  solution
  that
  simplifies
  data
  protection
  and
  prevents
  data
  breaches.
  It
  provides
  unified
  cloud,
  end-point,
  and
  BYOD
  data
  protection.

Most
of
the
above
data
security
tools
come
with
a
free
trial,
so
you
can
try
them
to
find
the
best
data
security
tool
that
meets
your
requirements. 

Recent
Examples
of
Major
Data
Breaches

Check
these
recent
examples
of
significant
data
breaches.

Month	Organisation	Number of Records Stolen	Source
July 2024	Disney (Media, Entertainment)	1.1 TiB (1.2 TB) Data	CNN
April 2024	AT & T (Telecom)	115 million customers	SecurityWeek
June 2024	Truist Bank (Banking)	Record of 65,000 employees	Bleeping Computer
May 2024	City of Helsinki (Education)	80,000 students & parents data	City of Helsinki
May 2024	JP Morgan (Finance)	451,000 retirement plan members	Investment News
May 2024	Ticketmaster (Entertainment)	560 million customers	Bleeping Computer
June 2024	Tile (Electronics)	450,000 customers	Tech.co
May 2024	Dell (Technology)	Personal information of 49 million customers	Security Boulevard
Feb 2024	Bank of America (Banking)	57,000 customers	Forbes
November 2023	MOVEit (Technology)	62 million people	The Verge

What
Can
Attackers
Do
With
Stolen
Data

Hackers
can
use
your
stolen
data
for
malicious
purposes,
which
can
include
identity
theft
using
leaked
personal
details
of
victims,
financial
frauds
using
details
of
stolen
credit
cards
and
bank
accounts,
crafting
sophisticated
phishing
campaigns
based
on
stolen
data,
and
financial
gain
by
selling
stolen
information
on
the
dark
web.

Also,
hackers
can
use
your
stolen
data
for
blackmailing,
cyberstalking
your
customers,
partners,
and
vendors,
and
plan
further
cybersecurity
attacks.  

Stolen
data
can
also
be
used
for
political
dealings,
where
sensitive
information
is
leveraged
to
influence
or
manipulate
political
outcomes.

The
value
of
data
for
hackers
depends
on
its
sensitivity,
so
they
target
confidential
data,
such
as
personal
identifiable
information
(PII)
like
social
security
numbers,
financial
information,
health
care
data,
login
credentials,
intellectual
property,
and
trade
secrets.
Any
data
breach
involving
these
data
types
can
have
far-reaching,
detrimental
consequences
on
your
business. 

Future
Trends
and
Predictions
About
Data
Breaches

Phishing
remains
a
top
cause
of
data
breaches.
As
AI
advances,
cybercriminals
can
craft
more
sophisticated
phishing
attacks,
trick
people
into
sharing
login
credentials,
or
install
ransomware
and
keyloggers,
often
resulting
in
data
breaches.

AI’s
rapid
growth
empowers
these
attackers
and
introduces
new
privacy
and
security
challenges
for
businesses
integrating
AI
into
their
operations.
Moreover,
the
swift
adoption
of
cloud
computing
brings
challenges
like
shadow
IT
and
a
lack
of
cloud
security
skills.
If
not
addressed,
these
issues
can
also
lead
to
data
breaches.

By
2025,
Gartner

^[5]predicts
that
30%
of
critical
infrastructure
organizations
will
face
a
security
breach.
So,
it’s
more
critical
than
ever
to
understand
how
hackers
operate
and
strengthen
your
data
security
to
prevent
a
data
breach
incident. 

References

View
Details

1. Identity
   Theft
   Resource
   Center
   2023
   Annual
   Data
   Breach
   Report

2. IBM
   Cost
   of
   a
   Data
   Breach
   Report
   2024

3. Small
   Business
   Reputation
   &
   The
   Cyber
   Risk

4. CompTIA Trends
   in
   Informational
   Study

5. Gartner
   Predicts
   30%
   of
   Critical
   Infrastructure
   Organizations
   Will
   Experience
   a
   Security
   Breach
   by
   2025