A reused password, a vendor with access to your systems, or a misconfigured database can be all it takes for your company’s information to fall into the wrong hands. Often, the organization doesn’t realize it until the data is already circulating outside. That’s why cybersecurity tools like Kartos continuously monitor what’s exposed beyond the perimeter, so you can detect the problem before someone exploits it.
In this article, we explain what a security breach is, what types exist, how to detect it, and what the GDPR requires when it affects personal data.
What is a security breach?
A security breach occurs when an unauthorized intruder bypasses a system’s security measures and accesses protected data. Breaches can result from external attacks by hackers or internal actions, such as employees accessing information they don’t have permission for.
In cybersecurity, a security breach can have serious consequences. Attackers can steal individuals’ personal and sensitive data and use it for malicious purposes, such as identity theft, phishing campaigns, or financial fraud. Organizations can also suffer significant damage, such as loss of intellectual property, reputational harm, and loss of customer trust.
Security breaches can occur in any type of system or network, regardless of the information it contains. This includes, for example, computer networks, database systems, and mobile devices
With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), even everyday devices such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, or thermostats can be vulnerable to security breaches.
Detecting a security breach is a challenge for organizations. Attackers often use sophisticated techniques to hide their activities so that breaches can go undetected for months or even years. For this reason, companies invest in intrusion detection technologies and tools to monitor their different attack surfaces for suspicious activity and findings.
Once a breach is detected, responding quickly to neutralize or minimize the damage is crucial. This can involve identifying and repairing the exploited vulnerability to taking compromised systems offline and notifying any affected parties.
In many cases, law also requires organizations to report their security breaches to the appropriate authorities.
You may be interested in our publication→ Information Security: 5 Best Practices to Implement in Your Company.
Security breach, data breach and incident: differences
The three terms are often used as synonyms, but they are not:
| Concept | What is | Does it require notification to the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD)? |
| Security incident | Any event that threatens security, even if it does not cause harm (a blocked access attempt, malware detected in time) | No |
| Security breach | Incident in which protection has failed, and information has been compromised | It depends on whether personal data is involved. |
| Personal data breach | Security breach affecting personal data | Yes, unless it is unlikely to pose a risk to your rights |
In other words, every data breach is a security breach. However, not every security breach affects personal data.
Types of Prominent Security Breaches
Security breaches can lead to many vulnerabilities. Among the highlights are:
Confidentiality Breach
A confidentiality breach is a type of security breach that occurs when data confidentiality is violated. In cybersecurity, confidentiality refers to maintaining the privacy of information and ensuring that only authorized individuals can access it.
Confidentiality breaches have different causes. An attacker can exploit a cybersecurity system vulnerability to access protected data, an employee can lose a device containing sensitive information, or a user can be tricked into revealing their password through a phishing attack.
The consequences of a confidentiality breach are often severe. For an organization, it can lead to a loss of competitive advantage, reputational damage, and legal penalties for non-compliance with data protection laws such as the GDPR.
Integrity Breach
An integrity breach is a specific type of security breach that occurs when the accuracy or consistency of data is altered without authorization. In cybersecurity, integrity means ensuring information is accurate and has not been improperly modified.
Integrity breaches can result from malicious actions, such as a hacker attack that alters data, or from unintentional errors, such as a system failure that corrupts data.
When an integrity breach occurs, data that should be trustworthy is no longer trustworthy. Many organizations use hashing techniques and digital signatures to ensure data integrity. These techniques allow organizations to detect any data tampering. However, these techniques can still be compromised in a cyberattack.
Availability Breach
An availability breach is a specific type of security breach that occurs when data or systems are unavailable to authorized users when needed. In cybersecurity, availability means ensuring systems and data are accessible and functional when needed.
Availability breaches result from various incidents, from system failures and human error to malicious attacks.
The most common attack that causes an availability breach is a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, in which the attacker floods a system with traffic to overload it and make it inaccessible.
When an availability breach occurs, users cannot access systems or data, impacting service and business continuity. Organizations should have disaster recovery and business continuity plans to recover quickly from an availability breach.
How a security breach occurs
Behind every breach, there is an entry vector; below we highlight the most common ones:
- Exploitation of vulnerabilities: Attackers exploit security flaws in software, servers, or devices that haven’t been updated in time, and this is the most common entry point today.
- Credentials compromised: Leaked, reused, or stolen passwords by infostealers. They allow access to systems as if they were a legitimate user, without raising suspicion.
- Social engineering and phishing: The attacker tricks a person into handing over credentials, downloading a malicious file, or authorizing an operation, taking advantage of trust or urgency.
- Third parties and suppliers: A provider with access to your systems or data can become the entry point if their security is weaker than yours.
- Ransomware: It encrypts the organization’s systems and information to demand a ransom and, increasingly, steals the data beforehand to pressure for its release.
