What is security breach and what are the protection techniques?
A security breach is any incident or event that may result in an unauthorized access to data, applications, computing devices and other information systems. It may result in unauthorized disclosure and modification or tampering of data, disruption of systems and businesses. Moreover, data breach occurs when an unauthorized entity or intruder is able to transgress security controls. Technically speaking, there is a difference between a security breach and a data breach in information security domain. Further, a security breach occurs when intruder effectively a break-in into information systems by evading security controls. Whereas a data breach happens when the cybercriminal infiltrates information or data while it is in storage, in transit or in use.
Security breach may occur due to the following and more cyberattacks:
- Exploitation of vulnerable systems
- Weak credentials such as password
- Malware attacks
- Social engineering
- Phishing attack
- Drive-by download
- Brute force attack
The best strategies to protect yourself against a security breach include the following, but not limited to:
- Use strong credentials or password
- Use different passwords and different accounts
- Disable accounts that you don’t use instead of leaving it dormant
- Change passwords regularly
- Sanitize hardware properly before throwing out
- Backup files or data
- Secure your devices
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links