What causes data breaches

Data breaches happen for a variety of reasons, both internal and external to an organization. One of the primary causes is leaked credentials, where an organization’s usernames, passwords, or session tokens are compromised and exploited by malicious users to gain access to the company’s network. This often involves stealer malware, third-party breaches, combo lists, credential stuffing, or simply taking advantage of default or reused passwords.

Additionally, insider threats, such as disgruntled employees or contractors, can intentionally or unintentionally misuse or steal sensitive data. Another common cause is human error, such as accidental data exposure, misconfigured systems, or improper handling of sensitive data by employees. Physical theft or loss of devices containing sensitive data, weak access controls, lack of encryption, and outdated software can also lead to data breaches. Finally, third-party vulnerabilities, where a breach at a vendor or partner organization indirectly leaks your organization’s data as part of their breach.
Data breach monitoring results showing alerts for compromised company data

Only 1 in 3 organizations discover a data breach on their own

67% of breaches are reported by a third-party or by the attackers themselves.

The average cost of a data breach is USD 4.45 million

The average cost has increased 15.3% since the IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2020 report.

86% of breaches use stolen, weak or default passwords

Stolen or leaked passwords are the easiest way for threat actors to gain access to your network.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Data Breach Monitoring?

Data breach monitoring is the process of monitoring data breaches for mentions of specific individuals, brands, phone numbers, and other types of sensitive information. With data breaches becoming increasingly common, ongoing monitoring is essential for ensuring the safety of your customers’ and employees’ sensitive personal information.

How Are Data Breach Monitoring Work?

Breachsense continuously tracks millions of online sources, including IRC and Telegram channels, private cybercrime communities, ransomware marketplaces, and more. Your security team is notified the moment there are any mentions of your:

  • Employee or customer account credentials or other sensitive data
  • Login credentials to your C-level executive accounts
  • Credentials for remote access servers like SSH, Remote Desktop, and FTP
  • Internal company emails or documents
  • Employee corporate or government-issued IDs

How Data Breach Monitoring Helps Prevent Cybercrime?

By detecting data breaches in real time, your security team will be able to react immediately before any damage is done. The moment a breach is detected, you can:

  • Disable Compromised Accounts
  • Prevent Fraudulent Purchases
  • Upgrade Your Security Measures

Is A Data Breach The Same As A Data Leak?

It’s true that both terms - “data breach” and “data leak” - seem as if they referred to the same type of a cyber threat. In reality, however, they do have slightly different meanings. A data breach occurs where a third party gains unauthorized access, often malicious, to compromise sensitive information within a system or network. A data leak, on the other hand, usually means an unauthorized release of confidential data, whether intentional or unintentional by a third party but also an employee of a company.