A data leak is the unintentional exposure of sensitive or confidential information outside its intended environment, typically through human error or a software vulnerability. These incidents threaten the security of data at rest in databases and while in motion between different storage locations. They don’t necessarily require the efforts of bad actors and can cause substantial reputational damage to businesses.
Leaked data can be exploited in phishing scams to steal personal details or used for ransomware attacks where bad actors encrypt the exposed data and demand payment for its release. Other consequences can include business disruption as a result of loss or theft of critical IP, and the loss of customer confidence and loyalty.
Human error is the most common cause of data leaks, from an employee sharing private company files with unauthorized individuals to system errors that allow malicious actors to access and manipulate data. These mistakes can be anything from a single email sent to the wrong person to a massive cloud misconfiguration that exposes the files of 23 terabytes to anyone on the Internet.
Many people use legacy tools such as external USB drives, desktop email applications and public printers to store and share files that could contain sensitive data – a simple mistake can be enough to cause a data leak. But more sophisticated attack methods can be used to compromise the security of internal networks and systems by overcoming or bypassing security controls. These events can be harder to identify and are more likely to lead to a cyberattack that results in the breach of sensitive information.
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