What are the types of security breaches

Think of a security breach as an intrusion. If someone breaks the window and enters the house, it is a security breach. If an intruder steals your documents and personal information and comes out of the window again, it's a data breach, but more on that later.

Security breaches don't necessarily happen at home, they happen a lot in organizations large and small. A security breach can damage an organization's reputation and finances. If data gets swept out of the process, it can be affected.

security breach meaning

Security breaches and data breaches can happen at scale. Consider the 2017 Equifax data breach, where hackers had access to the personal information of more than 145 million Americans. Alternatively, a Yahoo data breach first reported in 2016 exposed 3 billion user accounts.

What is a security breach by definition? A security breach occurs when an intruder gains unauthorized access to an organization's protected systems and data. Cybercriminals or malicious applications bypass security mechanisms to reach restricted areas. A security breach is an early stage breach that can lead to things like system damage and data loss.

What are the types of security breaches?

Attackers can initiate various types of security breaches. There are three big ones here.

Viruses, spyware and other malware

Cybercriminals often use malicious software to break into protected networks. Viruses, spyware, and other types of malware often arrive via email or by downloading from the Internet.

For example, you may receive an email with an attached text, image or audio file. Opening attachments can infect your computer. Alternatively, you can download an infected program from the Internet. In this case, your computer is infected when you open or run malicious programs. If it is a virus, it can spread to other computers on the network.

most of the organization

Cybercriminals can sometimes create gaps in security by sending emails to an organization's employees, sending fakes. Emails are made to appear as if they were sent by an executive with an urgent request for, for example, employment records, login information, or other sensitive data. To fill the request, the employee replies the information by email, which can be put into the hands of cybercriminals.

This tactic is called spearfishing (when an email is targeted at a specific person).

Attacks often target the financial industry with the goal of gaining access to financial accounts. Alternatively, phishing emails may target you as the account holder. You may receive an urgent email stating that an attempt was made to access your bank account, so click this link and log in now. However, the link is fake and the login information goes directly to the scammer.

Denial of Service (DDoS) attack

A denial of service attack can damage a website. Hackers can flood your traffic and make your website or computer unusable. A DDoS attack is considered a security breach because it can overwhelm an organization's security devices and ability to do business. DDoS attacks often target government or financial websites. Motives can be activism, revenge or extortion. During the attack, anyone doing legitimate business with organizations like you will not be able to access your website.

However, these three examples are just the beginning. There are other types of security breaches. Cybercriminals can also launch ransomware attacks by exploiting software bugs or uploading encryption software to networks. Essentially, it demands a ransom in exchange for an encryption key. Alternatively, an intrusion could occur inside an organization where an employee seeks to access or steal information for financial gain. 

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