{"id":27898,"date":"2022-05-31T11:57:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T11:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=27898"},"modified":"2023-08-14T12:08:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T12:08:23","slug":"what-is-a-data-leak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/what-is-a-data-leak\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Data Leak?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve never asked yourself <\/span>what a data leak is<\/b>,\u201d you\u2019re sleeping on a serious cybersecurity issue. Malicious hackers exploit data leakage, resulting in anything from revenue loss and disruption in operations to legal penalties and expensive lawsuits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without proper security measures, a small loophole can result in data leakage, damaging your business reputation and exposing sensitive data. Both individuals and business owners must understand data leaks, causes, and <\/span>ways to prevent data loss<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, <\/span>what is a data leak <\/b>exactly?<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Data Leakage?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Data leakage is when sensitive data is accidentally exposed to an external recipient or outside destination from within an organization. The data leak definition can refer to information transmitted physically or electronically. Data leakage can occur due to poor security protocols, unintentional loss of storage devices, or an organization’s present or past employees. More often than not, it happens as a result of human error.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, an employee can unknowingly send a sensitive email to the wrong recipient, save data in public storage, or have sensitive information on unlocked devices like flash drives in public places. Data leaks can also occur due to software misconfiguration facilitating malicious access to secret information. A good example was the <\/span>major Microsoft Power App data leak in 2021<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data Leak vs. Data Loss<\/b><\/h3>\n

Data leakage and data loss are often used interchangeably, but they differ. The <\/span>causes of data loss<\/span> vs. data leaks aren\u2019t the same, either. When data is lost, it means the information is no longer accessible. That\u2019s why <\/span>data loss impacts your business<\/span><\/a> severely, often causing irreparable harm to your trustworthiness, profit margins, and operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

With data leaks,\u00a0 threat actors can plan a successful cyberattack targeting a specific organization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This can also result in severe damage to business operations, corporate reputations, financial outcomes, and revenue. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to identify and remediate data leaks before they get into the wrong hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data Leak vs. Data Breach<\/b><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s discuss the difference between data leaks and data breaches to remove any form of confusion. Though these terms are related, there\u2019s a slight difference. A data breach happens when cybercriminals bypass security protocols or launch successful attacks to compromise networks and systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This results in the extraction, modification, and stealing of files, credentials, and other sensitive information. Data breaches are one of the major <\/span>causes of data loss<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike data breaches, data leaks don\u2019t involve an attack and often don\u2019t result in data loss. On the other hand, data breaches can incur complete data loss\u2014as in ransomware attacks, where the attacker encrypts the victim\u2019s files.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the Causes of a Data Leak?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The causes of data leaks vary, but understanding them can help protect your business. Below are some <\/span>common causes of data leaks<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n