Data Leakage Defined

Data leakage is that the unauthorized transmission of knowledge from at intervals and organization to an external destination or recipient. The term are often used to describe knowledge that's transferred electronically or physically. Knowledge escape threats sometimes occur via the web and email, however may occur via mobile knowledge storage devices like optical media, USB keys, and laptops.



Barely daily goes by while not a confidential knowledge breach hitting the headlines. Knowledge escape, conjointly called low and slow knowledge theft, is a vast drawback for knowledge security, and therefore the injury caused to any organization, despite size or industry, are often serious. From declining revenue to a tarnished reputation or massive monetary penalties to crippling lawsuits, this can be a threat that any organization can want to shield themselves from.

Data leakage refers to unauthorized access or disclosure of sensitive or confidential data. Advancement in information technology has made data vulnerable to various malware attacks leading to the leakage of sensitive and confidential data to the attacker. Data leakage may happen electronically through an email or malicious link or via some physical method such as device theft, hacker break-ins, etc.

Threats Insider 
Most of the data attacks come from the insiders only making it much more difficult to prevent or detect them. Disgruntled or negligent employees may leak sensitive data knowingly or unknowingly to the outside world incurring huge financial losses and business interruptions. Employees may use various techniques such as eavesdropping, shoulder surfing, dumpster diving, etc. to gain unauthorized access to information in violation of corporate policies. System misconfiguration and technology failures also enable insiders to steal sensitive information. Insider threats are difficult to thwart because insiders are mostly aware of the security loopholes of the organization and they exploit them to steal confidential information.

Types of Data Leakage
There an many various sorts of knowledge escape associate degreed it's necessary to know that the matter are often initiated via an external or internal supply. Protecting measures need to address all areas to confirm that the foremost common knowledge escape threats are prevented.
The Accidental Breach
"Unauthorized" knowledge escape doesn't essentially mean meant or malicious. The great news is that the majority of knowledge escape incidents are accidental. As an example, a worker might accidentally select the incorrect recipient once sending an email containing confidential knowledge. Unfortunately, unintentional knowledge escape will still end in a similar penalties and reputational injury as they are doing not mitigate legal responsibilities.
The Disgruntled or Ill-Intentioned Employee
When we consider knowledge leakages, we predict concerning knowledge endured stolen or misplaced laptops or knowledge that's leaked over email. However, the overwhelming majority of knowledge loss doesn't occur over associate degree electronic medium; it occurs via printers, cameras, photocopiers, removable USB drives and even Dumpster diving for discarded documents. Whereas a worker might have signed an employment agreement that effectively signifies trust between leader and worker, there's nothing to prevent them from later un seaworthy guidance out of the building if they're discontented or secure a hefty payout by cyber criminals. This sort of knowledge information escape is usually referred to as data exfiltration.
Electronic Communications with Malicious Intent
Many organizations give employees access to the internet, email, and instant messaging as a part of their role. The matter is that each one of those mediums area unit capable of file transfer or accessing external sources over the net. Malware is usually accustomed target these mediums and with a high success rate. As an example, a cyber criminal may quite simply spoof a legitimate business email account and request sensitive info to be sent to them. The user would unknowingly send the data that may contain monetary knowledge or sensitive evaluation info.

Phishing attacks area unit another cyber-attack methodology with a high knowledge escape success rate. Just by clicking on a link and visiting an online page that contains malicious code may permit an assailant to access a laptop or network to retrieve the data they have.

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