What are data breaches?
As organizations invest more heavily in their digital infrastructure, the consequences of data breaches and cyber security attacks have also increased. Research from the Ponemon Institute indicates that the average cost of data breaches in 2018 rose by 6.4% compared with the previous year to a total of $3.86 million. Related to that, the average cost of each stolen file also increased to $148.
A data breach is a confirmed incident in which sensitive, confidential or otherwise confidential data has been access and disclose in an unauthorized fashion. Data breaches may involve personal health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), trade secrets or intellectual property.
Data breach causes
A familiar example of a data breach is an attacker hacking into a corporate website and stealing sensitive data out of a database. However, not all breaches are so dramatic. If an authorized hospital employee views a patient’s health information on a computer screen over the shoulder of an authorized employee, that also constitutes a data breach.
Data breaches can be convoy by weak passwords missing software patches that are exploit or stole laptop computers and mobile devices. Users connecting to rogue wireless networks that capture login credentials directly to attackers or through subsequent malware infections.
Data breach notifications and regulations
A number of industry guidelines and government compliance regulations mandate strict control of sensitive, often personal, data to avoid data breaches. Within a corporate environment, for example, the personal card industry Data Security standard (PCI DSS) dictates who may handle and use sensitive PII such as credit card numbers, in conjunction with names and addresses.
Within a healthcare environment, the health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates who may see and use PHI such as a patient’s name, data of birth, Social Security number and healthcare treatments. There are also specific requirements for the reporting of data breaches via HIPAA.
its Health Information Technology for reporting of data breaches via HIPAA — and its Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) act and omnibus Rule — as well as the various state breach notification laws.
How to prevent data breaches?
There is no one security product or control that can prevent data breaches. The most reasonable common sense security practices. This includes well-known security basics, such as conducting ongoing vulnerability and penetration testing, applying proven malware protection, using strong passwords/passphrases and consistently applying the necessary software patches on all systems.
While these steps will help prevent intrusions into an environment, information security (infosec) experts also encourage encrypting sensitive data. whether it is store (infosec) experts also encourage encrypting sensitive data, whether it is store inside an on-premises network or third-party cloud service.
Notable data breaches
In the financial services industry 927 incidents report with 207 cases of confirm data disclosure in healthcare where most of the breaches were attribute to internal actors. 466 incidents were report with 304 confirm cases of disclosure and in the public sector where 79 percent of breaches were 23,399 incidents and 330 with confirm data disclosure.
Data breach methods
Most data breaches attributes to hacking or malware attacks Other frequently observed breach methods include the following.
- Insider leak: A trusted individual or person of authority with access privileges steals data.
- Payment card fraud: Payment card data is stole using physical skimming devices.
- Loss or Thieve: Portable drives, laptops, office computers, files, and other physical properties are run by.
- Unintended disclosure: Through mistakes or negligence, sensitive data is expose.
- Unknown: In a small number of cases, the actual breach method is unknown or not disclose.
Data Breach Laws
Data breach legislation differs in every country or region Many countries still do not require organizations to notify authorities in cases of a data breach. In countries like the U.S., Canada and France, organizations are obliged to notify affected individuals of a data breach under certain conditions.
Written By: Abhishek Kumar
Reviewed By: Sayan Chatterjee
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