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As implied in the definition, data breaches may not always be intentional. Some data breaches occur after the user makes a certain mistake. 

These are some of the most common ways by which data can be breached:

1. Insider Misuse

In companies, authorised employees may exploit their position to share sensitive data about the company, either with a competitor or with the public. Though these employees are authorised to see the data, this is still considered a crime.

2. Malware

Malware is so commonly used these days. It usually doesn’t require an experienced hacker to send a fake link to a whole bunch of people. Once they open the link, the hacker can access different kinds of data according to the malware type.

For example, keyloggers will give the hacker access to any password you type. RAM scrapers will expose sensitive data by scanning the device memory.

Ransomware will block your access to your data until you pay the required ransom. File-less malware is a more malicious form of malware that not everyone can trace; instead of depending on separate virus-laden files, it infects your device through legitimate software, leaving no sign behind

One of the malware types that people easily fall for is trojans, which disguise as completely legitimate software. Once you download it, your data gets breached.

A data breach can lead to multiple scenarios, depending on the information that the hacker has gotten access to. These may include:

• Identity theft
• Intellectual property theft
• Leakage of private information
• Blackmailing
• Corruption of databases

We’ve seen multiple high-profile data breach cases over the years. The results of these data breaches were enormous. Let’s talk about some of the biggest data breaches that have occurred:

LinkedIn

Back in 2012, the popular social media platform, LinkedIn, was hit by a huge computer data breach. As if this wasn’t scandalous enough, LinkedIn, at the time, reported that 6.5 million accounts have been compromised. In 2016, however, the hackers admitted to breaching 167 million accounts, exposing their credentials. 

While the hackers were caught and imprisoned, the data they stole still remains on the dark web; they had sold it to a Russian forum. As a result, LinkedIn advised its users to change their passwords if they haven’t already since 2012.

Dubsmash

If you were active on social media between 2017 and 2018, you probably know how the video-messaging app, Dubsmash, was one of the hottest trends. Well, in 2018, a data breach compromised the data of 162 million Dubsmash users.

The hackers were able to get hold of users’ email addresses, usernames, dates of birth, and passwords, then sold them to Dream Market, a dark web market. Later, the information was sold to other websites.

Dubsmash hasn’t confirmed the number of the breached accounts or how the breach occurred, but it still advised users to change their passwords. 

Dixons Carphone

Dixons Carphone is a British electrical and telecommunications retailer. In 2018, it was hit by what would be announced as the biggest online data breach in the UK. The data breach affected 10.2 million customers and compromised their personal data.

As a result of this huge breach, Dixons Carphone was fined £500.000, which is the maximum fine for such cases. 

UK Government

The UK government has suffered from thousands of data breaches from August 2019 to July 2020, according to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The breaches hit several governmental institutions.

These institutions include the NHS Digital, where the data of 38 people, including employees and patients, was breached. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also presented 181 notifications of data breaches throughout that period.

The previous examples show that data breaches can happen to regular individuals, big companies, and even governments. This means that everyone should try their best to avoid such a crisis.

Here are some of the measures you can take to protect your data from being breached:

Keep Security Software Updated

Ensure that you have one of the top security software currently available. Once you get it, don’t ignore the software’s constant update reminders. Those updates are usually made in response to new data breach threats that need to be covered.If you’re new to the game, be on the lookout for fake antivirus software that can end up being malware.

Regular Vulnerability and Compliance Management

Vulnerability and compliance management (VCM) detects the vulnerabilities in your digital infrastructure and points out the weak points in your assets. You can use a VCM tool regularly to specify gaps in your system and solve the issue.

Backup and Encrypt Your Data

Encrypting your data can always prevent unauthorised individuals from accessing it. You must also back up your data regularly. If possible, you should back up your data on cloud data backup services instead of hardware that can become corrupted or, worse, get stolen.

Stay Safe on Social Media

It’s important to read the platform’s security terms and conditions, use strong passwords, avoid contacting anonymous accounts, and limit the information you share on social media. If any data can be used against you in any way, avoid sharing it.

Train Your Staff

You should always raise your staff’s awareness about the sensitivity of the data and the need to keep it secured and protected.

You also need to train them on following the best practices so they can avoid making mistakes that might open the door for security breaches. 

Here are some points your staff can train on:

• Coming up with strong passwords
• Avoid using the same password for multiple files
• Limiting the number of people who have access to sensitive data
• Instantly reporting any data leakage or unauthorised data access that may occur

Sometimes, the breach can happen to a company that holds your data. In this case, you have the right to demand compensation from the breached company if you believe that the breach has affected your sensitive data.

Typically, most people settle data breach claims outside of the court, since most companies would prefer to just give you the money instead of risking their reputations. But if you fail to reach an agreement with the company, you can take legal action by making a data breach claim.

If you’re determined on going to court, you should have legal support. At Data Breach Claims, we’ll help you determine whether you have a strong case or not. If it’s a yes, our team will introduce you to the best and most suitable solicitors and claims management companies for you.

The experts will give you solid legal advice and help present your claim to the court to guarantee you get the compensation that truly makes up for the hardships you had to go through.

Any access from an unauthorised person to sensitive data is considered a data breach. It doesn’t matter whether this person intended the offence, or it was done out of carelessness. It also doesn’t matter what the offender intends to do with the data.

Data breaches can result in many terrible things. They can affect the victim both financially and mentally. Thus, you should do your best to ensure your data, or the data of your clients, always remains secure and private. As a victim, you should take measures to ensure you’re getting your rights and the compensation you deserve.