{"id":4176,"date":"2025-06-04T04:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T21:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audithink.com\/?p=4176"},"modified":"2026-09-01T14:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T07:28:40","slug":"data-breach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audithink.com\/en\/blog\/data-breach\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Breach: Definition, Types, Examples, & Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today's digital era, data security has become a top priority for both individuals and organizations. One of the biggest threats to data security is a data breach<\/em>. This article will comprehensively discuss what a data breach<\/em> is, examples of cases that have occurred, and how to prevent it to keep sensitive data safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is A Data Breach?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data breach<\/em> is a security incident in which confidential, sensitive, or protected information is accessed, copied, disseminated, or used by unauthorized parties. This information can be personal data, financial data, login information, customer data, to company trade secrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of reasons for this, including cyber attacks (cyber attack<\/em>), employee negligence, system misconfiguration, to lax security practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Data Breaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Breach due to hacking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Usually done by hacker<\/em> who managed to penetrate the security system through malware, phishing<\/a>, or exploit vulnerabilities (vulnerability<\/em>) on the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Insider threat (threats from within)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Involving employees or internal parties who intentionally or unintentionally leak data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Lost Device<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Data can be leaked if the devices storing sensitive information, such as laptops, hard drives, or smartphones, are lost and not well protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Human Error<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    For example, sending an email containing sensitive data to the wrong recipient, or incorrectly setting file access permissions in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples Of Data Breach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1. Yahoo (2013-2014)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This is one of the largest data breach<\/em> in history. Yahoo revealed that more than 3 billion user accounts were hacked. The leaked information includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and answers to security questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Facebook (2019)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    More than 530 million Facebook user data, including phone numbers and profile information, were found scattered on hacker forums. This data was leaked as a result of an error in the configuration of a third-party server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Tokopedia (2020)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    One of the largest e-commerce sites in Indonesia has suffered a data leak of 91 million user accounts. The leaked information includes emails, usernames, and password hashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. BPJS Health (2021)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The case of personal data leakage of about 279 million people in Indonesia is suspected to come from BPJS Kesehatan. The Data includes NIK, full name, address, mobile number, and salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Impact of Data Breach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Data breaches not only impact an organization's reputation, but can also lead to financial losses, lawsuits, and loss of trust from consumers. Here are some of the main impacts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n