- Internal errors: An incorrect configuration, an email sent to the wrong recipient, or a lost laptop can expose information without any attacker’s involvement.
The common denominator is that most of these vectors originate outside the corporate perimeter, for example, in credentials circulating on the dark web, in supplier systems, or in assets exposed on the internet.
What should I do if I’m affected by a security breach?
When an organization suffers a cybersecurity breach, it needs to act quickly to:
- Identify the nature and extent of the incident.
- Isolate affected systems to prevent further damage.
- Document details of the incident.
- Communicate the breach to stakeholders, including customers if their data is compromised.
- Inform the relevant authorities.
- Investigate and remediate the breach.
- Review and update security policies and procedures.
Keys to Prevent a Security Breach
Preventing data breaches is essential to any corporate cybersecurity strategy.
Some keys to protecting your organization are:
- Awareness and education. Personnel are the first line of defense against cyber threats. The organization should provide regular cybersecurity training to keep everyone informed about the latest threats and how to avoid them.
Security policies. Establish clear policies for using company systems and data. This includes strong password policies, VPN use for remote access, and restrictions on personal devices.- Updates and patches. Keep all operating systems and applications up to date. Cybercriminals often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software.
- Firewall and antivirus. To protect your network, use a robust firewall and antivirus software that stays active and up to date.
- Two-factor authentication. Implement two-factor authentication whenever possible. This adds an extra layer of security, as it requires a second form of identification in addition to the password.
- Backups: Back up all important data regularly. This allows faster recovery in the event of a data breach.
- Incident response plan. Develop an incident response plan. It should include how to identify and report a data breach and the steps to contain and recover from it.
- Security audits. Conduct regular security audits to assess protection status and identify and remediate vulnerabilities.
- Data encryption. Encrypt sensitive data to protect it in a breach.
- Vulnerability detection. Continuously monitor attack surfaces, internal and external, for real-time detection of any security breach.
If you want to learn more about cybersecurity, check out our publication→ The Cybersecurity Trends You Need to Know About.
Repercussions of a security breach
When a company suffers a security breach, these are the main consequences it must face:
Financial Damages
Security breaches have financial repercussions for businesses. Direct costs include system recovery and repair, as well as potential fines and legal penalties.
Indirect costs can include customer loss due to mistrust, reputational damage, and diminished brand value. Businesses may also face costly litigation from affected customers or employees.
Reputational Damage
A security breach can significantly damage a company’s reputation for protecting its brand. When customer personal data is compromised, trust erodes, leading to a decline in the customer base and sales.
In addition, negative perceptions of the company can affect relationships with business partners and investors.
Reputation recovery often takes considerable time and requires major investments in security and public relations campaigns.
Data Loss
Data loss is a devastating consequence of a cybersecurity breach. Laws such as GDPR can protect lost data, which may include sensitive customer information, intellectual property, financial records, and more.
Losing data can disrupt business operations and require considerable effort to recover or rebuild. In addition, the leaked data can be used for illicit purposes, such as identity fraud.
How Kartos helps you detect and prevent security breaches
Kartos, the cyber-surveillance tool developed by Enthec, allows your organization to proactively, continuously, and in real time monitor the factors that can lead to a security breach and compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of your data.
By monitoring the internet, the deep web, the dark web, and social networks, Kartos detects corporate information exposed non-intrusively, without installing anything on your systems, so you can correct each finding before it’s used in a cyberattack. Furthermore, with Kartos for third parties, you can extend that oversight to your critical suppliers, one of the fastest-growing sources of the gap.
As a Spanish manufacturer, Enthec operates under European data protection regulations, develops its own solutions, does not share information with third parties, and holds ENS certification at the highest level and ISO 27001.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all security breaches have to be reported to the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD)?
No. Only breaches that affect personal data, and only when they are likely to pose a risk to people’s rights and freedoms. Even then, you must document all breaches internally.
What happens if a breach is not reported within 72 hours?
You must also notify us and explain the reasons for the delay. Late notification or failure to notify may be considered a GDPR breach, with fines of up to €10 million or 2% of global annual turnover.
Who should report the breach if it occurs at a provider?
The responsibility for notifying the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) lies with the data controller, that is, the company that decides how the data is used. The provider processing the data on its own behalf must notify the AEPD without undue delay as soon as it becomes aware of the breach.
Is a security breach the same as a vulnerability?
No. A vulnerability is a weakness that could be exploited, whereas a breach is the consequence of someone exploiting it, or of another protection measure failing, and the information being compromised.
How can I find out if my company’s data has been leaked?
Often, the organization is unaware of the theft until the data is published or offered for sale. The most reliable way to detect it is to continuously monitor the sources where stolen information is traded, as Kartos does.
