Data Breach
Definition
A data breach is a security incident in which confidential, protected, or sensitive data is exposed to unauthorized parties. Data breaches can result from a cyberattack, human error, or system failure.
Under GDPR, data breaches with risk to individuals must be reported within 72 hours to the supervisory authority. Fines can reach up to 4% of global annual turnover.
The average cost of a data breach was $4.88 million in 2024 (IBM Cost of Data Breach Report).