What is the difference between a data breach and a data exposure?

The world is experiencing a moment of technological changes, leading to a significant increase in the volume of data stored and circulating in digital environments. Consequently, the percentage of data breaches and other cybercrimes has been rising every day.

Data from the annual Threat Landscape Retrospective 2021 report show that 40 billion data records were exposed just in 2021.

In 2022, the growth of cybercrimes continued. According to figures from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), the first three months of the year already recorded a 14% increase in data breaches compared to the previous year.

These numbers make sense given the amount of information and data circulating on the internet today, especially with the rise of remote work and the growth of digital resources in daily life.

Another serious issue noted in this more technological work and routine dynamic is data exposure.

Although the terms are very similar, they have distinct differences. But do you or your company’s professionals know how to differentiate between these two major digital problems? Check out their main characteristics below!

Data BreachA data breach occurs when protected information, whether from the company or its clients, is accessed by a malicious user.

This information is mainly used for financial theft or to compromise a specific system. It is also common for this data to be sold improperly to other companies.

This type of cybercrime happens when a company's systems have vulnerabilities and flaws or take advantage of human factors.

Common attacks include phishing, general malware such as ransomware, internal security breaches, password exploitation, among others.

Data ExposureIn contrast, data exposure involves the loss of information due to an action or failure on the part of the company itself.

In this case, there is no malicious agent seeking confidential data criminally; instead, the problem is caused by a lack of protection, errors, or vulnerabilities in some software or system.

Thus, data that should be kept confidential, such as personal information, account numbers, and other important details of clients or even the company, become exposed or public.

What to do when the company faces one of these issues?Unfortunately, as previously shown, data breaches are increasing, and at some point, your company may experience this type of cybercrime or even issues related to data exposure.

Knowing this, it is also important to be aware of actions that need to be taken after such incidents. These include:

Report: In the case of a data breach, it is crucial to file a report on the ANPD - National Data Protection Association website after detecting the cybercrime. This makes the incident official.

Change Passwords and Access: When the incident involves both data breach and data exposure, it is necessary to change passwords and access immediately.

This is the first action to prevent information from remaining public or being accessed by unauthorized individuals.

Update Systems: Another important strategy is to immediately update company software or networks. This measure should be taken regularly, regardless of data breach and exposure incidents. Obsolete systems are a major cause of these issues.

Identify the Source of the Problem: This task is for specialized professionals. If your company does not have qualified employees, it may be a good time to hire a third-party company or invest in a skilled team.

Identifying what caused the data exposure or facilitated the breach is a way to understand the main problems in the company's system.

How to Prevent Data Exposure and Data Breaches Within the CompanyIf your company has not yet experienced data exposure or breaches or has suffered from these issues but wants to protect itself, there are strategies to prevent them.

This is very important, especially with the LGPD (General Data Protection Law), which requires all companies to be very attentive to client data and to avoid penalties if they do not adequately protect themselves. Some methods include:

Access Restrictions: One of the most urgent actions in a company dealing with data in digital spaces is restricting access to information only to authorized personnel.

Reducing the number of people who can access certain digital environments decreases the chances that human factors will contribute to a data breach or exposure.

Create an access level methodology so that only necessary employees can access certain information and files.

Application of the Zero Trust Concept: Zero Trust is a very interesting concept to apply in companies, as it aims to make data access more difficult.

The idea is that no user is trusted, and therefore, various measures must be implemented to make the system a kind of "fortress" - making cybercrimes increasingly rare. We discuss this strategy in another blog article. Read it!

Password and Device Use Policies: It is essential for every company, especially those working in hybrid or remote formats, to have policies regarding password sharing and the use of work computers and other devices.

Using more complex and longer passwords, especially for accessing important files, and restricting the use of company devices to work purposes only are effective methods.

Investment in Bug Bounty: For protection that goes beyond human error prevention, investing in a Bug Bounty program is a great strategy.

Bug Bounty is a cybersecurity method that employs specialized professionals to “hunt” for potential flaws and vulnerabilities in partner companies' systems.

These professionals, known as bug hunters, analyze the systems within the scope of the reward program, and upon finding issues, notify the company through a specific and detailed report. After the service is performed, a reward is paid to the service provider.

This way, the company stays alert and protects itself in advance against potential cyberattacks, such as data breaches.

BugHunt is the first Bug Bounty platform in Brazil and can help your company protect client and business data. Visit the site and find out more information!