Everything you Need to Know about Data Protection Breach

These days, people have become desensitized to data protection breaches as they have begun to occur regularly. This is not a good sign because the protection of data is of the utmost importance. Not only should businesses disclose that a data protection breach has occurred, but they are also obligated to pay any penalties or fines because of regulations. The seriousness of these breaches has caused a number of companies their entire business.

What is a Data Protection Breach?

A data protection breach refers to a security incident in which sensitive and private information is released unauthorized. The most common scenario is when a database is infiltrated by cybercriminals and sensitive data is compromised, whether it is copied, transmitted or used in any other way. A data protection breach can expose financial information, such as credit card numbers of individuals, personal information and corporate secrets, such as software codes, intellectual property and more.

After a data protection breach, losses occur because the attacker may impersonate someone from the targeted network and gain access to other networks. If there is violation of regulatory compliance, the organization that has suffered from the data protection breach will have to deal with legal fines.

Why does a Data Protection Breach Happen?

There are a number of reasons why a data protection breach may occur. Sometimes they are accidental and sometimes targeted attacks can lead to money theft or identity theft. Cybercriminals are usually responsible for these breaches and the biggest issue is that the infiltration and attack into the network can often remain undetected for long periods of time. There are also times when they are never detected. Some of the common reasons of a data protection breach are:

• Weak passwords: This is considered a no-brainer as the easiest way for a hacker to gain unauthorized access to any protected network is through insecure passwords.
• Process failure and human error: Weak passwords are considered human error, but it is not the only one; unencrypted hardware devices, theft or loss of paperwork, sending data via fax or email to an incorrect recipient and sharing account details are some more.
• System vulnerabilities: Unfixed system vulnerabilities and out-of-date software can enable attackers to exploit a network through malware.
• Malware: Phishing tactics can be used by hackers to get users to download malware through email. Connecting to a public wireless network can also lead to exposure. Malware can be modified by hackers for capturing information.

How to Recover from Data Protection Breach?

These breaches are constant threat to every organization, regardless of its size. No matter how many defenses, strategies and policies there may be, eventually a hacker may be able to compromise them. The effects of a data protection breach for an organization can be detrimental. Therefore, it is vital to stay protected and do everything possible to prevent these breaches. Even if your strategies and tactics don’t work, you shouldn’t panic because it is certainly possible to recover from a data protection breach.

While the recovery plan for every organization is different, there are some steps that should always be included. What are they? Read on to find out:

Step 1: Stop the breach

Time is of the essence when it comes to a data protection breach. As soon as the business becomes aware, they should contain it as quickly as possible. How it can be contained? This depends on the nature of the breach and the systems that are affected. The system should be isolated so the breach doesn’t spread to the whole network. All user accounts that are breached should be disconnected or the entire department that was attached can also be shut down.

When you have a complex infrastructure that contains multiple layers, it becomes easier to locate and identify the attack a lot more efficiently and quickly. After containing the breach, the threat should be eliminated to prevent additional damage. The method of eradication depends on the type of attack.

Step 2: Assess the damage

After you have stopped and eliminated the threat, your next step should be to investigate and assess what damage was caused. It is essential to know how the data protection breach occurred in the first place in order to prevent the same attack being repeated in the future by others. Plus, you also need to investigate the systems that have been affected for detecting any malware left behind. In the assessment, you need to figure out what type of data was affected, whether it was sensitive, was it encrypted, whether it was high-risk, the tactics that were used and other similar questions.

Step 3: Notify the affected

During the investigation of the data protection breach, an organization will discover exactly who was affected and also those that may be. The authorities, individuals and third-party organizations that might be or were affected should be informed. It is best to disclose the data protection breach as soon as possible because regulations govern the duration in which it should be reported. The notification should refer to the breach, along with everything that was compromised and what can be done to save from future damage.

Step 4: Perform a security audit

After taking the above mentioned steps in recovering from a data protection breach, a security audit should be performed. Its purpose is to assess the current security systems of the organization and to come up with recovery plans for the future. Numerous business organizations believe that their security is efficient, but this cannot be claimed unless a security audit is performed. These should be performed on a regular basis, regardless of whether a data protection breach has occurred or not. Nonetheless, there are differences between a routine audit and a post-data protection breach audit. All systems should be analyzed, along with network and server systems, rDNS records, open ports and more.

Every business should train their employees, use strong passwords, patch vulnerabilities, encrypt data and have a recovery plan in place for dealing with a data protection breach effectively and quickly.